Newtown Twp. Supervisors Speak Out After Wastewater Plant Plan Stopped

The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors spoke out after the Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority Board of Directors voted to stop developing a wastewater treatment plant.

The decision effectively stops plans for the $128 million plant off Lower Silver Lake Road and University Drive near the Newtown Bypass.

Supervisors Chairperson Elen Snyder, who also serves on the authority board, stated that the authority had officially abandoned plans to develop the parcel.

“Yesterday was the sewer authority meeting where we put a lid on any development of any future sewer plant where the sewer authority had bought 17 acres of land,” Snyder said. “Of course, the community has been very involved in this situation.”

Snyder stated that she was committed to making sure the land would only be used for projects beneficial to the community moving forward.

The site of the proposed plant last month. Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com

“In no way will I personally vote for anything to go in that spot that is anything but something that contributes to our community,” she said. “I hope that we can focus on other aspects of the township now that we hopefully put that to bed.”

Supervisor Phillip Calabro praised the township representatives on the authority board who voted against the sewer plant at the authority meeting but expressed disappointment with borough representatives.

“I just wanted to thank our board members who represented us on the sewer authority, Mr. Schenkman, Ms. Snyder, and Ms. Bobrin for the way they voted,” Calabro said. “But I also like to say I’m kind of disappointed in the way that the borough members acted.”

Newtown Township and Newtown Borough each have three representatives on the authority board.

Calabro criticized what he perceived as a cavalier attitude from borough representatives, noting that the majority of affected residents live in Newtown Township.

“I guess it’s good to be cavalier when the situation isn’t in your township or borough,” Calabro said. “For the gentleman to say something about the 9,000 customers that are being affected, I guess, he really didn’t know that 8,000 of those 9,000 live in Newtown Township.”

The proposed wastewater treatment plant received push back from residents in Newtown, Middletown, and Lower Makefield townships. Core Creek Park was not far from the site.

Ray Post, a Middletown Township resident of 35 years, expressed gratitude to the authority and supervisors for their actions.

“I just wanted to offer you my heartfelt thanks for listening to the residents and neighbors’ concerns about the sewage treatment plant that was proposed and for providing the letter to the sewer authority urging them to stop work,” Post said.

He added: “I’m very proud of the way that the township representatives voted at yesterday’s meeting and hopefully we can put this behind us and find a constructive use for that property. I think it would have been really a bad thing for our quality of life and for the environment.”

The future of the site purchased last year by the authority for $9 million through eminent domain from 42 University LLC., which shares an address with the Newtown Athletic Club, is unclear.

Before the wastewater plant proposal, the site was slated for a 245-unit apartment complex by KRE Upper Macungie Associates LP, a plan that drew significant opposition.

Township officials and residents have said they will explore options for the site.

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