By Amber Cox
CHESTERFIELD Village Square Park, centrally located in Old York Village, which has been an ongoing community park project in the township for eight years, is facing a problem.
Township Engineer Nancy Jamanow explained that in 2003 a cost estimate was done on the park revealing a $630,000 budget, but the new cost estimate brought the project cost to $900,000.
Ms. Jamanow said the site work for the new plan includes overall grading of the site, sidewalks, trench drains, the park structure, benches, pavers and a number of other things.
”I’m thinking that at the time this was done, which was eight years ago at this point, more of the grading and everything was anticipated to be done by the developers,” she said. “Now there’s more work to be done to the land.”
Mayor Lawrence Durr said the plans need to be pared back significantly.
”The designer of this knew the budget we had to work with and they came out 50 percent higher,” he said. “I’m very disappointed. We’re ready to move on the thing and now we find that its 50 percent over budget.”
Ms. Jamanow did say that it is possible to take a look at the plans and change some things around. She said they could use regular pavers, instead of blue stone, which would help decrease cost. She said it would take a number of little things but is confident that they can get the plans back to budget cost.
The edited plans should be presented at the Feb. 24 Township Committee meeting.
The committee also passed an ordinance for an amendment to the “snow and ice removal” ordinance.
Township Clerk Bonnie Haines explained that the amendment provides for removal on bike paths that are still the responsibility of the new school developers.
”The snow needs to be removed within 12 hours after the snow stops or the developers can be fined,” she said.
The committee also plans to amend an ordinance stating that no free-standing flagpoles are allowed in the village, in the PVD zones.
”There were concerns about infringement on a neighbor’s property,” Mayor Durr said. “I think that can be handled very easily by saying the pole can only be a certain height and distance from the property line.”
None of the committee members objected to a property owner being allowed to erect a flagpole on their property.
Deputy Mayor Michael Hlubik said the height of the homes and the property line areas should also be taken into consideration.
”If it’s a one-story building, you might not want a 50-foot flagpole,” he said. “It’s America, of all the things not to allow somebody to fly the American flag is wrong.”
The committee decided that the flagpole must be the height of the flagpole plus 10 percent away from the property line to allow for room in case the flagpole ever fell.
The committee also thinks that there should be a certain height limit for the flagpole but did not come to a final number at the meeting. A draft of the ordinance is currently being drawn up.
