The Stanley Cup may be coming to New Hope. Mayor Larry Keller announced the news at the July 16 council meeting, saying that the winning coach of the St. Louis Blues has ties to New Hope.
An event consisting of a drive through town would tentatively take place on Aug. 8 and New Hope Borough Council passed a resolution unanimously supporting it.
A cell tower lease agreement renewing wireless services for $3,000 was discussed, and the council authorized the engagement of attorney Paul Cohen of Curtin and Heefner LLP.
Two escrow releases were approved for Rabbit Run Preserve. An 11th release of $14,500 for phase 1 and a ninth release of $48,600 for phase 2 were approved in a 6-0 vote. A $42,000 road paving project bid to include Waterloo, Mechanic and East Randolph street was also approved.
The Bridge Street project bid for street improvements was opened on July 11, but the borough decided to rebid the project since the submitted bids were too high. A motion to reject all bids passed without dissent.
Borough engineer Karen MacNair explained re-advertisement costs were less than a thousand dollars, and that the submitted bids were no lower than $130,000. MacNair maintained that current mid-year bidding may not be as competitive as earlier bidding and added that a grant awarded in 2018 for the project is effective until June 2020. The council is looking for bids closer to $100,000.
The New Hope Auto Show event permit was approved unanimously. The show will take place on Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 11. General admission is $10, and seniors over 62 will only pay $5. Children under 12 and active duty military personnel and their dependents will be offered free admission.
As in past shows, Saturday will feature primarily domestic automobiles representing every decade back to 1900, and Sunday will feature mainly European vehicles.
John D’Ambrosio addressed the borough on behalf of Ride for Kids, a motorcycle ride benefiting The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. D’Ambrosio, who survived a pediatric brain tumor himself, stated that the ride will take place Sept. 15 as a third annual event.
Ride for Kids is comprised of 19 coast-to-coast events from mid-July through mid-October. The New Hope ride will take place at Cornerstone event center. Another event – Girls on the Run – is a 5k run for girls from third grade through middle school and will take place on the morning of Nov. 15.
Borough council member Ken Maisel discussed HARB. He maintained that “key people” resigned from the board, including an architect. He questioned an attempt to “cobble it together” by resolution within 90 days, suggesting that the 90-day stipulation be waived to allow “breathing room” to the end of the year.
Maisel maintained that would foster a better opportunity to fill the board “appropriately” rather than “under duress.” A motion to extend the period to the end of the year was approved without dissent.
The borough discussed the planned renovation of McDonald’s at 324 West Bridge St. Signage had been approved, and representatives for McDonald's were looking for final approval to avoid appearing before the land development board.
The building dimensions would remain the same and facilities would be updated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA.) A motion granting a waiver to McDonald's for plan approval was granted.
Resident and former councilmember Geri Delevich addressed the council, stating that McDonald’s was the entryway to New Hope, and referred to a previous plan to plant trees that have since been damaged. The motion to address the issue was approved.
Attorney Paul Cohen, representing the owners of Moo Hope Ice Cream at 22 S. Main St., explained that the property needed extensive modifications requiring variances that stipulate either raising the building out of the flood plain or making it impermeable to water, neither which he argued would be feasible given the historic nature of the building. The council remained neutral as the request goes to the zoning hearing board.
