Don't be surprised if you see a Pennsylvania State Police trooper in the vicinity of Webb and Atwater roads during a few school day mornings. Troopers will be monitoring traffic in the area during those mornings when school children are getting on the school bus, according to Lt. Thomas McClung, commander of Troop K, Media.McClung made the comment during last week's Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors' meeting. He said the idea was to help "give the kids a chance."
The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Transportation Department had considered changing the bus route this year to eliminate the stop on Webb at the intersection, instead creating two stops on Atwater itself. However, that plan fell through.
Gail Wolfel, the director of transportation said they nixed the idea because the winding residential street is too narrow and school buses can't accelerate from a stop at the bottom of Atwater to blend safely into Webb Road's traffic.
Wolfel and several township officials toured Atwater earlier this summer to meet with parents of school aged children and to explore the possibility of finding an alternative.
But Wolfel said two weeks ago that she tested the street again in a pickup truck and had barely enough room when a garbage truck came the other way. She said a school bus would not have had enough room.
Many adults felt that having children get on and off the bus on Webb Road was dangerous and that parents parking their cars at the bottom of Atwater Road waiting with their children made for heavier traffic congestion.
McClung also told supervisors that having a trooper in the area would also depend on whether it's safe to have a patrol car parked in the area where there are no shoulders.
Other business
• Chadds Ford Township supervisors made it official last week by voting 2-0 for a $5,465 tapping fee for residential customers to connect to the Turner's Mill Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Supervisors Deborah Love D'Elia and George Thorpe voted for the connection fee during the board's regular September meeting following two special meetings on the subject in August. Supervisor Garry Paul was absent last week.
The township Sewer Authority will begin sending connection notices to new customers Oct. 1.
The tapping fee is per EDU, or equivalent dwelling unit. An EDU is the amount of water used per day by an average household. Chadds Ford calculates an EDU at 217 gallons.
Not all customers will pay the same amount, however. State law permits a recalculation of the tapping fees for multi-dwelling units such as town-houses and condominiums. Residents of South Point and Painters' Crossing will pay taping fees of $3,825, or 70 percent of the $5,465.
Businesses in the project area will also be required to connect to the public sewer, with their EDUs calculated by business type and the number of customers and employees.
In addition to the tapping fee, some customers will have to pay for a grinder pump that may cost in the neighborhood of $3,000. They will also have to pay a plumber to run pipes from the home to the sewer lines at the street. One resident of Creek Road said his plumber has estimated a price of $12,000 for that.
Those connecting must also pay for plumbing permits and inspection.
• Thorpe announced that there is now a survey of Beaver Dam Road that will enable Pennsylvania to take possession of the portion in Chadds Ford. That, in turn, will let the state negotiate with Delaware so that DelDOT can maintain the 900 feet of the road that cuts in and out of the township from Delaware.
• Thorpe also said another portion of the loop road near the intersection of routes 1 and 202 is closer to becoming a reality. The stretch Thorpe was talking about is across Route 1 from Brandywine Drive. It would connect Route 1 with Hillman Drive at Route 202. Construction may begin in another four to six months, Thorpe said.
• Supervisors honored town-ship resident Brent Sanderson a senior at Unionville High School. Last spring Brent was the PIAA Boys AAA 2007 State Chamion in the 100 yard breast stroke.
