Contractors watch an excavator on Main Street as part of a long-planned streetscape project in Lansdale on June 23, 2024. Photo by Dan Sokil | The Reporter.
Work is finally underway on a long-discussed project in Lansdale, but already some complaints are being aired.
Borough officials heard an update in mid-July about work now underway on the borough’s new streetscape project on East Main Street and complaints from residents about trees that have been removed there.
“I’ve been told by some borough employees that there are no plans to replace these trees. This decision is de-beautifying Lansdale,” said resident Paul Wieland.
“Who made the decision not to replace the trees? Was this a decision in which the public had input? Was an arborist involved?” he said.
The East Main Streetscape project has been planned since 2014, when the town secured roughly $3 million in grant funding for the project after finishing two similar projects that upgraded utilities and replaced old sidewalks with new brick and pavers on downtown Main, Broad and Madison Streets in 2011-12, then along Wood and Vine Streets in 2013-14.
Plans were then developed and refined to add similar sidewalks and utility upgrades running east along Main from Broad Street to just past the North Penn Commons complex near Highland Road, with presentations to council and the public in October 2020, then updates in summer 2021 and again that December.
Traffic engineer Mark Bickerton of Pennoni & Associates shows Lansdale’s borough council a concept for upgrades along “Phase 2” of the borough’s planned East Main Street streetscape project, including new sidewalks, decorative lights and drainage inlets along Main east of Line Street along the frontage of Memorial Park.During the July 17 council meeting, borough Director of Community Development Jason Van Dame gave an update, announcing that construction had begun, and that several trees had been removed as part of that project.
“The project includes a complete replacement of curbs and sidewalks, with decorative elements along that stretch,” he said.
Signs and cones indicating a sidewalk closed for the borough’s East Main Streetscape project stand along Main Street in Lansdale on June 23, 2024.Tree pits open
Residents have noted that pits from the removed trees were open and could present a safety hazard to those walking, Van Dame told council, and those hazards are temporary and will be addressed.
“You’ll see those pits, and all that stuff, removed and filled in with proper sidewalks,” he said.
Borough Manager John Ernst added that the town’s electric department had already removed light poles and fiber optic cables on the south side of Main Street, from Broad to Line streets, ahead of the start of the streetscape work.
“All of the sidewalks and curbing from Broad, down towards the YMCA, will be replaced as part of this project. It will all be new,” he said.
“In order for that to happen, the trees have been removed. And at this point, in the grant, there is no provisions for those trees to be replaced, for two reasons,” Ernst said.
Those reasons include because standards for tree pit sizes have changed since the original trees were installed on Main Street, and because the sidewalks on that part of Main Street are too narrow to include tree pits and an ADA-compliant sidewalk around them.
Signs and cones indicating a work zone stand at the corner of Main and Line Streets in Lansdale on June 23, 2024.“There’s also challenges with the amount of infrastructure underneath the sidewalk, based on all the residences and businesses and curb cuts, that slide underneath the sidewalk, to be able to provide tree pits at the appropriate depth for watering and growth of the tree roots,” he said.
Planters are option
“That’s not to say that we’re not looking at options, and future grant opportunities for providing green space on Main Street,” and one such option could be large planters that could house shrubs, and could be moved to different locations as needed, Ernst said.
“We’re looking at those options, but right now as part of this grant project, there are no tree replacements because of the dimensional constraints that East Main Street provides,” Ernst said.
During a visit to Memorial Park the week after the meeting, contractors could be seen removing sidewalks and digging underground directly in front of the Memorial Park sign east of Line Street, with construction cones blocking off a lane of travel and signs indicating the sidewalk was closed. Contractors at the site said that all of the trees slated to be removed had been done so, and no other trees should be removed as part of the project, which was tentatively scheduled to run through spring 2025.
Contractors work near a sign for Memorial Park in Lansdale on June 23, 2024.Borough Mayor Garry Herbert also addressed the tree removal in a July edition of his Mayoral Musings column, detailing the ADA requirements and noting that any new trees would likely damage the new sidewalks and curbs.
“It is not anyone’s preference to remove trees from our community. In fact, we have planted many new trees in our parks and on the bike trail over the last several years to help expand the volume of shaded areas in our community and to just make it a more enjoyable place to call home,” he said.
“Obviously, the shrubs do not offer the same value that full grown trees can provide, namely in shade. However, there is a desire to see greenery restored to the area as best we can within the confines of the ADA rules and expectations,” Herbert said.
More tree talk
In the upcoming weeks, according to the mayor, the borough and their engineer plan to “reengage” about how to add shade and trees throughout the town, including in that area, and on whether smaller pits or plantings could be an option.
“One of the many things that makes our community such a great place to live is our access to green space and nature,” he said.
“I believe there may be multiple ways to approach this challenge and I am excited to see how creative we can be helping to keep our community moving forward together.”
Lansdale’s borough council next meets at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 7 with various council committees starting at 6:30 p.m., all at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine Street. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org.
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