The North Cornwall Township Board of Supervisors heard resident concerns about pedestrian safety on Creekside Drive at its meeting Tuesday.
Around 25 residents were present to speak on the topic or listen to the discussion.
HOA board member Kevin Greier spoke in favor of safety measures such as reducing the speed, installing stop signs, or installing sidewalks. He said that, when measuring the speed of passing cars on the 25 mph roadway, he found them to be going around 29 mph on average, with some going faster.
“I fear the day these issues directly affect my wife, my daughter or my dog,” said Greier.
North Cornwall Township Police Sgt. Paul Savini said the police department ran a study in 2021 that found around 3 percent of traffic passing through the development were “enforceable violations.” Several residents thanked the police department for its work, noting they were not requesting additional enforcement.
Engineer Steve Sherk said changing the speed limit on the township-owned road would not be recommended, as it would require a traffic study that could determine the speed limit should be increased.
Things got heated as Creekside resident Sam Abram said the other residents were “trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist,” saying that he has run in various states and countries and “Creekside is in the top 5 percent of the safest roads I’ve ever run on.” He also referred to Creekside residents as “narcissists,” pointing to conflict on their Facebook page as evidence (which was ill-received by other residents in attendance).
While another resident said that a driver through the neighborhood died in her yard following a collision with the curb, Abram said that was his neighbor who crashed as a result of a heart attack, not speeding.
Resident and retired Maryland police officer Richard Ghast said he doesn’t view 4 mph over the limit as worth enforcing (and he doesn’t notice much excessive speeding), he thinks residents need a place to walk.
White lines on the right edge of each lane, recently added by the township, do not denote space for pedestrians, and supervisor Mike Wahmann said residents should not be walking on the road.
The development doesn’t have sidewalks, and an island between lanes cannot accommodate pedestrians due to tree growth, residents said.
“The problem out there, in my opinion, is there’s no sidewalks,” said Ghast. “There’s no defined place for a citizen to walk, and we are a community where people get out and walk on foot.”
The township code permits townships to require residents in an area to install sidewalks at their own expense — but due to swales and uneven terrain alongside the road, this installation would be prohibitively expensive, officials said.
“Logistically, from an engineering standpoint, that would be a nightmare,” said township manager Justin Thompson. “It would be millions of dollars to try to figure that out.”
Wahmann said this was his third time in his 11 years on the board to hear from Creekside residents on this issue.
Following an hour-long heated discussion, Wahmann agreed to meet with the township engineer Steve Sherk, a few representatives of the development, Thompson, and the full board of supervisors (supervisor William Yeagley was absent Tuesday) to see what could be done.
After most residents left the meeting, former township manager Tom Long (who was in attendance as a resident) noted that in a previous discussion with HOA representatives, the township suggested removing the island, putting the road closer to the center, and delineating space for pedestrians next to the curbing.
However, residents were not happy with this solution as it would require cutting the trees.
The once-private roadway fell into the hands of the township after its HOA couldn’t keep up with the required maintenance.
“I can tell you from a historical perspective, the residents in Creekside believe that should be private and nobody should be able to use that road except the residents in Creekside, and that’s not the case,” said Wahmann. “It is a public road.”
Once the public hearing period closed, supervisors moved on to regular business, including budget discussions.
Supervisors reviewed the expenses for Draft #2 of the budget, available for review below. It can also be referenced against the 2024 budget (PDF).
In other news, the board:
- Unanimously approved a payment for the floodplain restoration project. Payment had been delayed so township officials could see whether vegetation improved, and Wahmann said it had “come along nicely” over the summer.
- Agreed to execute and approve contracts for the Dairy Road Pump Station, as has been previously discussed.
Read More: North Cornwall Township accepts Dairy Road Pump Station Replacement bids
- Heard that the next Regional Police Commission will be held Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the North Lebanon Township building.
- Unanimously authorized the police department’s hire of an administrative assistant.
- Unanimously approved MMO contributions for 2025.
- Unanimously agreed to grant a time extension to 700 E. Penn Ave.
- Unanimously agreed to an easement for Met Ed at 2231 Walnut St.
- Heard that the 2021-23 liquid fuels audit found no discrepancies.
North Cornwall Township Board of Supervisors meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
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