On the lawn in front of Boone Farm in Middletown on Wednesday morning, years of dedicated work came to fruition as Linda Salley joined government officials in turning over a few ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt for the new African American Museum of Bucks County.

Bucks County officials agreed in 2020 to lease the historic farm to the African American Museum until 2030.

Since its founding in 2014, the museum has been a mobile and virtual entity. Boone farm, one of the most historic properties in the county, is located in Core Creek Park in Middletown and has been in possession of the county for about 50 years.

The groundbreaking ceremony signified the end of one challenge, and the beginning of another, as the museum and its affiliates prepare to begin renovations on the new space that will bring Black history to the public in a permanent space for the first time.

Pat Mervine, whose family has ties to the immediate vicinity, has independently researched the property, and is publishing a book on Boone Farm this year.  

Mervine noted that the history of slavery in Pennsylvania is sometimes overlooked due to the historical predominance of Quakers, who generally supported abolition of slavery by then end of the 18th century.

"I hate it," he said. But, why? "Well, it's just [expletive] stupid," he responded. "What is it even supposed to be?"

Bill Kindle is no art critic, no architect, nor historian. He sells cars on Business Route 1 and he hates the Middletown Monument.

Kindle can't quite explain his disdain for the four-story artifice at Oxford Valley Road and Lincoln Highway (also known as Business Route 1).

But he's not alone. In online reviews, users have described the Middletown Monument as "amazingly awful" and "one of the most ugliest things ever."

Catalyst Outdoor began construction on the Middletown Monument in 2018, which doubles as an electronic billboard at the corner of Lincoln Highway and Oxford Valley Road.

And recently announced plans for an $11 million overhaul of the intersections it stands over had many motorists hopeful the road upgrades may lead to the monuments demise. Not so fast, PennDOT said. The "M" isn't going anywhere.

The monument was approved by Middletown board members who no longer serve on the township's board of supervisors. On Sept. 7, this news organization reached out to five current members of the board.

None of the current board members responded to requests for comment on the Middletown Monument.

New traffic signals are coming to Woodbourne Road's intersection with both Swift and Lower Silver Lake roads by the fall or winter.

Phil Wursta, a traffic engineer working with Middletown, explained how the traffic signals and left turn lanes will be added to the intersection by expanding the roadway into the rights-of-way on Woodbourne so that through traffic doesn't have to stop quickly behind a vehicle making a left-turn into either Swift or Lower Silver Lake roads.

The township supervisors approved bids for the work last month. The $650,000 cost for the project will also include push-buttons for pedestrians to use on the signals to cross Woodbourne at the intersection.

With a Wawa store proposed for Lower Silver Lake's intersection with the Newtown Bypass, residents were concerned there could be more walkers and bicyclists using that road and crossing Woodbourne from Swift Road to get to Lower Silver Lake and the Wawa if Newtown Township approves its construction.

[Source: May 13, 2022, BCCT]

Bucks' commissioners recently approved installing electric-vehicle charging stations at Peace Valley Park in Central Bucks. Some municipalities, such as Middletown, Wrightstown and Quakertown, also are getting on the electric vehicle charging bandwagon, with charging stations already available or in the works.

[Read “Newtown Township's Planning Commission Discusses Electric Vehicle Charging Stations”; https://sco.lt/79osuu Some charging stations, however, include electronic message signs (ads) that are not permitted in the Jointure, comprised of Newtown, Wrightstown, and Upper Makefield. Fore more about that, read “Volta's Plan for (FREE) EV Charging Stations”; https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/voltapc.html and see “Insights” below.]

Middletown Township recently received a $215,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Protection for the installation of four DC fast charging stations at municipal building. The grant was part of $2.l million in state Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants to municipalities and businesses for 99 electric vehicles and more clean fuel transportation projects across the state.

Middletown Board of Supervisors Chairperson Mike Ksiazek said this grant will further the township's efforts to embrace EVs and clean energy. "We are very excited about this in Middletown. Last year we enacted a township climate action plan with the long term goal of increasing environ-mental sustainability and reducing greenhouse gasses here…We already have two charging station in the township and last year, we approved two more. We are also moving to replace our police cars with electric vehicles."

