East Rockhill Township News.
The East Rockhill Board of Supervisors Tuesday, August 26 discussed a series of proposals to mitigate flooding on Stone Edge Road.
The road’s culvert has repeatedly flooded during heavy rainfall and is in the process of being replaced with a bridge. The board has requested a bridge that can withstand a 100-year storm, or a storm with a 1% probability of occurring.
At Tuesday’s meeting, township engineer Steve Baluh announced that Traffic Planning and Design (TBD) has proposed a bridge with a 10-year storm design, or a storm with a 10% probability of occurring. He described a 100-year storm design as impractical due to the size and expense.
In response, the board agreed to propose a 25-year storm design to TBD.
“Give them directions for 25 years,” said Supervisor Gary Volovnik. “If they say it’s not achievable and can only do 10, then that’s what they have to say.”
Baluh also highlighted some of the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy’s newly-developed flood mitigation recommendations, including flood advisory signage, stream bank restoration to prevent erosion and volume control standards to reduce water flow to the creek.
Baluh described volume control standards as the only effective flood mitigation measure. He added that such standards would likely be incorporated into local stormwater management ordinances and gradually rolled out following new construction and retrofitting, providing an incremental, rather than immediate, benefit.
Roundabout visibility
The board discussed a plan to enhance visibility at the Park Avenue and Bethlehem Pike roundabout. Vegetation on a residential fence is currently obscuring visibility for motorists, Baluh noted. Members suggested trimming the vegetation up to the fence and asking the property owner to do additional trimming behind the fence.
Fireworks display
The board proposed budgeting up to $15,000 for a Fourth of July fireworks display at Markey Park to celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial. Members additionally suggested partnerships with other entities to expand the display. They noted that the park’s high elevation could have “a significant regional impact.”
The board also approved a Zoning Hearing Board application for 1,167-square-foot Pennridge Family Dentistry building expansion on the second floor, authorized the advertisement of conditional use hearing for the Like a Mustard Seed farm to establish a children’s day camp and approved Pennridge Regional Police Department grant applications for fleet upgrades and new body cameras and mobile in-car video systems, totaling $90,000 and $145,000, respectively.
The next East Rockhill Board of Supervisors meeting is on September 23 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit eastrockhilltownship.org
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