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‘People can’t afford this’: Clinton Township supervisors narrowly approve Montgomery Area School District project after hours of testimony

MONTGOMERY -- Clinton Township supervisors by a narrow 3-2 vote that followed more than three hours of testimony gave conditional use approval for the Montgomery Area School building and facilities project.

People who showed up at the township fire hall for the public hearing expressed their reservations about the plan to relocate junior/senior high school students from the building at 120 Penn St. in the borough to the Montgomery Area Community Center.

The vote to approve the $35 million project, which includes expanding building, parking and athletic facilities, and addresses stormwater issues, includes more than a dozen conditions which must be met.

Scott T. Williams, township solicitor, explained those conditions address many of the safety issues involving traffic and pedestrians raised by residents during the hearing.

Supervisors Donald Wagner, Kaydee Miller and Matt Dodge voted in favor.

Supervisors Lanny Wertz and Pat Deitrick voted against.

School officials and others involved with planning the project testified during the hearing.

In July, the school district had applied for a conditional use in an R-1 zoning district to construct the school and athletic facilities at the 57-acre site.

Scott Cousin, an architect with Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates Architects and senior project manager, testified that the project, when completed, will not adversely affect the surrounding neighborhood.

In fact, he said he felt that it would likely enhance the area.

Others testifying that the project will fail to negatively impact the neighborhood, included school district business manager and head of transportation Grant Evangelisti, and district athletic director Michael Snyder.

Andrew Keister, director of civic engineering, LIVIC Civil, said the site is an appropriate location for the project.

"I don't believe it will adversely affect the neighborhood," he said.

Megan Emery, 590 Old School Road, disagreed.

"This will adversely affect our neighborhood," she said.

Emery noted that traffic has increased in the 20 years she has lived at her property just east of the complex.

Others testified that football games at the stadium on the site sometimes draw an overflow of fans who park their vehicles in yards along Old Road.

Luke Temple, 486 Old Road, said the district needs to provide extra parking at the site.

Edward Ferguson, 209 McNett Road, said he felt there simply is not enough room at the site for the project.

Richard Thomas expressed concerns about the safety of students who will walk a long road to the complex.

"You are going to have to put in sidewalks," he said.

In addition, he said roads will need to be widened.

"We need a sidewalk on Old Road," Ted McClintock said. "And the school can pay for it."

Other residents said a traffic light is needed at the intersection near the complex where Route 54, Brouse Road and Old Road meet.

"It's a dangerous intersection," said Todd Winder, longtime township fire chief.

He noted the increase of traffic on Brouse Road just since the Amazon complex opened in the community.

Winder also expressed concerns about the well at the complex providing a sufficient water supply in coming years.

Edna Riddell, 426 State Home Road, said many people in the township on fixed incomes will end up paying higher taxes.

"People can't afford this," Chris Parkhurst said. "People are just going to move out (of the school district)."

Thomas concluded the citizen portion of the comment period with, "We don't want this. We don't need this, and we can't afford this."