Summary of Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Rutledge and
Swarthmore Environmental Advisory Councils’ discussion
about collaboration on the multi-municipal plan
July 28, 2009
Nineteen members of the four municipalities’ EACs and three guests attended. All actively
participated with suggestions for environmental collaboration. We learned from each other and
suggestions often built on what another community has underway (see Opening discussion,
below). Interest was expressed in moving ahead on education and increasing participation in:
• storm water management projects,
• understanding and enjoying our local natural resources, walking and biking,
• reducing invasive species,
• energy conservation, and
• green ordinances.
Specific interests and ideas. Many suggestions had similar themes and were of interest to several
people. To move ahead on new projects cross-community teams will need to be developed:
1. Increasing energy efficiency and getting smarter about electric usage
2. Stream stewardship
3. Storm water education, reducing storm water run-off, increasing interest/action to reduce
impervious surfaces, rain-barrel workshops
4. Motivating adults — groups and especially adults interested in individual action
5. Developing a natural resource inventory. Who do we have? What do we need?
6. Taking care of our natural resource assets — management of green spaces, education,
illustration, involvement, and training
7. Reducing invasive plants in Little Crum Creek Park (Swarthmore), Furness Park and
Houston Park (Nether Providence), Saul Wildlife Sanctuary, Long Point Wildlife
Sanctuary, and Todmorden Wildlife Sanctuary (Rose Valley)
8. Exploring adaptation of Swarthmore’s Green Points program for the other municipalities
9. Establishing formal links between the EACs and the local school district: creating an
EAC sustainability coordinating group to focus education on local storm water, invasive
species/natural resources, energy efficiency, and green ordinances
10. Increasing household hazardous waste recycling
11. Creating safe transportation linkages for walking and biking to school, SEPTA train
stations, shopping areas, and open space
12. Increasing recycling — expanding both the range and the volume of waste recycled
13. Reducing deer overpopulation
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Next steps. There were two specific interests that volunteers were ready to move ahead on right
away. The teams will work independently and report back at the next joint meeting.
1. Hold rain barrel workshops to increase understanding of storm water and reduce storm
water runoff. Contacts: Denise Disney, Bonnie Smith, Diane McGaughey and Greg
Lebold will work with Anne Murphy of the Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds
Association.
2. Volunteers signed up as EAC liaisons with the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Project —
Bruce Grant (Nether Providence), Jim Audley (Rose Valley), and Beth Murray and Phil
Coleman (Swarthmore). Jack Borsch and Diane McGaughey (Rutledge) will be kept upto-
date on the project.
3. Move forward on additional ideas and projects discussed (listed above).
4. Reconvene on Tuesday, October 27 in either Swarthmore or Rutledge. Potluck at 6:30
p.m., meeting at 7:30 p.m. If you want to help plan this meeting, please contact your
EAC chair.
Opening discussion.
Our host Dr. Roger Latham opened the meeting with a history of the Old Mill, where we were
meeting. He highlighted a few of the Rose Valley EAC’s recent accomplishments:
• Rose Valley established an active EAC just last year.
• The EAC held well-attended workshops to educate residents about invasive species and to
enlist their volunteer help to reduce invasive species and replace them with native plants in
the Saul Wildlife Sanctuary near the Old Mill. This may become an annual or semiannual
workshop to rotate among the several Borough-owned open space tracts.
• The Borough has increased open space significantly, including the recent purchase of
Valley Green at the intersection of Rose Valley Road and Old Mill Lane, a major addition
to the Saul Wildlife Sanctuary, and dedicated open space between the new Traymore
development and Rose Valley Road.
Denise Disney talked about the Swarthmore EAC’s recent accomplishments:
• Swarthmore is moving ahead on its green power commitment
- by reducing energy used in municipal buildings and homes by 10-15%, and
- by installing an expandable 1 kW solar collector on Borough Hall with a grant from
PECO.
• Borough Council adopted a “green points program for building permits” providing lower
building permit fees for projects using green building methods. Swarthmore’s EAC
modeled its program on one in Doylestown, Pa.
• EAC members and volunteers have made great progress in the restoration and maintenance
of Little Crum Creek Park.
Diane McGaughey and Greg Lebold from Rutledge’s Borough Council’s offered these
highlights:
• The Borough has installed a functional and educational storm water management project at
Triangle Park — a rain garden and a new porous pavement basketball court capturing
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storm water runoff in a detention/infiltration structure, which protects nearby streams and
helps control floodwaters. The recent “opening” was covered in the Swarthmorean and
Delaware County Daily Times.
• Rutledge has established a Tree Commission, working with the Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society’s Tree Tenders in planning for and planting street trees. Interest was expressed in
assistance from or collaboration with Swarthmore’s Tree Commission.
• There is interest in ideas for the community’s old firehouse.
Dr. Bruce Grant and Bonnie Smith Bowie from Nether Providence’s EAC highlighted these
accomplishments:
• NP has preserved the Houston tract (17 acres) and Furness tract (45 acres) as open space.
• The EAC is reviewing new building projects and making solid recommendations to the
builders and Borough Council for ways to limit storm water runoff.
• Although it’s not an EAC project, a “Walkable Wallingford” proposal had been developed,
available on NP’s web site.
• In addition to an EAC, NP recently created an Energy Committee to encourage energy
efficiency.
If you have corrections or additional information for the summary or the attached list of EAC
contacts, please send them to Bonnie Smith at smith.bonnie@epa.gov.
*participated in July 28 meeting
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