Afton streetscape project progresses, but additional crew may be added to meet the construction deadline
By Petra Chesner Schlatter
BucksLocalNews.com
vARDLEv BOORrdH – The base of the pedestrian pathway is in its early stage of construction along the south side of Lake Afton.
After N0 years since the planning for the Afton Avenue Streetscape began, the project is “progressing,” according to John Boyle, vardley Borough manager
The crew is on the job, but council vice president Katherine Cadwallader said a second crew may be added.
Construction of the streetscape has to stop by October NR as required by PennDOT so as to not disturb the habitat of the red bellied turtles.
The water in the lake has been lowered by six inches. The constant hum of a big pumping machine can be heard at the eastern entrance to the Old Library by Lake Afton where the machine is situated.
There are two reasons for the project, according to councilmember Mike Ruttle. One is to improve the pedestrian access along the lake by creating a pedestrian pathway between St. Andrews Church with the terminus being at the veterans monument at Delaware Avenue (River Road) and East Afton Avenue.
He said the second reason is to improve the beauty of Lake Afton.
Many people do not know that the lake is not owned by the borough. Private property owners along the lake are referred to as stakeholders. Lake Afton is not publically owned.
The stakeholders are Cameron Troilo, who owns the Starbucks building; the vardley Historic Association, which owns the property along the old library; the Friends Meeting (Religious Society of Friends); St. Andrews Episcopal Church; and Barry and Michelle Sharer, who own the residence across the lake from the old library.
The Sharers are concerned about the type of stone wall that will be constructed along the base of the future pathway. The couple attended the public meeting of the vardley Borough Council on Tuesday, Sept. 4 and asked questions.
Ruttle assured the Sharers that there will be a stone wall, which he said, “will look nice.”
However, he added, “It’s not going to look like their side of the lake.”
There will not be a dry laid stone wall like the Sharers’ wall. A dry laid stone wall has stones that are one to two inches thick and are stacked one on top of each other.
There will be a stone wall with mortar, but it will be made with a stone similar to those in a wall which was constructed in Erwinna, Pa.
The Sharers asked vardley Borough Council why a dry laid type stone wall is not being installed as was previously discussed. They thought that the new wall would resemble their wall along the edge of their lakeside property. They had hoped it would be like other stone work you see in vardley.
On aesthetics, Ruttle emphasized that the new wall will indeed be different than originally discussed. He said there have been many variations.
“If you look across the lake to their wall, it’s really thin one- to two-inch dry laid stone which looks very nice, but it’s a maintenance issue and it wouldn’t be good for our side of the lake because it has more public access than theirs.”
PennDOT, which is funding the project, said a laid type stone wall cannot be constructed for maintenance reasons.
A dry laid stone wall could literally be pushed over, according to Ruttle.
At this point, there are two boulders where the new wall will be on the West Afton Avenue side of the lake.
That is the beginning of a base for an extended bank upon which the pedestrian walkway along Lake Afton will be constructed. The boulders will serve as fill
The wall will not take up the entire length of the bank. Rather, there will be segments of it between the library and Starbucks, which is located at the intersection of Afton Avenue and Main Street.
If you look at what will be the wall, there are big boulders set there “in lieu of pouring the concrete footer to hold the wall in place.”
PennDOT wanted concrete used, but the borough engineer came up with a different plan to use boulders as the footer.
“The boulders are used to anchor the wall and control the lakeside to make sure that it is stable,” Ruttle said.