At the 25 October 2023 #NewtownPA Board of Supervisors meeting, I asked the township engineer some questions about the Local Share Account (LSA) Grant application, which requests $999,979.20 for the construction of a pedestrian bridge across Newtown Creek connecting the Borough and Township.

Specifically, I had several questions about funding, especially if the total amount of the grant if awarded is less than required to complete the project or if there are cost overruns.

When this proposal was first presented to the BOS in 2019, Mike Sellers, a member of the Newtown Creek Coalition, pointed out that the major portion of the real estate involved is in Newtown Township and consequently, Newtown would be responsible for the majority of any costs involved. For more on that, read “Newtown Creek Coalition Proposes a NEW Pedestrian Bridge to Supervisors”; LINK: https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/blog/?viewDetailed=201909210148

If there are any costs not covered by this and/or other grants, I would not be in favor of moving forward with the project unless we can find other sources of funding such as donations from local township businesses that would benefit from the increased foot traffic.

View the application: here: https://bit.ly/LSA_BridgeGrant_Application