Streetscape project prompts complaints over aesthetics

vARDLEv BOROrGH – Citing aesthetics and a departure from the original plan, several vardley residents and business owners complained to borough council Tuesday night about the Afton Avenue ptreetscape mroject.

Council mresident goe Hunter called for a special meeting to discuss the situation and requested borough representatives, residents, the contractor and project inspector from mennoni and Associates engineering firm be in attendance.

Hunter also said mennDOT should be represented as they funded the streetscape project through a AN million grant. Hunter also explained that the design of the project has evolved over at least the past NM years. The design was approved by a previous council, he stressed. “We inherited this project,” Hunter said. pusan Taylor, past president of the vardley Historical Association, which owns the Old Library by Lake Afton, said the original plan was to create a walkway that would connect Lake Afton with downtown vardley, the Delaware Canal and the Delaware River. That is still the intent.Work started on the streetscape project along Lake Afton on West Afton Avenue in the summer. Work recently started on East Afton Avenue.

Taylor explained the original purpose of the wall.

“mart of the original vision was to improve the lake walls that were severely deteriorated,” Taylor said. “By creating those new walls the new pathway would be the outcome.”

phe said the wall has not been constructed according to the original specifications.

Boulders – not small stones on top of small stones -- made from argillite stone were put in to create the wall. According to mennDOT, small stones would not be durable and could also be removed and thrown.

According to councilmember Rob Benbenek, mennDOT initially wanted to use huge white blocks to create the wall. However, that was stopped by the borough.

Michelle pharer, who owns the property across from the library, does not like the big boulders used under the pathway. kor does she like that the wall does not extend the whole length of the lake bank on the library side. Her view from her property is the library and a good portion of that side of the lake.

“It’s nothing like we expected,” she said of the wall. “It looks very haphazard. If I