Penn Township delays, expands flood relief projects

Penn Township residents will have to wait a little longer for relief from frequent flooding.

The township decided to expand the scope of proposed projects along Hyland Road and in the Harrison Park neighborhood — two of the the most flood-prone regions — which required going back to the drawing board for more design work.

“It pretty much sets us back a year, but, in the long view, they’ll be better designed and have better impact in mitigating stormwater issues,” said township Manager Alex Graziani.

Officials originally expected work on the Hyland Road project to begin this year. Now, 2021 looks more likely.

The township applied for and was granted a $1.45 million loan through the state’s PennVEST program, but commissioners last week voted not to accept the loan.

The township will reapply for loans later this year, as well as seeking other funding sources like grants, Graziani said.

Rather than trying to fund the Hyland Road and Harrison Park projects at the same time, the township will apply for funding separately for each.

Graziani said the township will apply for a PennVEST loan for the Hyland Road project in the spring or summer.

The project will install new drainage along much of Hyland Road.

The work requires approval from PennDOT, since Hyland is a state road. Township leaders last year considered taking over the road from the state, but decided against it because of the extra maintenance costs.

The Hyland Road project will cost an estimated $1.7 million.

Fewer details are available for the Harrison Park project, which will follow work on Hyland Road.

Many residents have attended township meetings to ask for solutions for frequent flooding, and officials have made it a priority in the last few years.

The township raised real estate taxes by 2 mills in 2018, budgeting most of that money for flood management.

In 2019, the township fired its longtime engineering firm The EADS Group because commissioners were unsatisfied with the pace of work on paving and stormwater management projects, Graziani said.

Gibson-Thomas Engineering is now handling the work.

The decision to expand the scope of the projects was driven by their work, Graziani said.

“The new engineers weren’t convinced that those solutions were comprehensive enough to meet project objectives,” he said.