Honey Brook Borough Council on June 2 addressed concerns about Honey Brook Borough Mayor Christopher Mulhall being in discussion with neighboring townships to study implementing a regional police force, but never informed the Borough Council or Police Chief about his involvement.
Mulhall said he was ‘not at the meeting and was not informed about it either.’ He promised to communicate with the Borough Council about the study, but claimed that he has been kept out of the discussions as well.
In other news, Borough Council also discussed the Streetscape Phase 1 project.
The Honey Brook Borough is redoing the curbs and sidewalks and adding pyramid lighting from Maple Street and Route 322 to the intersection of Route 10 and Route 322.
Due to an exceptionally bad winter, the project is beginning to miss deadlines. To date, the project is one month behind schedule, failing to meet the ‘Substantial Completion’ deadline due May 17. This stage requires all curbs and sidewalks to be completed.
Also, ‘Final Completion’ is due June 27. The new deadline is July 10.
Because of Change Order 2, construction crews have an extra 30 days to complete the project. If the project is not completed by July 27 (within 30 days of the June 27 due date), the Honey Brook Borough has the right to charge $200 per day past the due date.
In fact, the Borough Council can charge $200 per day pass due on both the ‘Substantial Completion’ and the ‘Final Completion.’
In other news, Council reviewed the preliminary building plan for the parking lot at the Honey Brook Community Church, pending decision on a Zoning Variance application.
HBCC will be building a new sanctuary, adding classrooms for child care, and adding additional parking spaces.
‘The general consensus of the board is that we support the project but we do have ordinances to abide by,’ council member Jeanne Jenzano told the Tri County Record. Council did not vote.
The Council’s acceptance is contingent upon review of the needed number of parking spaces by the Zoning Hearing Board. John King presented the plan with 192 parking spaces, but HBCC could need up to 215 depending on interpretation of the regulations.
If the 192 spaces are within 10 percent of the required parking spots, then the council will accept the plan for the parking lot. HBCC must now present their building plan to the Zoning Hearing Board for acceptance.
Jenzano said HBCC recently purchased land on Cambridge Road that used to be an old elementary school that now has apartments for senior living.
HBCC will be keeping the apartments just as they are. Jenzano said that it is ‘really great what [HBCC is] doing.’
Council member Jessica Curtis was absent.
