A stream can be seen running through Ninth Street Park in North Wales on a rainy Tuesday, May 14 2024. Photo by Dan Sokil | The Reporter.
Streambank restoration meant to reduce flooding in area
Winter weather may push the schedule back, but a park in North Wales is still slated to see major upgrades this spring.
Staff gave an update this week on planned streambank restoration work at Ninth Street Park, once spring finally arrives.
“Because we are on a time crunch; this has to be fairly complete by mid-June, and this weather is not being conducive to start the project,” said borough Manager Christine Hart.
Work at Ninth Street Park has been planned as far back as 2022, as the town used state funding to pave a gravel path running through the 2.2-acre park just east of Church Street, which currently features a gazebo, boardwalk and driveway running through a grassy area covered with trees, and a small stream running east-west through the park and behind the neighboring homes.
In July 2024 council awarded a $102,000 contract to pave the path, which was done that fall. In July 2025, the manager previewed the next step, a plan to remove roughly 20 trees and re-contour the stream to improve water retention and reduce flooding there, and that November council voted to seek bids from firms interested in the project.
In late January council vetted the bid responses from roughly a dozen interested firms, which had been evaluated and narrowed down to a top three by the borough’s engineering consultant, and ultimately awarded a contract for just over $88,000 to Kinsley Construction to do the work. At that time, borough Mayor Neil McDevitt said he lives near the park and was looking forward to the upgrades.
“It’s a beautiful space, and I think one of the biggest issues is: it floods very easily. And this project will assist in reducing the impact of significant rain events in the park, and for neighbors who live downstream,” McDevitt said.
Council President Mark Tarlecki added that he’s heard from those who live nearby about “massive flooding on Ninth and Tenth Streets, in any kind of rain or thunderstorm,” which the streambank work should reduce.
“This is gonna go a long way. It’s already improved a lot so far, but this is going to go a long way to help restore the stream itself,” Tarlecki said.
Councilman Sherwin Collins asked why the bids had a wide range in price tags, from the $88,000 low bid to upwards of $448,000 for one bidder, and solicitor Greg Gifford said those responses can vary based on what resources, equipment and/or personnel those firms have available. Two weeks later, Hart gave another update, saying she had worked with the firm to develop a written notice to proceed, for council to allow her to authorize work to proceed when conditions allow.
“It will most likely be the beginning of next week, given that the temperatures will rise this week. The contractor’s hoping to get out to the site to make that determination,” she said.
Once the contractor determines that work can begin, the manager told council, they’ll work with borough staff and the town’s consulting engineer to ensure all documentation is complete before they begin.
Two other parks-related items were also approved unanimously: councilwoman Candice Anderson and resident Jason Farabaugh were both appointed to vacant seats on the town’s Shade Tree Commission, Anderson for a term running through 2026 and Farabaugh through 2029. In January council members appointed a slate of volunteers to seats on various boards and commissions, and said at that time the Shade Tree group was down to only one member; Anderson said February that prompted her to recruit her neighbor, after their frequent talks about local greenery.
Two spots remain open on the shade tree commission, as do three seats on the town’s parks and recreation board, three on the human relations commission, and one each on the planning commission, Historical Architectural Review Board and Nor-Gwyn Pool commission. Anyone interested can send a letter of interest and resume to [email protected].
North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Nov. 18 at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street; for more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com
