The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Updates highlight meeting
Municipal council members hear progress reports on July 4th celebration, school budget and Lafayette St. Extension Project
scheduled meeting Tuesday evening. Council also heard concerns from union officials regarding the hiring of a construction manager to oversee the municipality’s Capital Improvement Plan. In a special section of the meeting, graduates from the Norristown Citizen’s police Academy received certificates of recognition.
NASD budget
Anne Rohricht, Chief Financial Officer for the school district, began the meeting by providing council members with an overview of the 2018/2019 budget which began to take shape amidst community forums back in November of last year.
After initially proposing a budget with no tax increase in January, economic pressures and the desire of community members to retain threatened programs and services led to a revised proposal, Rohricht explained.
The proposed final budget would require a tax increase of 2.9 percent — about $135 for the average taxpayer — which is the maximum allowable by state law without voter approval according to the district’s Act 1 adjusted index — and includes final projected expenses of $154.54 million.
Budget revenues of $155.35 are composed of 71 percent local, 24 percent state, and 5 percent federal funding and include $500,000 from the sale of the former Burnside Elementary School property in West Norriton.
Rohricht noted that NASD was recently found to be the 33rd most underfunded school district in Pennsylvania according to a study by Equity First and Citizens for Fair School Funding which found the district was underfunded by $12.5 million. She also pointed out that property tax reduction funding allocated to the district from gambling revenues topped $2.85 million.
Fourth of July
Kym Ramsey of the Norristown Chamber of Commerce and Fourth of July Celebration Coordinator Tenée King updated Council on preparations for the big Independence Day event, which will feature; a parade with a new route; a block party on Main Street featuring live bands, food trucks, a beer tent and a kids zone; and a concert at the Elmwood Park Bandshell followed by fireworks at dusk.
King reported that plans for the revamped parade and festivities are going well, with 70 vendor applications and 50 parade participants thus far. For more details or to find out how to get involved, King can be contacted at TeneeKing @ gmail.com or check out the Norristown Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
Construction manager
Jerry Gorski, CEO of Gorski Engineering, the firm recently retained by the municipality as the construction manager for Norristown’s Capital Improvement Plan, addressed Council to allay concerns that the firm was adverse to working with the building trades or anti-union.
“I want to tell you that that is not factual,” said Gorsky, who added that his firm plans to “focus on the work of the municipality and the projects that lie ahead and make sure that the plan of inclusion of qualified skilled labor is a high priority.” Gorsky said the firm’s game plan moving forward is to work within the rules of the municipality’s responsible contractor ordinance and be “very inclusionary in that effort.”
Municipal Administrator Crandall Jones noted that one of the reasons the municipality decided to go with the Gorski instead of several other firms is because, of those considered, Gorski “spoke most clearly to inclusion for local labor and engagement of local unions.” Jones also emphasized that the jobs of the construction manager are to layout the plans and determine priorities and scope of work, a process that once complete, requires Council approval of recommendations to move forward. Jones encouraged local union personnel to engage with the engineering firm and council members throughout the process to ensure their concerns were being addressed.
In the public comment section of the meeting, Thomas Lepera, Business Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 took to the podium to discuss the U.S. Department of Labor approved apprentice-
ship program required by the municipality’s responsible contractor ordinance. Lepera stressed the need for well-trained labor on taxpayer-funded projects to help safeguard both workers and community members, and cited a statewide Keystone Research Center study on construction apprenticeship and training that found apprenticeship programs run by the Associated Builders and Contractors — a national trade organization affiliated with Gorski — were outperformed by union apprenticeship programs “on every measure of proven success.”
Lafayette Street Extension Project
Continued progress on the Lafayette Street Extension Project was outlined by Montgomery County Planning Commission Section Chief Matthew Edmond. In a slideshow presentation, Edmond explained the various phases of the project, its current status, and the work that remains. Edmond pointed out that the aesthetic aspects of the project along the portion of Lafayette Street east of the Dekalb Street have started taking shape with the demolition of the viaduct literally paving the way for a wider, divided thoroughfare with unobstructed access to the Schuylkill River Trail.
The current phase of the project, which will also create a linear park adjacent to the trail is scheduled for completion in late 2020. Once complete, the $90 million project — funded by the Federal Highway Commission (80 percent) and Montgomery County (20 percent) — is expected to improve access to Norristown and surrounding areas, spur economic development, and link to an interchange with the Pa. Turnpike at Conshohocken Road. For details and updates, visit www.lafayettestreetproject.com.