Setting the Record Straight
It's election season, and there is a lot of misinformation circulating. Here are the facts about Franklin Park:
“Franklin Park Needs New Leadership to Tackle Tough Issues” - Our leadership led to Franklin Park being named the #1 municipality in Pennsylvania two years in a row by USA Today and being ranked in the 10 safest communities in Pennsylvania for several years running (currently ranked #8 for 2021).
“Transparency in Local Government” – ALL Borough Council and Board and Commission meetings are public and Zoom options have been offered since early 2020. We update residents constantly through our website and email blasts and are hiring a Communications professional to enhance our social media presence/information.
“Preservation of Greenspace” - Borough Council and the Mayor have continuously worked to preserve greenspace, purchasing 10.46 acres across from Linbrook Park and 20.93 acres near Acorn Park. We also require new developments to incorporate greenspace into their plans. The Borough also contributed $100,000 to the purchase of 175 acres of vacant land adjacent to Linbrook Park in 2015 by the Allegheny Land Trust.
“Overdevelopment” – PA laws strictly limits on what grounds development plans can be denied; Council denied a 130-apartment complex plan several years ago due to residents’ concerns, and the Courts over-ruled that decision. We will continue to manage and regulate future development, holding developers strictly accountable to our laws and ordinances, while preserving Franklin Park’s character.
“Infrastructure” – Borough Council and the Mayor address our infrastructure at every meeting. We have addressed many stormwater infrastructure issues and continue to plan for future stormwater improvements. We are currently working on a Multi-Municipal Plan with Ohio Township, laying out our plans for the future.
“Traffic Management” – Borough Council and the Mayor supported the PennDOT Green Light Go project to help alleviate congestion on Brandt School Road and Route 910, committing $100,000 in 2019. We are currently working with PennDOT, Senator Williams and Rep. Mercuri on a re-design of the 79/910 interchange to greatly improve traffic flow and congestion and committed $150,000 to the project in 2019.
“Street Lights” – While street lights sound like a good idea, we already have plenty of lighting in most neighborhoods. Streetlights in neighborhoods provide excessive light and add to light pollution. Streetlights would also be very costly to install across the Borough.
“Sidewalks” – All new developments are required to install sidewalks, unless there is a particular obstacle that makes it impossible or dangerous to do so. If they cannot install sidewalks, developers are required to pay the same amount into the Borough’s Sidewalk Fund, which is then used to install sidewalks in other parts of the Borough.
“Recycling” - Borough Council and the Mayor established a glass recycling center at the Borough building this year. We have curbside pickup of most other recyclables and also have a large cardboard collector at the Borough building.
Cellular Coverage – In 2020, Borough Council and the Mayor established the Technology Advisory Council which consists of five Borough residents with technological expertise. We asked that as their top priority, they research the issue of poor cellular coverage and propose solutions to this problem that affect many in the Borough. They are currently reviewing all possible solutions and will soon present them to Borough Council.