Politics & Government

Township chooses new Revitalization Task Force

After weeks of reviewing and debating, Upper Moreland Township chooses a 16-member revitalization task force

Membership of the township’s new Upper Moreland Revitalization Task Force was finalized at the regular meeting of the board of commissioners, Feb. 7.

At the Jan. 24 township Finance and Administration meeting, 28 task force applicants’ names were presented for review by the commissioners, forwarding 18 names to be approved at the Feb. 7 regular meeting.

Board president commissioner Samuel Valenza (Ward 6), went down the list of applicant names, briefly providing background information and any qualifications the applicant may have had in regards to the task force criteria.

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“Two weeks ago, we greeted and discussed all these candidates at great length,” Valenza said.

Issues of qualification for membership were, at times, hotly debated between commissioners, and the public audience alike, at the Jan. 24 meeting. Those present debated the inclusion of a community business group, proof of results in certain applicants’ areas of expertise and from which ward does the applicant either reside or hold the most stock in.

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The task force will concentrate efforts in portions of wards 1 and 5, and all of 2 to 4.

At the Feb. 7 meeting, a public comment brought the issue of lopsided party affiliation among the remaining list of applicants.

“It’s important for the township to have a broad variety of residents, business owners and interested citizens to assist the board of commissioners [in overseeing] the revitalization efforts in Willow Grove and throughout the township,” David Dodies, Upper Moreland Township manager, said after the meeting.

Dodies also added that the township resolution that created the task force (i.e. applicant criteria) was based off of county requirements, which are derived from the Montgomery County Economic Redevelopment Program.

The first name reviewed on the list was Ward 4 commissioner Joseph Lavalle, who was not apart of the 18 names listed at the end of the Jan. 24 commissioners meeting.

The only commissioner to appear on the list of applicants was Ward 1 commissioner Lisa Romaniello, who did not appear on the agenda list that was currently being presented by Valenza.

When the commissioners reviewed Lavalle for task force membership, Romaniello asked him to publicly state that he was interested in joining the task force, as he had not done so previously.

Only two names from the applicants list were removed, leaving a total of 16 members that make of the Upper Moreland Revitalization Task Force (see chart below).

This final number of members prompted Ward 3 commissioner Donna Parsell to comment that the membership could be reduced further in terms of manageability for the task force’s future projects. She did recognize and thank all the applicants for their commitment of skills, talents, experience and community interest.

Kevin Spearing, Commissioner of Ward 2, announced that all task force meetings will be open to the public, whose input and support will be welcomed.

The first order of business for the task force would be an organizational one, choosing a chairperson and various leadership roles within the task force.

Since, Lavalle is chairperson of the township’s community development committee, which oversees the revitalization task force, it is extremely unlikely that he will be chosen as the task force’s chairperson.

During the commissioner’s comments portion of the agenda, Romiello had noted failed attempts at revitalization and redevelopment by the township in the past.

“My point is that you need champions to follow through to implement that plan and not let it collect dust,” Romaniello said. “Are you going to be a champion or are you going to go away in three years?”

Romaniello was on the township’s Revitalization Planning Committee, which began in 2003, before leaving that position to become commissioner of Ward 1 in 2008.  

According to a source, who was also involved with the township’s revitalization efforts in the mid-2000s, a redevelopment plan, led by developer Charles Gallub, was presented to an enthusiastic public, but was eventually scrapped sometime during the changing of board commissioners.

The plan can still be seen by visiting www.willowgrovedowntown.com.

UMT Revitalization Task Force Member Task Force qualification Joseph Lavalle

Ward 4 commissioner, architect by trade

Jody Holton Township’s Revitalization Coordinator, a consultant position retained by the township
Robert Crippen Involved with the Environmental Advisory Council; resident
Jonathan de Jonge Involved with the Environmental Advisory Council, Advisory Planning Agency, Upper Moreland Historical Commission; resident
Jerry DiMarzio Owner of the Willow Inn
Charles Gallub Local business owner, developer; involved with previous township revitalization effort
Lance Ginsburg Local business owner, “It’s Sold Here”
Karen Houck Upper Moreland Free Public Library Board Vice-President
David Joss Manager of Federal Realty, the company that owns the Willow Grove Shopping Center
Mariann O’Connor Vice-president of the Upper Moreland Historical Commission
Dennis Sakelson Local business owner; property owner in the revitalization area
Dick Sayer Upper Moreland Historical Commission President; longtime resident; head of the Willow Grove 300 Tricentennial Committee; engineer by trade
Brian Shannon Longtime Ward 1 resident
Ralph Storti WWII Memorial Association President, which was involved in the creation of Memorial Park
Jack Tarman Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce member, on the chamber’s redevelopment committee; executive director of the Willow Grove Community Development Corporation; former township commissioner
Thomas Winterberg Longtime volunteer member of the Willow Grove Volunteer Fire Company; president of the Upper Moreland Music Patrons

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More from the reporter's notebook:

In the closing commissioners remarks, Joseph Lavalle, vice president of the board and Ward 4 commissioner, addressed the township’s response to the removal of ice and snow off roadways during the last major storms.

A number of residents saw the township’s response time and effectiveness largely as a failure, which provoked many residents to contact the township and complain. The majority of such complaints were stemmed from the township’s back roads.

“We got several complaints with the last several snow storms,” Lavalle said, adding that he personally spent a many hours helping to dig out residents in the wake of the storms.

“I want to thank Public Works,” he continued. “It was a difficult storm, and, I got to say, they were out there.”

Other commissioners added onto Lavalle’s comments.

“Regarding the snow, every commissioner, I believe, got a complaint,” Kevin Spearing, Ward 2 commissioner, said.  “I want to let everyone know that the complaints were heard and we’ll have to do a better job next time.”


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