Final work to compete Lyceum House work approved
By Rick Marts, Staff Writer, The Times
Members of the New Garden Board of Supervisors learned Monday that a proposed deal to build a new hanger at New Garden Flying Field collapsed, leaving the board to look into new options for building the facility.
NEW GARDEN – At Monday night’s public meeting, Jon Martin, New Garden Airport manager, was expected to present township Supervisors a land-lease proposal from the a group interested in building and managing a new hangar at the township’s aviation facility.
Instead, Martin said, “We don’t have plans for a hangar or a proposed lease because the new-hangar group has been derailed.”
He gave no further details for the apparent impasse in planning.
Nevertheless, the board seemed very interested in continuing a discussion of how best to fund a new hangar without participation by the new-hangar group. Board Chairman Steve Allaband asked the board, and township solicitor, Vince Pompo, what funding options might be available.
Pompo suggested that a new entity separate from the airport itself, such as an “airport authority,” could be established to build, own, manage, lease or perform a combination of these functions. During discussion of this idea, Martin made it clear that the New Garden Airport itself did not want to be in the business of maintaining hangars.
Allaband asked Martin to pull together several viable suggestions for financing additional hangar space and present them to the board at a later date.
In other business, the board approved a motion by Bob Norris to finish the basement plumbing in the Lyceum House and install cabinets per the estimate from Lowes.
This 900 square-foot wooden house was built in 1852. For the next several decades, the house was the center of community life in the township. In 1888, The Daily Local News reported, “The New Garden Lyceum House where the Prohibitionists will hold a public meeting tomorrow evening is one of the most famous places of its kind in the County. It was the headquarters of the Abolitionists before the war, a station of the Underground Railroad, and the scene of many exciting contests between the friends and foes of the colored man.” (To learn more about the Lyceum House’s history and the Lyceum movement, visit http://www.newgarden.org/linkpage.php?content=lyceummove&classname=homepage&titlename=Lyceum%20House.)
Readers may recall that the Lyceum House was moved from its original location to the New Garden Township Park in February, 2012. At that time, it was delicately placed atop its new concrete foundation, which included a full basement. However, work to install plumbing, fixtures, and storage cabinets in the basement has not been completed. The supervisors rectified this Monday night by approving two motions to have the work done.
In a cost-saving action, the supervisors approved a motion to transfer responsibility for collecting real estate taxes from the Township to the County. Township Manager Spencer Andress said this change will save the township nearly $8,000 a year.
The current elected tax collector for the township, Joseph Bohnert, said that he supports such a change and that it will be a cost-saving move for the County, as well. Supervisor Scilla noted, “This sounds like a win-win situation and something we should approve.”
