Two hot topics animated the Upper Darby Council meeting this week, but first fire officials honored three young people for their life-saving efforts.
Fire Chief Nick Martin presented a community recognition award to siblings Haseem Jackson, Jiannah and Hasiyah Crawford-Jackson for their actions saving their sister Genesis from a house fire in June.
Martin said that on June 3, a smoke alarm alerted the family to a fire in an upstairs bedroom. Jiannah heard the alarm and saw smoke from the front bedroom and called her sister Hasiyah who alerted her brother Haseem.
The Jackson family with Mayor Ed Brown and Fire Chief Nick Martin. (COURTESY OF UPPER DARBY TOWNSHIP)
Haseem ran upstairs and found smoke filling the hallway and without hesitation went into the smoky room and removed his sister from the bed and took her to safety.
“The Jackson family’s quick thinking, decisive actions, teamwork and extraordinary bravery prevented serious injury and potential tragedy,” Martin said.
The fire station
During public comment, former mayor and current chairman of the board of Primos Secane Westbrook Park Fire Company Tom Micozzie spoke about the threat of the township taking the volunteer fire station by eminent domain.
Micozzie, who has over 50 years as a firefighter at the station, asked why eminent domain was put on the table when the fire company was working cooperatively with Chief Administrative Officer Crandall Jones, Mayor Ed Brown and Councilman Jonathan McMahon.
Micozzie reviewed a March oversight meeting by Council Vice President Noah Fields that focused on allocations of firefighter finances. At that meeting, the union president was listed as a interested volunteer.
The following morning, the fire company was issued a change in how invoices should be submitted to the township, which he said was not a problem. He acknowledged there are inconsistencies with fire company bylaws that are being worked on to make the organization a 501(c4) nonprofit organization.
Micozzie said conversations with the CAO and the administration had gone well, and in addition he had met Martin and had a cordial conversation with him.
He said that at that time a framework was agreed upon, and he defended the fire company’s being accountable to the township.
“There was never a time any firehouse was not providing the township with accountability of finances,” Micozzie said. “To put our firehouse for eminent domain with no conversation with anyone from Council … this is totally unnecessary.”
Fields spoke on the topic during the old business portion of the meeting.
He noted that over the past 20 years the township has been spending approximately $850,000 per year for each of the five volunteer fire companies, totaling $22 million since 2000 and the fire protection system relies on the five volunteer stations.
The township is in a position that they neither own or lease those stations.
He said that when Upper Darby Fire Company No. 1 on West Chester Pike was placed on the market, it changed the conversation.
“We cannot wait until another fire station is put on the market before deciding what our long-term policy should be,” Fields said. “That is the work ahead of us.”
McMahon, whose district included Primos, said council will be in good faith negotiations and thanked Micozzie for his service.
State Road development
The second hot topic of the evening was the multiple residents who came out to speak against the proposed development of the 14-acre Mozino tract on State Road near Township Line Road.
One resident called it “a living ecosystem not an empty parcel waiting to be converted or covered in asphalt. The mature trees in this property provide tremendous environmental benefits every single day. They absorb carbon dioxide, reduce air pollution, lower surrounding temperatures during the summer months, stabilize the soil, and help reduce stormwater runoff which can contribute to flooding.”
He said ornamental trees that a builder would place would provide a fraction of the benefits.
Another resident said the plan would impact traffic and called for additional traffic studies, particularly in light of the microhospital being built up the street in Springfield Township.
Resident Lee Jordan said developers’ argument of tax revenue coming in from the development tells only one side, and the long-term recurring costs will outweigh the benefits of the project.
Councilmember Kyle McIntyre said the council is exploring all opportunities. He is exploring all issues. including purchasing the property, but he noted it is private property and it is a complex issue.
McIntyre said the proposed community mixed use district zoning ordinance is not being developed with the Mozino tract developer in mind, but there is a cause and effect.
The mayor said the township would hold a meeting to help residents understand the planning and zoning process, which he said is a long process.
Odds and ends
Brown also had staff provide a six-month financial report of township finances.
The township has collected $71 million of the 104.7 million of the general budget, with 30 percent spent. Expenditures are running behind other years due to changes in medical plan cost payments, which should be up to date by the end of July.
The township has received $4.4 million from the new EIT tax for the first quarter, and expects the $17.8 million expected for the year remains achievable.
A public hearing was held formalizing the Environmental Advisory Committee as a township advisory committee. It has been a mayoral advisory group.
“This is a long time coming,” said council member Melissa DiNofia-Bozzone, who is chair of the committee.
There has been an environmental committee for the past 20 years, she said, but this would formalize the group. Over the past two years they have discussed it with the department heads and look forward to advising the township as a whole.
DiNofia-Bozzone said the committee has expertise on environmental issues to assist the township.
Upper Darby resident John DeMasi said that people with diverse opinions should be put on committees who are willing to listen to opposing ideas and not march in lockstep.
He added the hope that there wasn’t horse trading wasn’t involved to allow development at the Mazino tract in exchange for the formalized committee.
“Killing trees to save the bags is still a bad policy,” DeMasi said.
One former member of the committee said those involved have expertise, a willingness to learn about new issues and care passionately about the township and it’s residents.
Council also approved removing parking meters, which will allow 44 spots in a lot, and parkers at Leighton Terrace and West Chester Pike will pay through an app.
Council also approved a resolution on the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and related plans to allocate more than $2.3 milliong from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development programs.
Council member Danyelle Blackwell advised residents who have children not vaccinated against measles that they can get those shots at the Observatory Field on July 27 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.