Locally, energy provider PECO announced its Level 2 Commercial EV Charging Pilot rebate program, which provides incentives to commercial and industrial customers to offset the cost of installing EV charging infrastructure at workplaces, retail businesses, public charging areas, and multi-unit dwellings. Projects located within PECO's service territory are eligible to receive up to$2,000 per charging port or 50 percent of eligible make-ready costs, up to a maximum of 20 ports. The rebate can reach $3,000 if other stipulations are met. [Listen to podcast: “PECO Representative Discusses Municipal EV Charging Station Options, Rebates, & Grants”; https://sco.lt/86u34S]

Middletown Township Board of Supervisors on April 4 authorized an electricity supply agreement for the township’s electrical accounts which includes 100 percent “green” energy from renewable resources. The new electrical contract will begin May 1, 2023 and is specifically for Middletown Township accounts.

The new contract with Freepoint Energy Solutions will mean that all electricity used by the Township in its facilities and streetlights will come from renewable resources for the first time ever. The township was able to restructure its current contract to minimize the cost of green energy.

By using renewable energy for Government operations, municipalities can be a significant contributor to decarbonizing the electricity system and tackling climate change, especially in emissions-heavy markets like the Northeast. Local governments play an integral role in growing the renewables market and further accelerating these trends to enable a clean energy future.

The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors adopted the Climate Action Plan (CAP) on September 20. The mission of the Middletown Township Local Climate Action Plan is to create an environmentally friendly future that improves the quality of life by promoting environmental sustainability to residents, businesses, and the community.

The CAP established a goal of changing the Townships electrical supply to 100 percent green energy by 2030. Approval of this electric contract achieves this goal seven years early.

[Published January 22, 2022, in the Bucks Count Courier Times.]

The consulting agency that found Middletown's fire service was suffering from a 'system-wide lack of trust' and breakdown in communication has now been hired to try to fix it. The fire services in Middletown Township is comprised of four volunteer fire companies and the Township Department of Fire and Emergency Management.

Township supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a $15,385 contract with Dynamix Consulting Group to help create a plan to improve the fire services in the township.

Dynamix in September released a 143-page study of the township's fire services, outlining the need for better communication and coordination to provide better service in the township.

Township officials have said response time is not a concern.

[Newtown Fire Chief Glenn Forsyth, however, voiced concern over maintaining an adequate response time for the Newtown Fire Department as a major reason why he requested that the township apply for a SAFER Grant. LINK: https://sco.lt/7PKBlY]

But the report does raise concerns about conflicts between volunteer and paid firefighters and years of complaints that some believed had gone ignored.

[NOTE: A study commissioned by Newtown Twp from a different consultant raised the same issues.]

Consultants recommended coordinating records for both paid and volunteer services. It also recommended the township hire someone to supervise and coordinate all fire services in the township. Don Harris, Newtown Township's former fire marshal, has been appointed in the Interim Director of Fire and Emergency management.

The proposed second Chick-fil-A for the area will have to wait, as the plan was tabled by the Middletown Township Planning Commission.

The planners voted Wednesday evening to table the plan until a future meeting over concerns related to traffic in the area where the fast food company wants to open a second Middletown Township location.

Chick-fil-A is looking to build a 5,200-square-foot restaurant with outdoor seating, indoor seating, and a dual-lane drive-thru in what is now the parking lot between the Starbucks and Inspire Federal Credit Union and in front of Floor and Decor at 1501 East Lincoln Highway.

COVID-19 has led to Chick-fil-A focusing more room for mobile ordering operations, which has proved extremely popular, Martinez said.

Chick-fil-A has already obtained a variances from the zoning heard board for hours of operation – 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday – and impervious service.

Traffic studies were carried out by Chick-fil-A and found lunchtime would likely be the busiest for the location.

Several residents that spoke during public comment raised worries about traffic in the shopping centers that surround proposed location.

“We’re going to have tons of traffic backed up,” resident Michael Gay told planners.

Resident Bob Feather, a former school board member, called for the township to talk to residents and the owners of the shopping centers to fix the problems, including the “traffic nightmare.” He added he had no objections specifically to the Chick-fil-A plans, but the general area needed some improvements.

Rich Nuttall, the vice chairperson of the planning commission, said he liked Chick-fil-A, but said tabling the plan would give some time for options to improve traffic in the area to be discussed.

More...

Erecting a large electronic billboard in a Middletown right-of-way would run afoul of township zoning law and would create traffic problems, an attorney and transportation engineer testified during a lengthy virtual zoning hearing board meeting Wednesday night.

The hearing was adjourned at 11 p.m. without a decision, and will be continued, likely sometime in the next week or two, board solicitor Dan Grieser said. It's being held to consider an appeal of a zoning permit issued for the billboard, also being referred to as a monument sign, proposed by Premier Media LLC for a spot at the corner of Business Route 1 and South Flowers Mill Road.

