The Falls Township Supervisors on Monday night greenlighted authorizations to seek bids for this year’s road improvement program, as well as the long-awaited South Olds Boulevard culvert replacement.
Provided bids come in by the April 22 bid opening date and are approved, construction could begin by summer.
In terms of the annual road program, plans call for the full-depth reconstruction of a 3,300 linear feet portion of Willow Drive and mill and overlay of Olds and Cabot boulevards.
The road work is one of this year’s budgeted capital projects.
Township Engineer Joseph Jones told the Supervisors that the culvert replacement project has been on the radar since 2018.
“We’re trying to do grant funding opportunities,” Jones said. “(With) the competitive nature of the grant opportunities, we weren’t successful.”
The project entails the full replacement of the failing culvert system and restoration of the surrounding area.
In other business, the Supervisors approved a conditional use application to permit Verizon Wireless to build a 150-foot galvanized steel tower on a 133-acre parcel located at 1414 Bordentown Road, off of New Ford Mill Road. The property is owned by Waste Management and previously housed a tower, according to Rise Up Towers, LLC attorney Michael Malloy Jr.
Malloy said it would take 60 days to install the tower, which would be located in the heavy industrial district. An eight-foot-tall fence will surround the tower and “anti-climbing measures” would be included.
Andrew Petersohn testified that the electromagnetic emissions would be less than 0.2 percent of applicable Federal Communications Commission standards or “500 times below what the FCC considers safe.”
Malloy said the tower would not interfere with any of the existing communications antennas. Verizon would provide space for other cell carriers.
“We give every public antenna for free,” Malloy said of 911 and other public entities needing an antenna.
