County council holds meeting in Glenolden
GLENOLDEN — Delaware County Council adopted resolutions related to projects and programs in Glenolden during a meeting at the borough hall Wednesday night.
County council normally meets at 10 a. m. on Wednesdays at the Government Center in Media, but occasionally takes a meeting on the road to another municipality. The meeting in Glenolden marked council’s 10th evening meeting since February 2009.
“I think it’s a great idea and we do really enjoy seeing different communities,” said county council Chairman Tom McGarrigle.
Council adopted a resolution declaring today Great American Smokeout Day, which has been observed across the nation for the past 37 years. The American Cancer Society instituted the national Great American Smokeout as a way to encourage smokers to quit smoking that day or come up with a plan to quit.
Council also adopted a resolution commending Glenolden officials for joining other municipalities and schools in the county in establishing a Young Lungs at Play program at parks and other public facilities in the borough.
The program is focused on eliminating children’s exposure to secondhand smoke and harmful litter at public parks, playgrounds, community centers and other properties, according to county Councilman Dave White. He said Young Lungs at Play is a no- cost, tobacco- free program supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is administered by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project and the Health Promotion Council.
Council adopted a resolution commending borough officials for their work on the Knowles Avenue Pedestrian Tunnel Underpass. The pedestrian tunnel, which opened in June, is located directly next to a one- lane vehicular tunnel under the CSX tracks on Knowles Avenue near Glenolden Park, according to borough Manager Brian Hoover.
Hoover said borough officials made a decision to apply for a Home Town Streets/ Safe Routes to School grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about five years ago. PennDOT awarded the borough $ 1 million for the project, according to Hoover.
The entire multi- year project was about $ 3.2 million and included the installation of the pedestrian tunnel and revitalization of Glenolden Park, such as new curbing and sidewalks, according to Hoover. In addition to the PennDOT funds, the borough received about $ 1.3 million through the state’s Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program, he said.
Additionally, county council administered about $ 285,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds for the tunnel and administered a couple hundred thousand more toward the overall revitalization of the park, according to Hoover. The pedes- trian tunnel connects a tee- ball field to the remainder of Glenolden Park.
“As a police officer for 26 years, I had to close those gates many times for the kids to walk,” said Glenolden Mayor Gerry Quinn, referring to the way things were before the installation of the pedestrian tunnel.
Quinn said the new tunnel has made conditions much safer for pedestrians in the borough.