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News about ELA Group, Landscape Architects, Land Planners, Transportation, Civil, Municipal and Environmental Engineers, Sports Facilities and Synthetic Turf Professionals
Changing landscape
Addition to Long’s Park undergoes a makeover thanks, in large part, to Sertoma Club of Lancaster
By JON RUTTER, Staff writer
Sunday News
Published: May 13, 2007 12:04 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa - Eight years ago, Long's Park got longer.
Now, the popular recreation spot off Harrisburg Pike, on the west side of Lancaster, is getting lighter.
B.R. Kreider & Son Inc. excavators recently lugged out eight tractor-trailer loads of mulch from chipped-up trees and brush in the park's southeastern quadrant.
The cleanup was the first step in a plan by the Sertoma Club of Lancaster to convert a 4-acre addition to the park into a passive nature area.
A grass-surfaced path will loop about a mile through the oblong tract.
According to the design prepared by ELA Group Inc. landscape architects in Lititz, three wooden bridges costing about $91,000 will span the unnamed Little Conestoga Creek tributary bisecting the plot.
A wetland featuring native plants will anchor the site donated by neighboring R.R. Donnelley & Sons.
The Sertoma Club, which has long supported the park, has raised about a third of the money for the $300,000 project.
The club plans to finance part of the cost and also to raise additional funds during Saturday's renowned chicken barbecue.
The barbecue has reaped $80,000 to $100,000 in recent years, said board member Joseph Legenstein, and the club annually pumps $70,000 to $90,000 into the park.
Construction work, which prompted at least one concerned citizen to call the newspapers, is scheduled to be completed by mid-July.
"It's been a long time coming," Legenstein said.
Worth the wait
Long's Park was carved out of farmland given to the city by Judge Henry Grimly Long at the turn of the 20th century.
The new addition, which parallels the existing Long's Park pond, formerly held the Brookside swimming pool.
The tract lies within a 100-year flood plain and was walled off by a chain-link fence until recently.
The sheer number of entities involved in reclaiming the donated land and obtaining the necessary permits complicated the process, explained Legenstein, whose day job is running Certified Carpet.
One of the first steps was to transfer the parcel, which was in Manheim Township, to Lancaster, which owns the rest of the approximately 70-acre park.
The city planning commission approved the expansion plan in 1999, according to newspaper records.
State and federal agencies gave their OKs after qualms about disturbing bird habitat proved unfounded, said Legenstein, who has spearheaded the nature trail effort.
"He's been eating, drinking and sleeping this project for at least three years," said Sertoma colleague Barry Bruce.
But much work remains.
Next on the agenda is creation of a new wetland area, said Randy Gibble, director of residential excavation for B.R. Kreider. Then comes restoration of the stream channel.
"It was just left go for years, and was completely clogged" with fallen trees and debris, Gibble said.
Vegetation indigenous to the area will soon soften the current bare-earth look of the tract, said Chris Shimer of Shimer Landscaping Inc. near Manheim.
"As soon as [workers from B.R. Kreider]" get the soil in place we're going to be hydroseeding.
"A lot of the plants are natural plants, like Virginia wild rye, deer ferns, river bank wild rye, cardinal flower, ostrich fern ... there's a lot of different sedges. Those are pretty much common in a lot of the wetlands."
Augmenting the thinned-out woods will be shrubby species such as chokecherry, spicebush and silky dogwood.
"It's going to be a fun project," Shimer said.
The low-maintenance nature trail will stand in clear contrast to the more manicured bulk of the park.
Debra Martin, who oversees maintenance at the park, said she expects that natural aspect to appeal to school groups and other visitors.
"How many places can you get on public transportation and come and walk on a nature trail?" she asked.
"Of course we will welcome it. It's not every day that you get to add on to a 100-year-old park."
City employees will keep up the nature trail area.
But the park would not look as it does without volunteers, Martin said.
"We couldn't do this without the help of the Sertoma Club. They pay for every blade of grass that is planted here."
Legenstein credited the 150 men and women of the Sertoma Club, and public support, with making the park a showplace.
