Safety Committee suggests new crosswalks in Village of Unionville
By Karen Cresta, Staff Writer, The Times
Left to Right: Supervisor Bob Weer, Township Manager Jane Laslo, Supervisor Christine Kimmel, Asst. Township Manager Laurie Prysock, Supervisor John Sarro, and Supervisors’ chair Richard Hannum (Supervisor Eddie Caudill was not present ) celebrate the retirement of Laslo — after nearly 40 years of service — and the appointment of Prysock as her replacement this fall.
EAST MARLBOROUGH – Board of Supervisors chairman Richard “Buzz” Hannum, Jr. announced that Jane Laslo, the township manager, will step down on Sept. 9 – just shy of 40 years of service.
“…We are certainly very sad to lose Jane after all these many years…But we’re very excited for her next stage as a grandparent and for all the other adventures that she’ll have,” Hannun said.
According to Hannun, the new manager “has big shoes to fill” and more than 25 candidates submitted resumes to fill those shoes. The supervisors selected four finalists, one declined to interview, and conducted a question and answer session in May then deliberated. In the end, Laurie Prysock, the current assistant manager to Laslo, received the nomination.
During the official vote to approve Prysock’s position as township manager, all except Supervisor Bob Weer voted yes. (Supervisor Eddie Caudill was not in attendance.) Weer did not provide comment regarding his opposition.
Prysock will begin her new position officially on Sept. 12, and will also serve as secretary and treasurer as Laslow currently does. The board made no comment about replacing Prysock’s job by Sept. 12.
“Laurie has demonstrated that she is the perfect fit for East Marlborough,” Hannum said.
A topic of much concern and the focal point during last month’s meeting when residents of Unionville demanded action was pedestrian safety on Route 82 in the village. Supervisor John Sarro addressed concerns and presented suggestions by the Safety Committee to improve and add crosswalks.
One suggestion that the Safety Committee favored but needed additional research was to add a raised crosswalk to replace the existing painted one connecting Hood’s BBQ to the Unionville Recreation Association (URA) ball fields. According to the findings, the current crosswalk directs pedestrians to the URA driveway and is dangerous. Sarro said that the owner of Hood’s was willing to work with the township and redirect foot traffic to the main entrance of the restaurant to comply with the new and safer suggested location. Some more research possibly involving the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) may be needed to remove a piece of guardrail during relocation and installation of the new crosswalk.
Sarro suggested a raised crosswalk would help reduce vehicles from speeding and proposed an additional crosswalk at the Post Office and Merrimack Lane. Painted crosswalks already exist at the Unionville Park and Foxy Loxy.
Police Chief Robert Clarke provided details to the board about a recent patrol of the area that produced 15 speeding tickets in two and a half hours on a Friday late afternoon into the early evening. The highest speed was documented at 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone.
Township solicitor Frone Crawford and the Safety Committee will consult with the traffic engineer and get cost estimates associated with flashing lights (solar operated versus electric) and raised versus textured crosswalks. Also needing some more research is the noise pollution created when heavy trucks and passenger vehicles pass over these crosswalks. Sarro informed the board that it was ideal to get this initiative done before winter.
The board unanimously approved (pending approval from Township Engineer Jim Hatfield and the landscape architect) to remove 12 trees deemed unhealthy from a building lot on Fairthorn. Nine of the trees will be replaced and the remaining three that there is not enough room for on the lot will be gifted to the township to possibly plant at Unionville Park.
The board also unanimously approved the release of approximately $242,000 in payment to complete Phase II.
“Significant progress has been made,” Hatfield stated.
To view more details about Phase II of the Unionville Park, please visit the township’s website at www.eastmarlborough.org.
