West Rockhill hears request for donation for ambulance

Planning commission tables warehouse plans

WEST ROCKHILL » Continuing to make the round of towns being asked to contribute from the American Rescue Plan Act federal coronavirus-related stimulus funding to help Grand View Health purchase a new ambulance, GVH officials brought the request to West Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors June 15.

The area is growing and the number of ambulance calls is increasing, GVH Chief Operating Officer Mark Horne said.

The new ambulance would be GVH’s fourth, he said.

“We really want to be in position to handle more calls from not only West Rockhill, but East Rockhill and Perkasie and Sellersville,” Horne said.

Along with asking for a contribution to the $185,00 price of the ambulance and about $370,000 to staff it for the first year, GVH is asking for help to pay the about $240,000 to change the current 3G service to communicate between the ambulance and the emergency department to 5G. The 3G service will be shut off the end of this year, GVH Director of Development David Alderfer said.

A similar presentation was made to East Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors in May.

Along with the four towns, Bucks County has been asked to contribute, Alderfer said.

West Rockhill board Chairman Jay Keyser said the board will take the request under advisement and reply at a later date.

In other matters at the meeting:

• Planning Commission Chair Chris Derstine said Verus Partners plans for a 185,376 square-foot warehouse on the 17.11-acre former Drum Construction property at Meetinghouse Road and Clymer Avenue was discussed at the previous night’s planning commission meeting.

Verus was asking for a recommendation of preliminary/final approval, but the planners decided to table the plans until additional reviews, including by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation are received, Derstine said.

“I think we really need to do our due diligence. There’s a lot of issues that we just can’t gloss over,” board member David Collingwood said, agreeing with the tabling.

“I just think we need to proceed judiciously and cautiously and get it right,” Collingwood said, calling the current reviews “the beginning of the beginning.”

• Conditional final approval was given for THP Investments’ Oakwood Terrace development on 16.7 acres at the former Precision Finishing property at Lawn Avenue and Farmer’s Lane. The plans are for 72 age-restricted townhouses.