The nature trail is the latest jewel in the crown, he added.
"Nothing like this has been done in the park since it was donated back in 1900," he said. "When we're dead and gone this will still be enjoyed by Lancaster city and Lancaster County."
The Sertoma Chicken Barbecue will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Long's Park. Tickets are $7 in advance at Turkey Hill Minit Markets or from any Lancaster Sertoma Club member. Cost is $8 at the park the day of the event.
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October 2006
Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITS) comes to Lancaster County in a BIG way
ELA Group has been contracted to evaluate over 115 traffic signals along nine (9) corridors and in four (4) boroughs within the Lancaster Inter Municipal Committee (LIMC) borders. The corridors include Centerville Road, Columbia Avenue, Fruitville Pike, Harrisburg Pike, Lititz Pike, Manheim Pike, New Holland Pike, Oregon Pike and Rohrerstown Road, and the Boroughs include Columbia, Manheim, Millersville and Mount Joy.
ELA Group, working through the Lancaster County Transportation Committee, is currently underway designing the traffic signal timing plans and coordination plans, recommending an upgrade to antiquated equipment and proposing to install new state-of-the-art software to provide closed-loop systems capabilities.
One of the most cost-effective ways to address traffic congestion is through traffic signal coordination. Coordination can significantly improve the operation of major traffic corridors by providing synchronization of adjacent traffic signals. This reduces stops, delays and travel time and reduces driver frustration with stopping and starting at each traffic signal.
ELA Group has also completed two (2) other similar projects, one in Lancaster City and the other in Lititz Borough. The Lancaster City project included retiming all 90 traffic signals in the downtown traffic signal network. This project also included replacing over 20 miles of copper interconnect wire with fiber-optic cable. The Lititz Borough project included retiming 8 traffic signals with three (3) different timing plans and replacing all intersection timers with state-of-the-art equipment.
If your municipality has congestion issues, they could be addressed in a similar fashion by traffic signal retiming, interconnection and/or coordination. Our experienced traffic department can fulfill all aspects of a traffic signalization project from determining the need for a new traffic signal, to retiming, interconnection, coordination, analysis, implementation and follow-up observation.
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October 2006
ELA Group Preparing Synthetic Turf and Base Drainage Study
As synthetic turf surfacing has grown more popular in recent
years, many municipalities are struggling to determine the impacts
to storm water runoff resulting from this new type of field construction.
In addition, as the local government officials and their engineering
representatives may not understand the turf drainage systems,
project approval requirements and storm water study requirements
vary widely from one local municipality to the next. Due to the
high rate of infiltration provided by synthetic turf some municipalities
consider the turf comparable to a paved surface or “bare
earth” condition requiring use of a high runoff coefficient
that can result in the need for a storm water detention facility.
The ELA Group has initiated a study aimed at gaining a better understanding of the storm water
discharge impacts, or lack of impact, by performing
actual field studies of runoff from two (2) projects
designed by the firm and being constructed during
the Summer of 2006. Both fields are well suited
for the study as discharge from the field is conveyed/controlled
by a single outlet point located downstream of
the fields and have limited offsite contributing
area, thereby limiting potential variables from
offsite and other surface type runoff. Based on
conversations with synthetic turf and other industry
representatives, it is thought to be the first
“as-built” drainage evaluation conducted
for synthetic turf and base drainage in the region.
The study was initiated prior to construction
by installing flow meters at the outlet structures
downstream from each field to measure flow during
rainfall events. An automated rain gauge was also
installed at each facility to provide information
regarding the amount and duration of rainfall
in order to calculate runoff rates and storm water
volume. Data was collected at each facility for
approximately six (6) to eight (8) weeks. Upon
completion of each synthetic turf field, data
regarding rainfall and runoff will again be collected.
By comparing the predevelopment and post development
flow rates, ELA will be able to determine the
rate of increase or decrease in storm water runoff
resulting from the installation of the synthetic
turf and aggregate drainage base.
The ELA Group, Inc. includes professionals involved in athletic
facility and field design, storm drainage design, and provides
municipal engineering services to several local municipalities.
