MARSHALLTON STREETSCAPES
SEPTEMBER 2008 UPDATE

The following is an update on the project and things happening around the village.

PennDOT has required that 53 different landowners be contacted and consulted with on the project. We have secured the required approvals from a majority of those property owners. We are working towards getting the remaining owners to provide their consent. I have had meetings with a majority of the remaining owners. We are attempting to reach agreements on how to move forward with many of them. It has been difficult because all engineering changes must get the approval of PennDOT because State Roads are involved. Some property owners do not agree with the PennDOT requirements and I have been unable to get PennDOT to listen to any other points of view.  Also, despite my attempts, it has been difficult to reach a few owners and some are unwilling to provide their consent. This has resulted in further delays to the project.

The project is now in serious jeopardy of not moving forward because of the outstanding consent forms and the fact that inflation has increased construction costs. The cost of the Township's 2008 road projects increased 60% over our budgeted amounts.

I am still trying many avenues to move the project forward. It is likely that a decision on whether the project can move forward will happen by the end of this year.

A group of residents has formed an advocacy group for the Village called the Marshallton Trust. They are having a 'Visioning Workshop' for the Village on Saturday, September 20th from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM upstairs at the Marshallton Inn. They have asked that I share a handout on the visioning with you. (click here). All interested residents are welcome and encouraged to attend the Saturday program and their monthly meetings which take place on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6 pm upstairs at the Marshallton Inn.

* The Tour of Marshallton – Thursday, July 31st, was a huge success with over 300 visitors attending from around the region. A big thank you to all the Village residents who helped out during the event. If you did not attend the event and would like the color program with historical pictures of the village, please contact me and we'll get you one.

* Marshallton Visioning Exercise sponsored by the Marshallton Trust will take place on Saturday, September 20th from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM upstairs at the Marshallton Inn. RSVP to either Margie Miller (joermiller@aol.com or 610-436-4444) or Mark Slouf (markslouf@aol.com or 610-431-3063)

* Marshalton Triathlon is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 5th.  More information may be obtained by visiting www.marshaltontriathlon.com.

* Marshallton Ghost Walk & Fall Family Fun Night – Saturday, October 25th 6 PM to 9 PM (rain date on Sunday).   Sponsored by West Bradford Township Recreation and Historical Commissions. It was a great success. Please encourage all your friends that don't live in the village to carpool to the event, as parking will be tight. The family activities will be similar to last year. Again this year, the Marshallton UMC will be having their community dinner before the event and the Township will sponsor a decorating contest with monetary prizes (entry form). We would like to have village residents volunteer to put out luminaries in front of their property that night. The Township will provide the luminaries for free, but we could really use a volunteer coordinator to help us out. The Marshallton Inn and 4 Dog's Inn have agreed to donate corn stalks to decorate the telephone poles in the village, but we could also use some volunteers to help us decorate. The Historical Commission will be having the evening ghost walks again this year with a historical storyteller and a Bluegrass band. Again, volunteer walking tour guides or open houses are needed! Please see  flyers in the village in early October for a full program.

* Annual Village Holiday Party – Saturday, December 6th at Martin's Tavern.

Copes Bridge Reconstruction (East Bradford Twp) by PennDOT is tentatively scheduled for the Spring of 2009, taking about a year to complete. They have committed to rebuilding the historic structure, not widening the cartway, but will be increasing the weight limit.

To attempt to alleviate traffic issues, the Township is working with PennDOT to help us realign and signalize the intersection of Route 322 and Sugars Bridge Roads. This project is on the Township’s road improvements list, even though it is a State intersection. We are using the opportunity to get expedited approval for the project and State financial assistance. We hope to have this completed by the time that the bridge is closed.

Goddard School Parking Lot -The Township Board of Supervisors has approved a proposal to reconfigure the school’s parking lot and access. Their driveway onto Sugars Bridge Road will be eliminated.

Vincent M. Visoskas
Assistant Township Manager
West Bradford Township
1385 Campus Drive
Downingtown PA 19335
(610) 269-4174
(610) 269-3016 fax
www.westbradford.org <http://www.westbradford.org>