Palmyra residents press borough on East Ridge drainage plan, ask for environmental study

Palmyra Borough officials and area residents discussed revised options for off-site stormwater drainage affecting East Ridge Road and the Melrose development, with landowners pressing the borough for environmental testing and clearer easement terms.

The discussion matters to nearby homeowners because proposed drainage routes would place runoff across private farmland and could affect pasture conditions and future land use. Residents said they had unanswered questions dating to earlier proposals and that PennDOT had rejected one earlier routing option.

Borough staff opened the item by saying the town was revisiting earlier options and noted that crossing the southern side of Bridal Road and obtaining new easements on the Hackett property was “back in as a possibility.” Resident Jennifer Hackett, who identified herself as a farm owner on East Ridge Road, described years of concern and asked for specifics on environmental impacts and future access: “What is gonna be the environmental impact on the horses that graze in those pastures?” she asked, and she pressed for assurances that heavy equipment could cross buried drain pipe without harming farm operations.

Hackett said the property has been in her family since 1950 and that homeowners feel options have shifted to favor developers without fully answering resident questions. She also raised concerns about sinkhole risk where added runoff could change ground conditions and noted that sinkhole insurance typically does not cover land. She recounted a recent barn fire and thanked the Palmyra Fire Department for a quick response.

Borough staff confirmed the Grant Street routing had been submitted to PennDOT and was rejected, leaving the Grama Street (alley) plan as the remaining viable option if property owners agree. Staff said they planned to continue discussions with property owners and to reconvene technical meetings; they also invited the Hacketts to resubmit the list of environmental questions so staff could respond in writing.

There was no formal vote. The discussion resulted in direction to continue negotiations with property owners, solicit technical input from PennDOT and engineering consultants, and provide written answers to the specific environmental and access questions raised by residents.

Council members and staff repeatedly emphasized that routing decisions depend on property-owner easements and PennDOT approvals, and that further study would inform final design and any easement requests.

Looking forward, the borough indicated it would attempt to document answers in writing for residents and pursue the remaining Grama Street option only if affected property owners consented.