Parking & Traffic in the Village at Newtown

From johnmacknewtown.info - June 6, 4:47 PM

The Village at Newtown "Shopping" Center is currently in the final phase of a 35 million dollar makeover that Brixmor Property Group - the owner - hopes will revitalize the center. The plan (shown above) was approved 5-0 by the Newtown Zoning Hearing Board on October 16, 2016. In attendance and voting were: Chairman Timothy Potero, Vice Chairman Michael Iapalucci, Secretary Robert Whartenby and members Shawn Ward and Brandon Wind. Yes, parking and traffic in the Center has been a mess for some time. Will things improve once construction is complete or will parking and traffic remain problems after all is said and done?I don’t know if there is a DEFINITIVE answer to that question, but I do believe there are signs that all will be well in the Center eventually.At least that seems to be the opinion of Allen Fiddler, Chair of the Newtown Planning Commission although he acknowledges that not everyone will be happy in the end.In response to a resident’s comments at the May 8, 2019, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, Mr. Fiddler recounted the history of this project and explained the ultimate goal of Brixmor.
 
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Bucks Towns - Including Newtown - Prepare for Annual Road Work

From www.buckscountycouriertimes.com - June 1, 6:43 AM

At least 10 Bucks County towns have awarded their 2019 road maintenance bid projects in recent months, with some expected to cost over $1 million.
 
Often referred to as “Road Programs,” these contracts are typically part of regular upkeep to municipal-owned roads that most towns in Bucks County do throughout the year.
 
Awarded contract amounts are subject to change and not all contract bids include an approximate cost estimate.
 
Projects in Middletown and Warrington, both large municipalities, are among the most costly road projects out of the towns that have posted bids in the last few months.
 
Middletown approved a $1.05 million contract with General Asphalt Paving Co., of Philadelphia, in April, while a recently awarded contract in Warrington was estimated to cost up to $1.1 million.
 
Middletown’s project includes work to Sunny Hill Road, a portion of Summit Trace Road off Doublewoods Drive and Wheeler Way.
 
Harris is also repairing up to 20 streets in Newtown Township this year for its $706,596 contract awarded in March (for details of the project, read “The 2019 Road Improvement Program”).
 

Supervisors Mack and Fisher Win Big in Newtown Primary

From www.johnmacknewtown.info - May 23, 11:24 AM

The vote count for Newtown Supervisor in the 2019 Primary election is now official. Incumbent Democratic Supervisors John Mack and Dennis Fisher topped the chart in number of votes received (see chart above).Newtown Supervisor Mack made an impressive showing. "Many people told me how much they appreciated my efforts to keep residents informed," noted Mr. Mack. Mack racked up more than 50% more votes than his Republican rivals. He won in all 8 Newtown Township districts.
 
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Newtown Residents Comment on Roberts Ridge Park Meadow Plan

From johnmacknewtown.info - May 10, 8:56 AM

At the May 8, 2019, Newtown Township Board of Supervisors public meeting, several residents and watershed experts spoke out against the establishment of a "meadow" in Roberts Ridge Park as part of the township's Pollution Reduction Plan. Several objections were raised. The discussion resulted in the Township rethinking the plan for the park and mowing the meadow in the meantime. Other ideas were put forward to comply with PA Department of Environmental Protection regarding reduction of pollution of watersheds.

	johnmacknewtown's insight:
	Related Story: “Newtown Township's Pollution Reduction Plan”

Newtown Residents, Police, EMS Personnel, Firemen, Students, and Politicians Remember & Honor Veterans During Memorial Day Parade

From www.buckslocalnews.com - May 29, 6:19 AM

From the solitude of the Newtown Cemetery to Veterans Plaza on Historic State Street, Taps split the morning air as Newtown remembered the fallen on Memorial Day.
 
Pausing first at the gravesite of Morell Smith, Newtown’s only native son who died fighting for his country in WWI, and then at the World War I monument at the Newtown Library Company, veterans from American Legion Post 440 laid wreaths and saluted the men and women who gave their lives in the cause of freedom.
 
As the town remembered its fallen heroes on Monday, they waved flags and cheered as local veterans led the annual Newtown Memorial Day Parade through town bearing the nation’s colors and looking sharp in their military uniforms.
 
Escorted through town by Newtown Borough Police Chief James Sabath and Newtown Township Police Chief John Hearn, a Color Guard and Honor Guard made up of local veterans led the march followed by American Legion Post 440 Commander Mike Errico and a parade of local veterans walking and riding the parade route.
 
Among them was Vietnam Veteran Norman Moorhead, this year’s Parade Grand Marshal.
 
Moorhead served in the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1967. Some of that time was spent at Naha Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. The base was the major support during the Vietnam War.
 
After the war in 1968, he joined the Newtown Township Police Department where he served until his retirement in 2008 after 40 years with the force.
 
Joining the veterans for the parade was the award-winning Council Rock High School North Marching Band, which performed a musical salute to the U.S. Armed Services as they marched through town with flags twirling and instruments playing.
 
The band was followed by the Newtown Fire Association, the volunteers marching by in their snappy dress uniforms, followed by a parade of fire trucks.
 
Local politicians also joined the march, including State Senator Steve Santarsiero, State Rep. Perry Warren, Mayor Charles Swartz, Newtown Township Supervisors John Mack, Linda Bobrin, Kyle Davis and Dennis Fisher [see photo above] and Newtown Borough Councilors Julia Woldorf and Tara Grunde-McLaughlin.
 
World War II veteran Arthur Baisley rode by waving to the crowds lining the route. He was a prisoner of war from Dec. 1944 to April 1945.

	johnmacknewtown's insight:
	At the end of the parade I sat with a Korean War veteran during lunch at American Legion Post 440. He was 90 years old. He told me about the "hills" he had to climb. I didn't mention Trump's "love affair" with the North Korean dictator while the war is still not officially ended.