Limerick Township population sharply increased in last decade

According to the data from the 2010 United States Census, Limerick Township's current  population is 18,074 people, and has grown by 4,540 people since 2000, supervisor Tom Neafcy announced at Tuesday's board meeting.

Calling this a "significant" increase, Neafcy said this represents 33.5 percent growth in the number of people living in Limerick Township. Limerick now ranks 107th in population out of 2600 municipalities within the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Several land development items came before the board. Ross Weiss, Esq., representing John Middleton Inc., a cigar manufacturer, asked the board to agree to execute a Professional Services Agreement so that the company can begin encircling its Lewis Road property with a nine foot tall barbed wire fence.

Weiss said the purpose of the fence is twofold. Because John Middleton is owned by Altria (formerly Philip Morris), they are required to conform with company-wide security standards which include a manned gatehouse, fencing and a gate arm to restrict access to the property. The fence is also a safety feature, to prevent children or anyone else from walking on to the property and potentially being endangered by tractor-trailers entering and leaving the facility.

Neafcy's major concern, which was echoed by several other board members, was the appearance of the fence and whether a buffer of trees and/or bushes could be placed along the fence. Weiss said that the company is willing to work on any buffering issues the board might have. In the back of the property, the fence will be moved ten feet away from the property line so it is less visible to the residents behind the facility.

The board voted to approve the execution of the Professional Services Agreement and to appoint Robert Walsh, P.E. of EI Associates to oversee the process.

A motion was approved to amend the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance to require photographs to be part of any land use applications. Neafcy said, "Just for the public's knowledge, this [the amended ordinance] will require a series of photographs to be part of the permanent record, to give us a historical base. We've lost so much history in the township that here, going forward, these photos will go to the historical society."

After a short executive session, the board voted to oppose a conditional use application from Oehlert Brothers to place a cellular phone tower on their property and appointed attorney Bob Brant of Trappe as special counsel in the matter.

In other township business:

• The public is invited to join Senator John Rafferty, Representative Michael Vereb and the Limerick Township Parks and Recreation Department  for an from 2:00-4:00pm at. There will be guided bird walks, geocaching demonstrations, an environmental expo area and crafts for kids.
• The annual Kids and Paws Easter Egg Hunt will be Saturday, April 16 at Limerick Community Park. The egg hunt for children will begin at 10:00am and the canine event will begin at 11:00am.Leaf and yard waste collection will be at Limerick Community Park from 8:00am to noon on Monday, May 2nd.
• Lazer Limousine Company made a $500 donation toward playground equipment for the Manderach Playground.
• There will be a hazardous waste collection event on Saturday, April 16 at Upper Perkiomen High School from 9:00am to 3:00pm. and locations are scheduled from now until October; residents can visit the Montgomery County Household Hazardous Waste Collection page on the county website for more details.
• There will be no board meeting on April 19, 2011. The next meeting will be Tuesday, May 3 at 7:00pm.