If
the situation with the Third Street Bridge hasn’t crossed the line of
no return, which means never being fixed, then it took one giant leap
towards the abyss last week. What Borough Council never shared with
anyone, was an offer they received from BLCC to move the project forward with a
deal for a one-way roadway. In good faith to the community,
BLCC offered a condition that a one way would be acceptable, as long as
the design was approved by a third party to someday, if needed, include
the dimensions and parameters to accommodate two way traffic. BLCC also
was looking for the borough to assume a ⅓ of ongoing maintenance and
responsibility.
For
attempting to get this project moving, understanding that the funding
could be lost and addressing the safety of one of PA’s most hazardous
dams; the intent by BLCC was not only a start, but leadership we haven't seen from our elected officials. However, as expected,
borough council couldn’t get themselves collectively together to even
address the the offer, AGAIN!. In fact, I’m told they couldn’t even
come to a consensus on what they wanted. No counter offer, no nothing.
Let me repeat hat again, NO COUNTER OFFER, NO NOTHING!!! Millions of dollars on the line and borough council must think it's okay to wait out another 18 years.
Isn’t this one-way configuration what Borough Council wanted for the last year? Party Chair, Deborah Krull stated a one-way compromise would be good for the town in an article she wrote last year. She even went on to say in her own words, “But ultimately, Borough Council did its job.” That’s
not only an absurd statement, but they’ve taken this project
backwards to the point, it may never get done. With no other options
and zero cooperation from Mayor Bob McMahon and Media Borough Council,
BLCC proceeded to file an appeal Friday morning with the court over the disputed
stipulation that was thrown out. That means it’s back in the courts and
will be for sometime.
 |
| HE NEVER SAID A WORD! HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH, MEDIA? |
So
much for leadership you can trust and transparency. Mayor Bob McMahon
had many opportunities to speak up about this issue, but chose to remain
silent. This is
what’s wrong with Media and has been for decades. People just using
their positions for personal interests and political agendas, while the
rest of us, as taxpayers wonder how these issues will get fixed in the borough. They are not even disclosing important information with the public.
Lastly,
a member of borough council a few weeks back called up BLCC after the
stipulation was thrown out an inappropriately taunted them with comments like “you
lost” and “...you better get onboard or lose your lake.” Not only was this the last offer, but last straw. And its not just one person on council, as I've gotten other complaints of bullying. It's completely unacceptable that this borough council can make threats to people, groups and neighbors of this community. Regardless of what you stand for, that's WRONG!. Who's next? Wawa? Media Real Estate? MBA? Businesses? Residents?............You?
This isn't local governing, it's back-room scheming.
This isn't local governing, it's back-room scheming.
Tedman
Dude you gotta chill out if you want to be a politician. These type of reactions make me want to support your opponents.
ReplyDeleteI am SO glad that Tedman is running for mayor!
DeleteWait, Tedman is running for mayor?
DeleteWhy didn't he tell us? Isn't that a perfect example of the very lack of transparency he decries?
If this is true, then these people need to resign immediately. This bridge has been out for years and this undermines the trust people have in local government.
ReplyDeleteThe bullying part has been known now for awhile.
Your last line is spot on. When people are drunk on power, you better hope you don't find yourself in their way. Media is an absolute great town, but the lack of leadership and the bullying is going to cost this town. Losing the funding will be eye opening to anyone paying attention, but unfortunately it may only be the beginning. There are some troubling economic trends in Delaware County, and there is no guarantee Media is going to have the luxury of poor leadership forever.
ReplyDeleteWinners take responsibility, Losers(boro council) blame others.
ReplyDeleteNote that Borough councilpersons won the last election 2:1.
DeleteThe 'bullies' on borough council are asking to be powerbombed through the presently dilapidated bridge.
ReplyDeleteMedia Council members are drunk on power and the illusion of a thriving town. At the moment Media seems to be surviving. Wonder how Media will survive once the town centers open. History may repeat itself like when the Springfield Mall and Granite Run Mall opened in 5 years Media probably still won't have a bridge on 3rd Street and may very well have an empty State Street. Way to go Grand Masters on Council.
ReplyDeleteTell me it's that jerk Davidson doing the threats! Dude looks so insecure and thin-skinned those threats have to be his way of being able to lash out! Can't wait for someone to come out and challenge him on one of them!
ReplyDeleteThe swim club could have had the taxpayers fund their dam/lake. They initiated legal action which led to the stipulation being revoked. Who can still make a reasonable and detailed case for a dam? The MediaFirst Team?
ReplyDeleteYES, the MediaFirst team. They have what it takes to get this job done, no matter what it takes!
DeleteIf you don't know what it takes, how do you know they have it?
