Residents continued to express concerns about a wastewater plant plan in Newtown Township that has been halted.
The issue was discussed at the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday evening.
Public comment involved several residents seeking confirmation that plans for a controversial sewer treatment facility that will not being moving forward.
The Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority Board of Directors voted in March to stop all work on the facility at a 17.5-acre site off Lower Silver Lake Road and University Drive near the Newtown Bypass. It sat just hundreds of feet from the Middletown Township border and less than a mile from Core Creek Park.
The authority purchased the land through eminent domain for $9 million from 42 University LLC. The future of the site remains uncertain.
The proposal drew outrage from residents in Newtown Township and nearby Newtown Borough, Middletown Township, and Lower Makefield Township.
“I just wanted to get a reconfirmation from you guys that the sewer is finally dead,” said Edward Merriman, a Newtown Township resident.
Newtown Township Supervisor Chairperson Elen Snyder, who also serves on the authority board, vowed that the plant will not be built.
Township Manager Micah Lewis explained to the supervisors and the public that the township wasn’t looking to build the plant and does have some control over signing off on amendments to the Act 537 plan needed for it to move forward.
“We issued a letter to the sewer authority saying that the township vehemently opposes any construction of the sewer plant. For the sewer plant to even happen would require this board to authorize the township engineer to amend the Act 537 plan to include a sewage treatment plant. So until this board does that, there’s no forward progress with the project,” he said.
Multiple residents continued to express skepticism throughout the meeting that the plant won’t happen.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Dana Rivera, a Middletown Township resident, stated she understood “that the sewer plant is not dead.”
Snyder stated it has been stated multiple times the supervisors were not for the plant since the public spoke up.
Supervisor Phillip Calabro said it might be helpful if Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority’s manager would come to a supervisors meeting to reassure residents the plan is dead.
There was further discussion on filling a vacancy on the Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority Board of Directors after Linda Bobrin, the county’s register of wills, resigned.
Three candidates — Craig Deutsch, Mark Bjorkman, and Keith Terry — are being considered for the position.
Donna Serdula, a Newtown Township resident, made an unusual presentation involving candy bars to make her point about appointing Bjorkman, who she claimed is the only candidate who has explicitly opposed the sewer plant.
“This is your chance to prove it,” Serdula told the supervisors. “You say that the sewer plant is dead. This is your chance to prove it.”
Supervisor John Mack noted he had conducted an online survey about the candidates.
“Mark Bjorkman was in the lead by 68 percent,” said Valerie Mahalik, a Republican candidate for a supervisors seat.
Discussion of the poll led to discussion from supervisors about the survey’s methodology.
“In my opinion, 107 people out of 20,000 is not indicative,” Snyder said. “And there’s no scientific way of doing a survey. What are your parameters?”
After being prompted by Calabro, the supervisors voted 4-1 to table the appointment decision until the July meeting. He added that the candidates for the authority board could speak at an upcoming work session.
Mack agreed with the idea and thought it would be good for the public to hear from those seeking the seat.
Additionally, the supervisors discussed what they see as an imbalance in representation on the authority board. Currently, Newtown Township and Newtown Borough each have three representatives appointed by each municipality’s elected governing body despite significant population differences.
“The township, as you have always pointed out, has 20,000 people. The borough has, I don’t know, 2,000. So we outnumber them 10 to 1. Meanwhile, they have the same voting capacity on this sewer authority as the township,” Mack said.
Calabro agreed and suggesting the representation should be proportional to population.
Supervisors Kyle Davis explained that the current arrangement stems from a 50-year agreement made in 2010. It means the equal representation will continue until 2060 unless amended.
“If you need four votes to amend it, it’s not likely to happen,” Solicitor David Sander said, explaining that on the six-member sewer authority board, four affirmative votes are required to take any action.
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