Monday Deadline to Submit 3rd Street Project Survey

and the 3rd Street Project Citizen's Advisory Committee addressed resident concerns at Thursday's council meeting, over not receiving the mailed 3rd Street opinion survey.

About 3,800 mailings were sent out to residents, including renters, property owners and business owners, in the hopes of gathering an informed overall borough opinion on how to proceed with the 3rd Street Project.

As of Thursday, about 500 survey results have been received, Terry Rumsey, with the CAC, said.

The deadline to return the survey is Monday, March 19, in order for the CAC to submit its report and recommendations to Borough Council by April 1.

Council appointed nine residents as members to the newly formed , however, according to the All Things Media, Pa. Blog at least one member has since resigned. Along with overseeing the survey, the CAC has held public community meetings in an effort to gain the public's opinion.

Many borough residents and business owners have said they have not received the survey in the mail and the Postal Service is to blame, according to borough council and the CAC.

Another problem with the survey mailing is that some residents may have thrown it out by mistake as the mailing could have been mistaken for junk mail, according to Rumsey.

He said it's been a complicated issue and the CAC had assumed the Postal Office would deliver the mailings to all homes and businesses.

"We've received less than half a dozen reports (of people not receiving the survey)," Rumsey said.

However, Media Patch has heard of more people not receiving the survey, and definitely more than six. 

Rumsey said the CAC decided not to resend the surveys which could cost taxpayers more in postage and possibly confuse the matter even worse if residents who had already received the survey, received it for a second time.

Instead, residents who have not received the survey are encouraged to call or email Borough Hall in order to obtain one.

The survey is watermarked so it can not be downloaded, copied or sent electronically. Click here for more information on the Media Borough Website.

Transparency

Councilwoman Dawn Roe brought up more resident concerns over transparency on the 3rd Street Project.

Borough Council had after residents voiced . There are currently three proposed designs for the project, one that would return it to a roadway, one that would make it a greenway and pedestrain area, and one that would breach or remove the dam entirely.

Roe said multiple residents have come to her asking what it means when a council member has signed a community petition in favor of one 3rd Street Project option, over another, prior to being elected to council. 

Council President Brian Hall and Council members Kent Davidson and Paul Robinson each signed the Friends of Glen Providence Park 2011 petition prior to being elected to council in November.

Hall responded that such a topic should be brought up in a workshop setting as opposed to a public meeting.

"I think we could have a better exchange of ideas and we have more time to delibrate these things in a workshop setting, than in a public (meeting), in which we should stick with the agenda," Hall said.

Roe responded that she was attempting to be transparent with the residents.

"This is not an opinion on my part, just an effort to be transparent which I think we all feel very strongly about," Roe said. "The fact that multiple resident have come to me between the last workshop and now is what led me to raise this issue tonight."

Borough Council Solicitor Robert Scott explained that a council member is still permitted to vote on an issue even if that member made a public statement or petition prior to being elected.

Davidson, Hall and Robinson each said at Thursday's meeting that they did in fact sign the Friends of Glen Providence Park petition prior to being elected.

Davidson, who lives directly across from the 3rd Street Dam, said he signed the petition and his wife is a member of the Friends group. However as a member of council, he represents the residents and businesses of Media.

"I will do what the residents of Media believe we should do (based on the survey results)," Davidson said. "If the (results) are one direction or another, I will fight for the residents of Media, to go in that direction, that they have chosen."

He said in 2006 when he bought his home, they were aware of the dam project.

"I don't like the politics behind this and people sort of accusing me of being unbiased or biased based on where I live. I think my behavior should dictate whether I'm biased or not and so far I don't believe I've done anything that gives that conclusion."