DeleteIt doesn't matter what it takes, that's how you know!
DeleteTalk about personal agendas and cronyism...what do you think that whole dam deal was!?
ReplyDeleteMedia took control of and ownership of the dam and third street. Media built the walls of the dam and bored holes in the dam. Media issued permits to several utilities to run pipes thru the dam. Media's previous solicitor Frank Daly is on record saying Media owns the dam. The Media Democrats have spun this topic better than Fox News and Bill O'Reilly they feed the residents shit and keep them in the dark like organic mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteYour facts are vague and unsupported. They also fail to acknowledge the only purpose for the dam was to impound a lake which is no longer being used. Why impose that again on Media's future?
Delete" a lake which is no longer being used" you mean by the general public. I am sure members of Broomall's do not view the lake as not being used. It is just unfortunate that Media not only polluted the lake with its sewage run off which closed it for swimming but over the last 30 years has ruined the rest of the lake with its silt run off. Numerous letters of correspondence between Broomall's and Media Boro Council address this issue. Council Presidents dating back to Joan Hagan promise to address the issue but that's all Council ever does. Make false promises and then kick the can down the street for someone else to deal with. Several meetings took place with Boro Council, Boro Engineers and Broomall's where the Boro promised to fix the run-off but never has. Media conned BLCC for an easement to help the Boro 30 years ago and ever since then Council has turned their back on the problem they created. The Boro has accomplished what Mother Nature could not and it has only taken 30 years for them to ruin a lake that has existed for over 100 years. Keep up the good work and progress Boro Council.
DeleteWhat do the members of the club "use" the lake for, besides treating it with chemicals to keep it only semi-foul? Swimming, boating, fishing and wading are all prohibited--as if anyone would want to swim in that!
DeleteSo you concede the lake is not used by the general public. Why should the public fund a dam which damages a public, historic park? And if you still wish to get partisan, I can assure you my vote this Primary will depend on the candidates' answers to that question.
DeleteMedia is no longer the blue collar working mans twon.It has become filled with yuppie me first elitists....one lane?Total idiots catering to nimbys and hippies who have no war to protest so lets look busy on the social front.Two lanes save gas reduces greenhouse gasses.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute, am I missing something? Broomalls Lake is a historic icon to the borough of Media - ask anyone who has lived here for more than a few years. Anon 9:01 is spot on regarding what the boro's past involvement with the dam/bridge has been - the BLCC organization has always been fair regarding the borough's requests for infrastructure, dumping of snow, etc. If the current council had any ba**s whatsoever, they would stop this once and for all by putting the question of one way vs. two way traffic as a voter referendum question to the next election. No spin, the people's will be done, end of it forever. Unfortunately by that time the funding could be gone. So what WILL they do if the people vote that they want a 2 way access? Float a bond? These people couldn't rule Brigadoon much less Media, PA.
ReplyDeletereferendums are not allowable by PA Municipality Laws...
DeleteActually,the Park, not the lake is eligible for historic status. At least two generations don't remember the lake being used and future generations should not pay for a private lake.
DeleteInfrastructure issues may require a bridge (not a dam)and would benefit Upper Providence if they care to contribiute more than a resolution to the project and ownership.
Funding is still in place and PaDOT is on record regarding preference for dam removal. Why are you raising non-issues and assigning blame?
Yes, Broomall's lake IS a historic icon of Media, just ask anyone who's lived here for a few years. An 18-year lawsuit over a polluted, unswimmable soon-to-be marsh that the swim club doesn't have the money to maintain.... It's an icon, all right!
DeleteSerious question: What good things have the current council done? I read about the bad but surely they must do some good too for them to have supporters? Can someone please give me as close to an unbiased answer as possible? Thank you.
ReplyDeletewell, the 'technology committee' has discovered that you can take photos of cracks in the sidewalk and email them to the borough......
DeleteFriends of the park are still winning.
ReplyDeleteWhen you hold up restoring a bridge, the terrorists win.
DeleteIf the lake is removed, what will go in its place? Has BLCC said?
ReplyDeleteThe stream would be restored and planted with trees at taxpayer expense. A good deal for everybody.
DeleteFROGS taking over............FROGS taking over...........FROGS taking over.........FROGs winning.....FROGs winning.......FROGs WINNING
ReplyDeleteMedia residents were never known for their smarts. What more can I say. Duh! How many years to repair a brige? 17 to talk about, 100 to start the work.
ReplyDeleteAs a relatively new resident, I don't understand why taxpayers --- even through grants --- should repair the bridge. I gather that it has been closed to traffic for almost 20 years. Is that right? Sure, this seems to be a case study in inefficient government bureaucracy, but that's nothing new. So, excuse the naive question, but other than politics, what's the big deal? Twenty years without a bridge seems to demonstrate that we can survive without it. Of course, I've been wrong before, so take a deep breath before you bloggers freak out on me.
