Jennifer Jones
RI President 2022-23
David Houtz
District 7450 GovernorSwarthmore Rotary Leaders
Happy Dollarspledge $3,577
2021-2022 $4,476
Birthdays Julie A Millward
May 26th | Perri Ann Evanson
May 31st |
Wedding Anniversaries| No Wedding Anniversaries Found |
Years of Service Randolph B. Winton
05-27-2010
13 Years |
Guests Last Meeting Peg Christensen Linda Heffernan
| | Meetings and EventsMay 25th, 12:15-1:30 PM
Swarthmore Weekly Club Meeting (Inn)
Speaker: CTEP - Progress Report
Subject: features Linder, Kozachyn, Zissimos, Young and Jones | June 1st, 12:15-1:30 PM
Swarthmore Weekly Club Meeting (Inn)
Speaker: Betsy Bolton, Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Literature
Subject: poems based in the Crum woods and the surrounding region | June 8th, 12:15-1:30 PM
Swarthmore Weekly Club Meeting (Inn)
Speaker: WSSD Scholorship recipients
Subject: hosted by Richard Shimko |
Service Quotation "The Spirit of Tolerance which has made it possible for Rotary to achieve a worldwide fellowship of business and professional (persons) will make all things possible." - Paul Harris | |
4 Way Test Of the things we think, say or do- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
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Club News Rotary Moment - Elizabeth Church told us that May is Youth Development Month. A Japanese woman recently commented on how welcome she felt going to Australia as Japan’s first Rotary Youth Exchange student in 1962. Despite it being only 17 years since the end of World War 2, she found the hosts were very gracious.
Dave Firn, Pat Gunnin, Bill Hale, Joe Lesniak (and his future Rotarians) did the road-side cleanup on Saturday, May 20. Here are some photographs provided by Dave.
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Last Meeting Summary While, to an outsider, the process of obtaining permission to build at 110 Park Avenue appears to be taking forever, the developers, Don Delson and Bill Cumby, are not discouraged. In a follow-up email to Bill, he was asked if he would undertake the project today, knowing how long it would take. Bill replied “Yes, knowing what we know now we would absolutely go ahead with the project today. We think there is a huge need for this kind of housing in the Borough and that it will be viewed as a big asset when all is said and done.” The project was started in 2020. An initial plan was submitted to the Swarthmore Borough Planning Commission in April 2022. When that plan was voted down by the Commission, a member of the Commission suggested a fix. The fix was to leave the existing building in place and build the new building around it. This new plan was approved by the Planning Commission and then Borough Council this year.
The new plan reduces the number of units from 36 t o 30. Another change was setting back the upper floor so the building looks shorter from the sidewalk. As before, parking and retail is on the first floor.
Bill said he anticipates construction will start by the end of this year and be completed mid-2025. While the units are not age restricted, there is a lot of interest from seniors looking to downsize. Bill said over 100 couples are on a waiting list.
Bill said the units will vary from two bedroom, 1500 square feet, to three bedroom, 2200 square feet. In a follow up email, he said the units will price from $600 thousand to one million dollars. .
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Article on 110 Park
The following article, excerpted from The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 7, 2023, provides a view of the opposition to the construction of 110 Park. The article also included quotes by individuals who were in favor of the building.
“It’s an absolutely enormous building that is going to take away open space and [existing] structures, and not contribute to the public realm,” said Christopher Kenney, an architect who lives in Swarthmore.
Ever since the developer, 110 Park LLC, submitted the first iteration of the proposal for review in 2021, public concerns have focused on the impact of replacing a small-town expanse of Park Avenue streetscape that includes green space with a residential building more appropriate for a city block.
“It would be great to see a higher-density development that was constructed thoughtfully and included an affordable-housing component,” Kenney said. “There is an opportunity for something wonderful to be developed in the town center, but this proposal isn’t it.”
Melanie Rodbart, one of the founders of a nonprofit called Save Our Swarthmore, said the group — which has collected more than 600 signatures of borough residents on a petition against 110 Park — is not opposed to town center development, including on Park Avenue.
“There’s a way to develop that site without razing everything on it,” said Rodbart, a structural engineer and owner of a company that specializes in historic preservation.
“To me, [110 Park] is not in keeping with the town center building code because the development is predicated on demolition,” she said. “We can increase density while also maintaining and celebrating the character, charm, and scale we already have. It doesn’t have to be either/or.”
Around the corner on Chester Road, in the block of Tudor-style commercial buildings that are symbols of “the Ville,” as some call the town center — Susan Deininger said she has mixed feelings about the condo proposal.
“It will bring new business to the stores in the downtown,” said Deininger, who owns Kandy Kids Toys & Gifts.
“But my concerns are that it could harm the look and feel of the town. I love the small-town U.S.A. feel of Swarthmore. It’s a great town,” she said.
“I’m not opposed to progress. If they do [110 Park] in the right way, I feel it could be good for Swarthmore.”
“The rise of the town center came about without the weight of large-scale development on its shoulders,” said Shannon Elliott, whose Harvey Oak Mercantile boutique had to move to a new Park Avenue location to make way for the condo project.
“I get the feeling [110 Park] will be this giant thing dominating the heart of the town, the place where all our [civic] events are held,” she said. “Our town will be defined by a luxury condo.”
“The problem in Swarthmore was created by the 2013 zoning code [revisions] to allow heights of up to 65 feet,” Harnsberger said. “The concern is that if this one gets built ... it won’t be the last.”” | |
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