With this experience, the firm is ideally suited to address the
concerns of all parties involved in addressing storm drainage
issues from synthetic turf fields. It is anticipated that the
study will be completed early in 2007. Any questions or comments
regarding the study should be addressed to Ernest J. Graham, Director
of Athletic Facility Planning or Charles R. Haley, Jr., Director
of Civil and Municipal Engineering.
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September 2006
Recently Completed ELA Group Transportation Engineering
Projects
Quentin Road (SR 0072) and Cedar Crest Square Service Road
North Cornwall Township, Lebanon County, PA
The intersection of Quentin Road (SR 0072) and Cedar Crest Square Service Road is located in North Cornwall Township, just South of the City of Lebanon. The project involved road widening to accommodate north and southbound left turn lanes on SR 0072, northbound right turn lane on SR 0072, westbound right turn lane, drainage improvements, and the installation of a new Traffic Signal.
Quentin Road (SR 0072) and Rocherty Road
North Cornwall Township, Lebanon County, PA
The intersection of Quentin Road (SR 0072) and Rocherty Road is located
in North Cornwall Township, just South of the City of Lebanon. The project
involved road widening to accommodate left turn lanes in all approaches
of Quentin Road and Rocherty Road, drainage improvements, and Traffic Signal
improvements.
Street Road (SR 0926) and Shiloh Road
Westtown Township/Thornbury Township
Chester County, PA
The intersection of Street Road (SR 0926) and Shiloh Road is located in
Westtown Township/Thornbury Township, a couple miles east of Route 202.
The project was part of the new Bayard Rustin High School campus. The intersection
improvements included realigning Shiloh Road with Westtown Thornton Road,
east and westbound left turn lanes on SR 0926, westbound right turn lane
on SR 0926, southbound right turn lane on realigned Shiloh Road, drainage
improvements, and the installation of a new Traffic Signal.
West Main Street (SR 0322) and Hackman Road
The intersection of West Main Street (SR 0322) and Hackman Road
is located in Ephrata Township, west of the Borough of Ephrata.
The project involved road widening to accommodate left turn lanes
on all approaches of the intersection, southbound right turn lane
on Hackman Road, drainage improvements, and the installation of
a new Traffic Signal.
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October 2006
ELA Group Revealing New Opportunities for Landowners
in Response to Challenges of Pennsylvania's Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy
On June 28, 2000, the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement was signed by PA Governor
Tom Ridge, which was intended to guide restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
into the next decade. The Agreement contains commitments, by all states within
the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, that they will improve water quality and protect
living resources in the Bay and its tributaries. The new water quality standards
became effective in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds
on August 29, 2005. These standards set specific limits on the point source
and non-point source polluters to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
In Pennsylvania the primary goal of the Bay Strategy is to reduce nutrient
loading to the Bay by 40% by the year 2010. To achieve this, both point sources
(such as wastewater treatment facilities) and non-point sources (such as agricultural
land and urbanized areas) must be monitored and Best Management Practices
(BMPs) implemented. It is estimated that 11% of Pennsylvania’s nutrient
loading to the Bay is caused by point sources while the remaining 89% is caused
by non-point sources.
The primary stakeholders that will initially bear the burden of these new
regulations are local Municipal Sewer Authorities. Wastewater treatment facilities
(WWTF’s), the most prevalent of the point-source polluters, will be
forced to meet lower concentrations at their discharge for nitrates and phosphorus
and will have limits imposed on their capacities. Many WWTF’s will have
to invest millions of dollars for upgrades to meet the new, lower concentration
levels for their existing flows. Commitments for future capacities may be
jeopardized within some municipalities as a result of these new limits and
the cost to reserve or connect to public sewer facilities may increase. The
State does have some funding in place to offset these costs; however, it has
been determined by many municipal authorities that available state funding
is too little for the capital improvements they are anticipating to be needed.
A nutrient trading program has been created as another way to meet the new
standards and nutrient loading limits set on August 29, 2005, without severely
halting growth within Pennsylvania’s municipalities. Implementation
of BMPs that are over and beyond the required limits can be transferred into
credits that can be sold or traded to sewer authorities for sewage capacity.
