Stump Road Grand Re-Opening
(pictured left to right, front row: Ed Shannon, Supervisor Lower Southampton Twp.; John McMenamin, Chairman Lower Southampton Twp.; Lola Biuckians, Chairman Upper Southampton Twp.; Stephen Wallin, Supervisor Upper Southampton Twp.; Keith Froggat, Supervisor Upper Southampton Twp.; back row: Ted Taylor, Township Manager Lower Southampton Twp.; Bob White, Executive Director, Bucks County Redevelopment Authority; Wayne Kiefer, Tri-State Engineers; Joe Golden, Township Manager Upper Southampton Twp.; Walt Stevens, Supervisor Upper Southampton Twp.)
The Lower Southampton Township Board of Supervisors joined with the Upper Southampton Township Board of Supervisors and the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority to officially “cut the ribbon” and re-opened Stump Road. After several months of reconstruction, complete with stabilization of the Mill Creek streambed, new storm water drainage improvements, total milling and repaving of the roadway surface, and additional curbing, striping, grading and reseeding, Stump Road now appears to be “like new” the entire length from Street Road to Bustleton Pike.
A short ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication took place at the intersection of Stump Road and Bustleton Pike on Thursday morning, December 16th, at 3:00PM. Officials from each township and the county were present to participate.
The $969,663.65 contract was awarded to James D. Morrissey, Inc. earlier this summer. The engineering design was completed by Tri-State Engineers and Land Surveyors, Inc. The largest portion of funding was provided by Act 71casino grant funds awarded to Lower Southampton Township and administered by the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority. The Casino grant award amounted to $554,093.00. Lower Southampton Township’s full share of the project was $638,173.58 and included the stream bank stabilization portion since that was located entirely on their side of this “boundary road”. In accordance with an intergovernmental ordinance agreement with Upper Southampton Township, they will pay $291,000 this year, and any remaining balance in 2011 will probably not exceed an additional $50,000 since the project bids came in lower than originally expected.
Over the years, Stump Road has fallen into disrepair. Both townships recognized the need and cooperatively joined forces to commit to total reconstruction of the jointly owned and maintained roadway.
Both Supervisor Chairmen of both townships (Lola Biuckians and John McMenamin) spoke publicly and commented positively about the cooperation and successful efforts by both townships. Biuckians stated that “we were committed to addressing the storm water problems experienced in this area with design improvements to accommodate the flow” and “that this was only possible with the joint cooperation we experienced working together.” McMenamin supported that statement by saying “this is a fine example of how townships can work together to resolve shared problems and construct improvements for the betterment of both communities”.
Bob White, Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority and the casino grant liaison to the township noted “both townships are to be commended for cooperating on this successful project.” The grant funds accounted for about half the total costs on the project and are used to offset the impact of the casino industry in our adjoining communities.
This is just one of the nearly 4 dozen projects completed using funding from the
gaming revenues, and many times matching or addition funding as in this project
come from the local communities. These funds are provided to municipalities
that are adjacent to the PARX Casino in accordance with PA act 71 the Gaming Law.
A big thanks to Senator Tomlinson for his role in securing these funds to assist
the adjacent municipalities, that are impacted by added traffic and services as a
direct result of nearby gaming enterprises.
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Muncipal Grant Program
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