[See update below.]

 

The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors on Monday night will resume hearing a validity challenge of its ordinance brought by a developer [KRE Upper Macungie Associates LP] seeking to build a multistory, 245-unit apartment building on Lower Silver Lake Road.

 

The meeting, which is open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18 at the Newtown Township Building on Durham Road.

 

[KRE] also filed a preliminary motion to disqualify supervisor John Mack from hearing the challenge arguing that his blogs and Facebook postings have shown his bias against the filing.

 

The first order of business on Monday night will be for the supervisors to decide on KRE’s attempt to disqualify Mack from participating in the hearing.

 

Citing blogs and Facebook comments by Mack, KRE attorney Joseph Blackburn argued that Mack has shown his bias against the project and "has no intention of applying the law" and should be "disqualified" from hearing the challenge.

 

Attorney Joseph Bagley submitted a preliminary motion to exclude statements in the developer's validity challenge made by members of the planning commission and by Mack. "The burden of proof in the case is KRE's," he argued. Bagley also cited the second-class township code, which says a member of the board "shall not be disqualified from voting on any issue solely because a member has previously expressed an opinion in either an official or unofficial capacity."

 

The Newtown, Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority is investigating the possibility of acquiring land and building its own sewage treatment plant in the township that could save ratepayers in the long run, the authority said.

 

During remarks before the Newtown Borough Council on Wednesday, the authority’s executive director Warren Gormley said the authority is looking into the feasibility of acquiring a 17.5-acre tract on Lower Silver Lake Road for the construction of a state-of-the-art treatment facility to serve the authority’s 9,000 customers in Newtown Township and Newtown Borough.

 

“We have not made an offer as of yet,” said Gormley. “We are talking about it. We’re also putting numbers together for the cost of the treatment plant and the rates and projecting what the cost would be 10, 15, 20, and 30 years out.

 

Is The Township REALLY "On Board?"

 

“We’ve talked to the Department of Environmental Resources (DEP) and the DEP is on board with us. We also talked to the township and they are on board as well*,” said Gormley.

 

[*Although Mr. GormIey has come before the BOS, I do not believe it is accurate to say that the township is "on board" with the Sewer Authority's plan to develop a treatment plant on Lower Silver Lake Road.]

 

So what is driving the need for a new sewer treatment plant?

 

[At the August 10, 2022 Newtown BOS meeting, Mr. Gormley discussed the 3rd-party sewage treatment expenses the Authority pays of the Read “#NewtownPA Supervisors Approve Letter Opposing Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority (BCWSA) Sewer Sale”; https://sco.lt/7RfiEa]

 

“We have no recourse in rate increases, rate adjustments or negotiations. That’s all done by Bucks County and Philadelphia,” said Gormley.

 

[Yes, Bucks County raises rates to Newtown Sewer Authority by 17%, and in turn Newtown Sewer raises rates to consumers by 20%! Read: “#NewtownPA Sewer Authority Raises Rates by 20%”; https://sco.lt/8zuM5Y]

 

Steer Own Own Shi*

 

By building its own state-of-the-art system that would treat the waste in Newtown, the community “can steer our own ship in the future,” he said [or, as others might say, “steer our own shit!”].

 

According to Gormley, the authority is looking at building a 2.5 million gallon per day Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) treatment plant.

 

“It’s the newest thing that’s out. We’re looking at an over 2.5 million (gallons per day) facility. It’s going to be pretty good size but a lot of it is going to be undercover. There’s not that much odor to this only because it’s moved constantly with air all the time in the tanks and that’s what breaks it up.”

 

Gormley said he would keep borough officials apprised as the authority conducts its due diligence.