The framework of the Nutrient Trading Program will very closely resemble Pennsylvania’s
already successful Air Pollution Trading Program. The outline for this trading
system is in place; however, it is in its infancy and there will be considerable
back-and-forth until all of the details are ironed out.
There are other credits that municipal authorities can currently utilize when
extending their sewer systems. All existing private on-lot disposal systems
(OLDS) that are connected to public sewer, and were installed prior to the
signing of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, will get credit for the nitrates
that will effectively be removed from water supply/watershed. Unfortunately,
no credits for phosphates will be given since the soil naturally removes them
for the water supply/watershed.
Due to the potential shortage of sewage capacity at Municipal WWTF’s
as a result of the Bay Strategy, the concern is that OLDS may become more
feasible as a wastewater treatment option for future development. This couldn’t
come at a worse time since many Pennsylvania Counties are initiating and have
adopted Smart Growth Plans where development is being directed to urbanize
areas served by public water and wastewater facilities. Furthermore, the Department
of Environmental Protection prefers that new and existing developments be
served by public sewer facilities since they are a better long term solution
for treating sewage and are more environmentally friendly.
ELA Group is at the forefront of engineering firms within the Chesapeake Watershed
in establishing new and creative ways of turning these new regulations into
possible opportunities for local landowners. ELA Group (717.626.7271) has
the mission and the vision to apply our creative and technical competencies
to solving complex issues like the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy.
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September 2006
Transportation Engineering: Projects
Under Construction
Manheim Pike (SR 0072) and Sunhill Road,
Penn Township, Lancaster County, PA
The intersection of Manheim Pike
(SR 0072) and Sunhill Road is located in Penn Township, just South of Manheim
Borough. The project involves road widening to accommodate left turn lanes on
all approaches of SR 0072 and Sunhill Road, a northbound right turn lane on
SR 0072, drainage improvements, and Traffic Signal Improvements to include Oak
Street (currently stop controlled).
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July 5, 2006
Lititz Pedestrian Project Details Reviewed
By Laura Knowles, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal B6
Pedestrian safety and signs that point the way were among the topics reviewed by Lititz Borough Council June 27.
Chuck Hess of the ELA Group updated council on the Hometown Streets Project, which would provide improved pedestrian crossings at Main Street and Sturgis Lane and at Broad Street at Lititz Springs Park.
Hess said both crossings would utilize in-road lighting to improve visibility for drivers and make the crossings more obvious. He said the state Department of Transportation reviewed the plans and originally recommended that some parking spaces be eliminated to accommodate the crossings.
However, the ELA Group has proposed the use of rounded curb extensions that go directly into the street, which would help to preserve the parking spaces.
The project was expected to cost $296,000, but increasing material costs have put the project at $8,000 more than anticipated.
Council will be reviewing the costs to determine if the project will proceed.
In other businesses, council reviews the Wayfinding Signs Project that is part of the Venture Lititz committee. The signs are being developed to provide visitors to the borough with clear, appealing signs that literally point the way to various locations.
Paul Artale of the ELA Group presented the plans for the signage to direct the tourists to the shopping district. The signs would have the theme, "Welcome to Lititz, America on the Move."
Some concerns were expressed about too many signs in the borough. Council indicated that the Wayfinding project will have to be reviewed by the Lititz Zoning Hearing Board. Costs for the project would be split three ways, through a Lancaster Urban enhancement grant, Venture Lititz and Lititz Borough.
Council assured Lititz resident Bert Concklin of East Main Street that the borough and the policed department will look into a matter of excessive speeding on North Lane between Water and Locust Streets. Concklin had presented a petition signed by 29 neighbors of the area.
He reported that many drivers speed through the alley, which does not have a posted speed limit. According to Lititz Police Chief William Seace, the speed limit is officially 35 mph. Council member Joseph Kane, who lives in the area, agreed that speeding is a dangerous problem that should be addressed.