ReplyDeleteDear Naive:
DeleteWelcome to Media.
We can survive without the Internet. But do we want to? Same with a bridge to nowhere for 17 years. Do we want it back to the way it was? You bet.
Fair questions - go to Media Boro website and/or Friends of Glen Providence Park for info on Third Street. Welcome to Media which is thriving with wonderful people, homes, schools and State Street activity. All we need is more greenspace.
DeleteOk.... so the first reply doesn't address the question of "why" and the second tells me to do some research... Nice to get the replies, but still confised
DeleteThe dam was put there to create a lake for selling ice in the winter. We now understand much more about the importance of free flowing streams, as well as the value of pedestrian friendly green spaces. Compared to Upper Providence and Middletown, Media has few areas for people to escape asphalt and concrete. In addition, the location of a new $4 million high hazard dam requires a permanent loss of tress, ongoing dam maintenance and and emergency action plan. Or we could dismantle the current dam and restore the stream.
DeleteThe most obvious reason, anon 7:35, is that there are some people who want the bridge who don't have to pay for it. If they had to ante up out of their own pocket, we wouldn't even be having this whole argument. But there's more to it than that.
DeleteThe bridge sits on top of a dam that holds a pond on land that belongs to a private swim club. While the lake was condemned for swimming years ago and is more of a marsh at this point, the swim club wants to keep their lake without having to pay for their dam. While some old-timers have wonderful reminiscences of having learned to swim in that lake, others have vision$ of the lakefront real e$tate development they can put there (don't tell that to the old-timers, though!). If they could get the dam put in, everything else is ready to go, including the zoning (R-2). Of course, they could still develop the land without the lake or a bridge, but that wouldn't be nearly as profitable.
So you can see, this is an issue that's not going away any time soon!
Broomall's members pay taxes. Tax payer money is being used to fix 3rd St. Everyone is paying for it thru taxes. However once Borough Council LOSES the money-----Media residents will be on the hook for all costs of replacing the roadway and dam.
DeleteMedia Borough council spending residents money 20 thousand for a video no one has ever seen and coming soon several MILLION for a roadway and bridge that could have been fixed years ago with tax payer money.
Is doing nothing a viable option? I can think of other situations where a bridge is not structurally sound for its originally intended use, but remains standing because it doesn't make economic sense to repair or tear down.
DeleteWhy is the bridge there in the first place if it was never needed? It would save on thousands of gallons of fossil fuels being consumed and thousands of hours wasted going around it. I guess a bridge isn't as sexy as a few solar panels.
ReplyDeleteDidn't say it was never needed, just that the last twenty years without it seem to point to the possibility that we can survive without it. Perhaps there is a cost benefit analysis of how much fuel could be saved by reopening the bridge. Do they have traffic counts from before the bridge was closed. With that info, we could estimate (with a wide margin of error) approximately how much fuel could be saved. Or could this just be a case of a desire to return things to the way they were back in the day? Or, worse yet, could this just be one of those contentious issues that is nearly impossible to resolve, providing political fodder to the then-current "outsiders" for use in criticizing those in " power"? I don't understand the solar panel analogy.... remember, I'm a short timer.
DeleteThe bridge was there to get to the other side. You know, like why did the chiken cross the street? Answer: To get to the other side. The other side is Upper Providence and points west.
ReplyDeleteYoui want more greenspace? Have the Nimbys on parks edge sell their properties to the park that they abut.Once a beutiful meadow.
ReplyDeleteA better question than the headline is: "Why would they notify the community of this offer?". Certainly there is no requirement that an elected body notify the general public of such an offer, especially in light of the fact that no decision was made. Had a decision been made, that decision might be construed as a violation of the Sunshine Act. Since there is no evidence that such an offer even existed, and no evidence supporting any of the actions described in this article, one must really take it only as hearsay and nothing. Again, no violation of any law, just a disgruntled outsider grasping at straws to imply wrongdoing where there is no evidence or documentation of any.
ReplyDeleteAnother possible response to the question of community notification is that the local court and Sunshine Act support closed door communication during litigation. What we haven't heard or read is an explanation in support of a new dam from the "non-profit" swim club or the current Republican candidates. In fact, Tedman has chosen not to discuss his political run in his blog opinion pieces, even as a brief disclosure. Perhaps the added traffic to All Things Media is the actual goal.
DeleteNice. Didn't think of that. It's a pretty interesting blog.
DeleteScientific fact: FROGS can predict earthquakes. Not our FROGS but the real ones.
ReplyDelete