Lansdale Business Improvement District 'On Hold'

Development of a Business Improvement District in Lansdale, directed via a steering committee, is "on hold" because the borough is doing a lot at present.

In her answer to a question posed to the Economic Development Committee/Communication Commission last week by Democratic council candidate Liz Troy, Borough Manager Timi Kirchner said the BID steering committee had met "once or twice" with contracted firm Delta Development.

In February 2012, Delta Development  However, at the meeting, Troy incorrectly referred to the amount being $50,000.

"The project is on hold right now," Kirchner said, "because we had so many other projects moving forward. We will get back to that sometime soon."

Troy asked if the contract was for those two meetings. Kirchner was clear: The $43,000 is for beginning to end.

"No. ($43,000) is for the entire project, for the entire project, beginning to end," Kirchner said. "Fifty-thousand was for the full contract, which we have not completed yet."

Kirchner said Delta has been paid for its initial work.

"They met with the committee to get a sense of where the committee wanted to go in regard to the Business Improvement District," she said.

Councilwoman Mary Fuller, who chairs the EDC, said Delta Development did put together materials, did background work, the research and the surveys. She said Delta meet with the steering committee to get and give information.

Troy, of S. Cannon Avenue, posed other questions to the committee: She said she read a lot of online articles in the past months about the BID steering committee, and she wanted to clairfy some things.  

Fuller answered that the steering committee would move forward again.

"I did speak with one or two others from the committee, and they weren't sure about it," said Troy. "That's interesting."  

Fuller said they should know the committee was moving forward soon "because that was conveyed."

"It's been a while," Fuller said. "It's easy to lose track that the intention was always to reconvene. There will be an email or letter to that effect."

Fuller would not set a specific time period for the steering committee revival.

"Rest assured," Fuller said, "nothing gets paid out until work is done."  

Fuller also urged Troy to issue a Right to Know request to get the amount paid to date, as she did not know the amount off the top of her head.

The steering committee members, as approved April 2012, are:

• Charles Booz (owner of Chantilly Floral)
  
  
• Mike Butrica
  
  
• Fire Marshal Jay Daveler 
  
  
• Kevin Dunigan (Lansdale planning commission member)
  
  
• John Ernst (Lansdale Director of Community Development)
  
  
• John Felton (landlord of various borough apartments)
  
  
• Mary Schwalje (owner of Sign-a-rama)
  
  
• Richard Strahm (vice chairman of Economic Development Committee)
  
  
• Scott Walton (owner of Clyde S. Walton Inc. Oil)
  
  
• Chris Flyzik (owner of Wilson's Hardware)
  
  
• Councilwoman Mary Fuller (Chairwoman of Economic Development Committee)
  
  
• Candy Pack (owner of Green Street Luxuries)
  
  
• Peter Prescott (president of board of directors for North Penn YMCA)