United Way of Lancaster County, 2005, ELA Group, Inc. employees raised a total of $5,735 for United Way 2006 campaign. This is the most in history the employees of ELA Group, Inc. have contributed. The company also pitched in a total of $1,500 towards the campaign. In light of their generosity, ELA Group, Inc. and its employees received Gold Award recognition.
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June 9, 2006
Summit Tackles Density
Speakers promote denser development as key to county's future
BY CHRISTINA OLENCHEK-chriso@journalpub.com
Rick Jackson believes Lancaster County is in a tug of war with itself over development. On one end of the rope is residents' strong support of farmland preservation. On the other is a growing population demanding more houses and businesses.
The only way to stop the tugging is to encourage more intense development in designated growth areas, so revered rural lands remain untouched, said Jackson, who is with ELA Group, a Lititz-based engineering and planning firm. He and several other speakers promoted high-density development during a May 31 summit designed to convince about 200 government and business leaders that such density is the key to Lancaster County's future. The Coalition for Smart Growth organized the event, which was held at the county's Public Safety Training Center in East Hempfield Township.
“We must become more efficient with the use of land,” said Jackson, who also is president of the nonprofit coalition. “We want it both ways, and we cannot continue to have it both ways.”
Higher density refers to increasing the number of housing or commercial units on an acre of land. Examples of the concept include single-family homes placed close together, apartments, townhomes and mixed-use complexes.
The changing demographics of America make this a perfect time to embrace higher-density development, said Michael Carper, president and chief executive officer of Housing Development Corp., a Lancaster-based nonprofit group specializing in affordable-housing projects. Many small families, empty nesters and seniors who want to downsize don't want the acre or more of land that was ideal after World War II. Nor do they want to live in a development where they always have to drive to reach services such as grocery stores or post offices.
Carper acknowledged that there are many obstacles to developing land with greater density. One is that many people fear that high density means more traffic, crime and burden on public services such as sewers and schools. However, such development has the opposite effect in many cases because the developments encourage walking and a greater sense of community among residents, he said.
Zoning is often a major headache for any developer who wants to build with greater density, said Joe Duckworth, a partner with Arcadia Land Co. The Chester County-based firm specializes in what are often called traditional neighborhood developments. The goal of such developments is to build pedestrian-friendly towns with mixed land use and diverse dwelling types. Arcadia is best known in Lancaster County for its plans, announced in 2001, to develop Fairsted in Manor Township. The project would have included about 1,250 houses and a Main Street-style downtown built on land owned by Armstrong Holdings Inc. The plan died when Armstrong refused to sell the land.
Problems arise because many municipalities allow low-density development but make developers go through a conditional use or special exception process to build more compact neighborhoods, Duckworth said. It has taken years for some of his projects to come to fruition because of the red tape.
Municipal officials need to take a more activist approach to approve well-planned higher-density developments and to reject projects that don't live up to their vision for the community, said Anton Nelessen of A. Nelessen Associates Inc. in Belle Mead, N.J. He led a visual-imaging exercise that asked audience members to assign scores to images based on what types of development they prefer. The results showed that many people in the room favored higher-density, pedestrian-friendly development over many of the strip malls and garage-fronted houses easily found throughout Lancaster County.
Nelessen encouraged municipal officials to reject any project that doesn't fit their vision for the area. If a project can't be rejected, officials should find ways to delay it until the developer gives up, he said.
Officials should stand up for what is best for the entire community instead of acquiescing to the complaints of a few citizens, said Jim Miller of Miller-Warner Construction Inc. in East Hempfield Township.
"It comes down to having the political will to do what is right," he said.
There are signs that the path to higher-density projects is becoming easier for developers. A few years ago, Manheim Township-based Charter Homes Group and developer George Desmond worked with West Lampeter Township officials to develop a new ordinance designed to make it easier for developers to create compact neighborhoods. The result of that effort was Millcreek, a traditional neighborhood development with a mix of homes, a general store, a coffeehouse and open space. The success of that project has spurred other developers to consider similar projects, said Ray D'Agostino, manager of West Lampeter Township.
"Developers are using these tools to create places with value," he said.
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