(In this article there is also information about the Morrisville - TopicsExpress



          

(In this article there is also information about the Morrisville Riverfront Preserve.) Planned installation of high-efficiency streetlights, energy upgrade for Morrisville could be doomed by opposition on council Wednesday, July 17, 2013 By D.E. Schlatter BucksLocalNews MORRISVILLE BOROUGH - A $1.25-million financing package to replace more than 600 streetlights with state-of-the-art LED lamps could be in jeopardy if borough council supporters fail to garner enough votes to override a possible mayoral veto. At the July 15 monthly meeting, council voted 5-3 to approve the financing from TD Bank to pay for the 17-year contract already signed with Johnson Controls, Inc., the company that will perform the streetlight replacement and energy upgrade in Morrisville. Council members Eileen Dreisbach, Todd Sanford and Debbie Smith voted against the financing package. All three have repeatedly opposed the project. Earlier this year, Councilwoman Smith had labeled the whole process “back-door politics,” complaining that council was asked to approve the Johnson Controls contract without all members being able to review it beforehand. Under the fiscal plan just approved, the borough will borrow the money at a 2.99-percent interest rate. “There no cost to borrow the money,” explained borough manager Tom Bates. “We wouldn’t have to borrow one dime.” In addition, Bates noted that Morrisville would save $307,000 in energy costs over the length of the contract. According to the borough manager, no tax hike would be needed to pay off the debt service on the loan. The borough had sought various loan packages from several lenders, but Bates said that TD Bank had the best deal and interest rate. The paperwork is currently being prepared for borough officials to finalize the financing. The next step is for borough solicitor James Downey to prepare an ordinance, which is required under state law, in order to technically fund the project so that it can get underway. The vote on that motion to authorize Downey to draft the ordinance was also 5-3, with Dreisbach, Sanford and Smith again dissenting. The ordinance is expected to be ready for consideration at the scheduled August 19 council meeting. However, passage of the implementation ordinance is far from certain, and could be in trouble if Mayor Rita Ledger vetoes the measure. If that happens, six of the eight council members then would be needed to vote for an override. Overturning a possible veto could be an uphill battle given that both the financing package and preparing an ordinance to pay for the Johnson Controls contract both were approved by only a 5-3 margin. In the past, the mayor has questioned the financing for the project and has not indicated how she would vote next month, only saying that she “has the best interests of Morrisville Borough at heart.” Ledger predicted that the August council meeting could be a “long one,” and jokingly suggested those attending should bring something to eat. In February, council had voted 5-3 to formally approve the contract with Johnson Controls, but not motion was made at the time of how to pay for it. The borough manager had prepared loan options from five different lending institutions, including TD Bank and Green Partners, LLC, a private investment firm which underwrites energy-saving projects. According to Bates, he decided to accept the TD Bank offer because there were some “sticking points” to the Green Partners package which prevented the borough from going to settlement on that loan in late June. If the Johnson Controls project does see the light of day, every streetlight in Morrisville would be replaced with the same LED lamps and wattage, something which Council President Nancy Sherlock has said “will make the town very attractive and uniform.” Currently, the borough pays about $120,000 a year in electricity to keep the streetlights on, a cost would be reduced to around $70,000 annually with high-energy efficient lighting which is guaranteed to last 30 years. Besides the electric costs, Morrisville spends around $25,000 a year to maintain the streetlights and replace the existing bulbs. In addition to the LED streetlights, windows and insulation in the 64-year-old borough hall would be replaced, as well as new heating and air conditioning installed. Electronic sensors would also be placed in the municipal building, as well as the library and garage. The cable-TV system that broadcasts council meetings also would be modernized. In other action, borough council unanimously endorsed a $19,000 grant application by the Morrisville Environmental Advisory Council (MEAC) to help with the ongoing restoration of the Morrisville Riverfront Preserve (MRO) along the Delaware, just south of the Falls of Trenton. According to MEAC chairman Debby Colgan, the 8.8-acre municipally-owned tract already has been rezoned to be developed as a public-access natural-habitat area linked with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. “We’ve been planting a number of trees, shrubs, plants, grasses,” she explained. “The big thing is getting rid of the invasive species.” Last year, 110 native trees were planted throughout the preserve, and large amount of natural debris which was by recent floods was removed. Educational signs are also being developed for the site. Colgan said that the recent grant application is being filed with Bucks County’s Delaware Riverfront Program, and is part of a matching-fund requirement in which MEAC must raise another $19,000 from a second source. So far the preserve has received money from other government open-space funds, as well as a federal coastal management program administered through the state. The preserve has also received private donations from Morrisville businesses and residents.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 20:06:59 +0000

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