Commissioners hear details of new transportation grant program

The Montgomery County Commissioners were presented with and overview of the newly established County Transportation Grant Program and heard from concerned citizens from Whitemarsh Township about an ongoing traffic and public safety issue at their regular Thursday meeting, March 15.

The County Transportation Program (CTP) is a competitive, reimbursement grant program designed to improve infrastructure across the county’s 62 municipalities, explained Matt Edmond, section chief of Transportation Planning.

The program is in accordance with the county’s comprehensive plan, Montco 2040, and utilizes $1 million generated by a portion of revenues from the $5 vehicle registration fee the commissioners approved in 2016 — a provision made allowable by Act 89, a 2013 state transportation funding law.

The matching grants max out at $100,000 and will be awarded to projects approved by the 2017/2018 Green Light-Go Program through which PennDOT aids municipalities with traffic signal modernization and other infrastructure improvements.

Edmond explained that distribution of vehicle registration funds through the grant program is a fairer way of ensuring that all county residents benefit from fee-generated improvement projects since all roads in the county are not county-owned, and the program will help subsidize the liquid fuels funds municipalities receive to rehab bridges, repave roads and install new signals.

Edmond also emphasized that the grant program is supported by the Montgomery County Association of Township Officials, who drafted a resolution in 2016 requesting that such a program be implemented upon passage of the registration fee.

Details are available at www.montcopa.org.CountyTransportationProgram.

Commission Chair Dr. Val Arkoosh said the program sounded like “a meaningful infusion of dollars coming into our municipalities” and said she looked forward to publicizing the program on social media and seeing what projects would receive awards this year.

Commissioner Joe Gale, who voted against the $5 registration fee, expressed doubt that the program would put a significant dent into alleviating the problem of dilapidated roads and bridges and took a different tack to addressing the issue.

“I think all levels of government should realize we have a cost problem,” Gale said, adding that he would like to see prevailing wage reform implemented as a cost-cutting measure.

ENTRENCHED TRAFFIC PROBLEM

In the public comment section of the meeting members of the Creek Lane Homeowners Association asked county officials to work on a solution to an entrenched traffic problem on the West Valley Green Road Bridge which traverses Wissahickon Creek about a quarter mile east of Bethlehem Pike.

The problem, the residents say, is the bridge is only built to sustain the passage of vehicles of three tons or less, but despite clear signage and the installation of “headache bars,” which are physical barriers to prevent overweight vehicles from utilizing the bridge, large, heavy vehicles keep travelling over the span causing intermittent shutdowns of the roadway.

The residents asserted that these closures not only represent an inconvenience, but are public safety concerns as well, because they cause congestion on surrounding thoroughfares, which could cost first responders valuable time if there’s an emergency in the Creek Lane community.

Chris Smith, the Montgomery County Director of Assets and Infrastructure assured the Creek Lane representatives that “the County, along with its municipal and state partners, is exploring any and all options to improve the traffic situation impacted by the closure of the West Valley Green Road Bridge.”

NEW LOGO AND OTHER BUSINESS

In other business at Thursday’s meeting, the county’s Department of Health and Human Services unveiled its new logo. According to Kristen Fisher of the Office of Public Health, the logo was designed to show the synergy between the county’s program and strategic offices. The logo consists of a door element partially encircled

by brightly colored leaves.

Fisher said the new logo is informed by the department’s commitment for serving the community and helps to give the department and easily recognizable brand.

The colored leaves featured on the logo are not just for show. They correspond to colored leaf website icons that allow for easy access to information about departmental services.

Acknowledgements and proclamations

The commissioners took a moment to acknowledge National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week and presented a proclamation to Dr. Karel Konvat in appreciation for her work raising awareness about the debilitating disease, educating the public about available resources, and raising funds to help find a cure.

They also honored Pat Leo and her team at The Arc Alliance as well as other government and public and private organizations for

their tireless advocacy on behalf of those with developmental disabilities in recognition of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness month.

Commissioner’s notebook

•The commissioners approved authorization of a $200,000 grant to the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association for the purchase and preservation of a property adjacent to existing open space along Prophecy Creek in Whitpain Township. The grant will be added to $1.6 million already raised by the association and $200,000 from the Township to finalize the sale.

Arkoosh gave special acknowledgement to the WVWA for their remarkable work in raising such a significant sum in public funds and intimated that their involvement gave the commissioners solace in the proper stewardship of the acquired property going forward.

• The commissioners also authorized the submission of grant applications to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for a portion of

the Cross County Trail in Lafayette Hill and the proposed Swamp Creek Greenway and Sunrise Trail from Schwenksville to New Hanover Township.

• A supplemental reimbursement agreement was approved for the additional cost of completion for the Knight Road Bridge in Hanover Township. An increase of $305,590 was incurred due to inclement weather. The county and PennDOT are federally reimbursed for 95 percent of the bridge’s replacement costs.

• The commissioners also approved a reimbursement agreement for $529,000 for the design phase of the Fetters Mill Road bridge in Lower Moreland Township and a no-cost time extension to Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. for preliminary engineering work on the Keim Street Bridge which connects Pottstown to North Coventry Township, Chester County.

• The commissioners agreed to approve a bond issuance of no more than $45,000,000 by the Montgomery County Higher Education and Health Authority to fund financing and improvements to Thomas Jefferson University medical

treatment facilities.

• Montgomery Township District Court 38-1-18, presided over by Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy, will be relocating to

271 Bethlehem, Pike in Colmar when its current lease at 601 Bethlehem Pike in Montgomery Township expires in July. The move was made to address parking and security issues, and the new 15-year lease will begin at $84,704 for the first year, with a 2 percent annual increase over the life of the lease.