McCafferty Hyundai Sales, Inc., owned by the Fred Beans Family of Dealerships, filed the appeal during the summer over the monument sign that would be located in a township right-of-way right next to the dealership.

Signs located in rights-of-way are generally much smaller and are of the "breakaway" type that couldn't cause significant damage in the event of an accident, he added.

"When you start putting fixed objects in rights-of-way, you have a traffic hazard," Horner testified.

Frank Bartle, a Lansdale attorney who specializes in real estate, zoning and land development, testified that monument signs need to be located on an actual lot and are not allowed in rights-of-way.

Beans also repeated points he had made in a recent guest opinion in the Bucks County Courier Times, that the monument sign would be an eyesore and that township officials should have higher standards for structures proposed in Middletown.

The township supervisors approved a 25-year lease for the monument sign in June. It would pay Middletown yearly rents starting at $12,000 and rising to more than $30,000 in the final five years of the agreement.

If eventually put up, the 300-square-foot rectangular-shaped structure would be the second large electronic billboard in Middletown, joining the "M" owned by Catalyst and located on private land at the corner of Business 1 and Oxford Valley Road (read “A Large Electronic Billboard – Touted as “the Middleown Monument” – is Being Erected at Intersection of Route 1 and Oxford Valley Road Near Wawa!”; http://sco.lt/92vyLZ).

On Monday evening, the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved preliminary and final land development for the project that is seen as a cornerstone for potential redevelopment of one of the area’s largest shopping destination.

The plan approved by the supervisors green lights 614 modern apartments spread across two three- to four-story buildings that would each feature a parking garage for residents and a number of amenities, including green spaces, pools, and fitness centers.

The new apartment complex will be constructed in the old Boscov’s parking lot. Part of the long-closed store will be demolished to add open space and clear room for possible future retail development abutting the complex.

The developer, Main Line-based Cornerstone Tracy, plans to construct the complex in two phases. The first would include 391 apartments with a parking garage, and the second phase will add 223 apartments with a second parking garage.

Dave Della Porta, a co-owner of developer Cornerstone Tracy, said the development will add about a mile of sidewalks to interconnect the development to the mall and surrounding area. He also touted the development will add 8 acres of green space, including a large central green area for residents and the public.

Della Porta said the plan would create “a first-rate, new, modern apartment community.”

A plan for a new 5,000-square-foot Wawa with gas pumps has received the final green light.

The Middletown Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday evening to approve major final land development for the Wawa on East Lincoln Highway.

Wawa officials said the convenience store and gas station will have one main access point with a traffic signal on East Lincoln Highway across from the Penndel-Middletown Emergency Squad building.

The Wawa will have more than 60 parking spaces and a stormwater basin that will have trees planted around it. Access to township-owned woodland behind the new Wawa will also be allowed.

The location for the new Wawa is on a busy roadway, close to heavily-trafficked I-295, and not far from Route 1. It sits under a mile from the Wawa on Trenton Road and just 2 miles from the Wawa with gas station on Oxford Valley Road, both in Middletown.

A comprehensive plan is like a blueprint or guide book for a municipality to follow when it prepares for the future.

Middletown Township needs to update its current master plan, which dates to 1994, and wants input from residents as to what their wish list would be to enhance the community.

A public meeting will take place Tuesday [June 9, 2019] from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Municipal Center, 3 Municipal Way. Residents, business owners and others interested in the township can come for the entire meeting or stop by to participate in part of it.

“Middletown’s comprehensive plan is such a great opportunity for residents to guide the direction of our community for years to come,” said Supervisor Amy Strouse. “This document will influence the character of our neighborhoods and shopping areas, identify problem areas and underutilized resources, and reprioritize the budget.”

Strouse said a volunteer steering committee has met twice already and these residents (representing a cross section of interests and neighborhoods) are giving great feedback on priorities like walkability, traffic concerns and open space preservation.

The five main issues the master plan will cover are sustainability, housing, redevelopment, transportation and recreation.

Having an updated comprehensive plan will help Middletown decide on its “vision” for the future and “will help us decide what funding sources and grants to apply for,” said Scott Sadowsky, assistant to the township manager. The development of the plan is still early in the process, so it’s a good time to get residents’ input, he pointed out.

To promote the endeavor, the township is sponsoring a photography contest and asks residents to send their photos of areas of the township that they like or those where they think improvements are needed. The photos should be emailed to CompPlan@middletownbucks.org for sharing on social media and the township website. The contest winner will receive gift certificates to eateries and entertainment venues.