Council approves refinancing plan, ordinance for medical marijuana

Several upcoming events also approved by borough officials

Borough council is moving ahead with plans to refinance what’s left of a bond borrowed in 2010, which could mean savings now and debt paid off ahead of schedule.

“What this would be is not actually a bond extension, but through a bank loan, that would take it out through, it looks to be, October of 2021,” said Borough Manager Jake Ziegler.

Earlier this month, borough officials began talks on the possibility of refinancing the remainder of a $10 million bond issue from 2010, which was taken out to fund capital projects around the borough including road repairs and capacity upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant.

Roughly $2.9 million will be left from the 2010 bond as of the end of the year for the borough to spend, and the borough could secure a lower rate by rolling the payments on the remainder into a bank loan, over the next five years instead of the initial payment period which would have run through 2036.

Council voted Wednesday to accept a proposal from bond advisors Boenning and Scattergood Inc. to prepare the refinancing, and to start the process of seeing terms for another capital project borrowing.

Councilman Jack Hansen asked for details on the refinancing and the possible savings from refinancing now, and said hearing those terms caused him to change his mind on whether to move ahead.

“This vote tonight on the bond

shows that a mind can be changed, even mine, because I came in here absolutely going to vote no on that (refinancing),” Hansen said.

“When I found out it can be paid off 15 years early, with a savings of another $41,000, absolutely yes. It shows that I can have my mind changed, and everyone up here comes in with an open mind,” he said.

Several other items were also approved unanimously by council Wednesday night, including an ordinance setting out rules and regulations for medical marijuana dispensary and grower/processor uses to be allowed in the borough, in order to comply with new state rules.

“This is council being

very proactive in putting it in certain zoning districts, but placing the most restrictive conditions on it that can be provided by law,” said solicitor Sean Kilkenny.

The new borough rules state that medical marijuana dispensaries or growing facilities must have the appropriate state licenses, “shall not be operated or maintained” within 1,000 feet of a school or day care center, shall only be operated from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and must be staffed or monitored 24/7 by security personnel with alarms approved by borough police, among other restrictions.

“This ordinance only provides for a use. It does not supercede or take the place of any building code or safety requirements. All of those codes still come into play,” said councilman Leon Angelichio.

The boroughs’s planning

commission has vetted the ordinance for the past several months, and borough council held a brief public hearing on the proposed code, and after explaining the specifics, voted unanimously to adopt the new code.

“It just places medical marijuana dispensaries and grower/processors within our current zoning ordinance. Everything else does remain in place,” Kilkenny said.

Other items approved by council included authorizations for several upcoming events:

• A Community Day event sponsored by Branch Community Church at Wedgewood Park, from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 11.

• The 29th annual Lansdale Festival of the Arts, sponsored by the borough Parks and Recreation department, at Memorial Park from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 26.

• The 22nd annual Lansdale Bike Night, sponsored by the Blue Comets Motorcycle Club, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 9.

Council also approved a motion changing the use of Railroad Avenue to be converted to a one-way road for a new SEPTA bus stop and trail running alongside, and approved a payment for work done on a portion of the Liberty Bell Trail running through the Andale Green property near Hancock Avenue.

Lansdale’s borough council next meets at 9 p.m. on July 5, with various council committees meeting starting at 7 p.m., all at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine St. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.Lansdale.org or follow @LansdalePA on Twitter.