A broad and detailed study of Lower Makefield Township’s recreational future has sparked fears among many residents that a former plan to develop the Snipe’s Tract into athletic fields will be revived.
During a “Play for All” presentation by recreational consultant Ann Toole at the May 4 township supervisors meeting, several residents who live near the tract along Quarry Road and Interstate 295 urged board members to adopt more passive recreational options for the land like walking trails and other amenities.
They feel athletic fields would bring increased traffic, noise and intrusive lights that would diminish their quality of life. However, other residents, especially those involved with youth athletic leagues, pointed out the desperate need for more playing fields in the township.
Township Parks and Recreation Director Monica Tierney said a plan featuring athletic fields for the Snipe’s Tract that was posted on the township website as part of Toole’s draft report was an old plan that has since been removed from the report on the website.
She said the process for deciding what goes on the tract will be very public and thorough and include multiple opportunities for residents to weigh in before any final decisions are made.
Board Chairman James McCartney said all options are on the table.
“I think we’re considering everything,” he noted.
Toole’s report, tentatively scheduled for adoption in June, outlines a 10-year plan to increase parks and recreation facilities and recreational programming for township residents of all ages.
Among her many recommendations are connecting the existing bicycle and walking trails, expanding the community center on Oxford Valley Road, making improvements at Macclesfield Park on River Road, protecting as much open space as possible and finding 80 to 100 acres within the township for a community park.
Toole said robust municipal recreational offerings have several advantages, including increased property values, attracting and retaining businesses and reducing crime.
“Recreation is not a cost but an investment,” she said. “We want our plan to serve people of all ages, engaged in active and healthy living.”
Some people at the May 4 meeting said they hadn’t seen a recent survey on recreational needs on the township website and that a better way to get more complete feedback would have been to mail the survey to all residents.
Toole’s complete draft report can be viewed on the township website, lmt.org.
In other actions from the meeting, the supervisors voted 4-0 to participate as a co-petitioner in a pending federal court appeal to a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) by the Federal Aviation Administration regarding a planned expansion of the nearby Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing, N.J.
The appeal is being led by a group called Trenton Threatened Skies and participation carries no cost for the township, Solicitor David Truelove said. Yardley Borough Council had voted 5-0 at its May 3 meeting to participate as a co-petitioner.
Board members also voted to hold special meetings at 7 p.m. on May 31 and June 9 to discuss and take public comment on how to use the net proceeds from the township’s $53 million sale of its sewer system to Aqua Pennsylvania.
After paying off major debt on the sewer system and the township-owned Makefield Highlands Golf Club and some other obligations from the sale proceeds, the township is expected to net slightly less than $21 million, Manager Kurt Ferguson has said.
Interested residents can attend one or both meetings in person at the township building, 1100 Edgewood Road, or remotely via Zoom.
On another matter, Ferguson announced that township Public Works Director Greg Hucklebridge is resigning to take the same job in nearby Northampton Township. Lower Makefield will begin advertising for the position immediately, Ferguson added.
“He will be sorely missed,” Supervisor Suzanne Blundi said of Hucklebridge, who has been Lower Makefield’s Public Works director for a little more than five years. “The township getting him is lucky.”
Hucklebridge is earning about $129,000 a year in Lower Makefield, Ferguson said.
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