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Norristown seeks $250,000 Montco grant to continue Arch Street Greenway; awards $144,481 to Pennoni for design work
Summary
Council authorized submission of a $250,000 Montco 2040 implementation grant for phases 3–4 of the Arch Street Greenway and approved a $144,481 contract with Pennoni Associates for professional services to support those phases.
Norristown Municipal Council on March 4 authorized staff to submit a $250,000 application to Montgomery County’s Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program to continue the Arch Street Greenway and approved a $144,481 professional-services award to Pennoni Associates for design and project administration for phases 3 and 4.
The grant request, if awarded, would add to roughly $1.5 million in federal funds the municipality has secured for the project; staff said the combined funding would allow construction to extend the greenway to Oak Street. “If we apply for this $250,000 to add to the $1,500,000, we will have $1,700,000, which is the furthest we will take for quite a while,” said Jane, a planning staff member who presented the proposal.
Nut graf: The council approved the application despite the filing deadline having passed, with staff submitting paperwork to avoid missing the opportunity. Council members discussed project phasing, grant-match requirements and how the greenway will intersect Main Street streetscape work.
Planning staff described the planned work as sidewalk replacement, curb repair, new trees and lighting. Staff said phase 1 is complete, some work used county 2040 funds and DCNR assistance, and the municipality recently received about $1.5 million in federal funding to extend the project. Staff said the Montco grant requires a local match but that the project’s match requirement had been reduced from 20% to 10% for this application.
Council members asked whether the application covered contiguous phases and whether the Main Street streetscape funding could be combined; planning staff said Main Street’s federal funding (CDBG) cannot be matched with the same federal funds, so the two efforts will meet at the intersection but proceed as separate projects. Staff said the greenway work will proceed in multiple non-linear phases and noted the project could involve up to six further phases beyond the currently proposed segments.
Related to design and oversight, council approved Resolution 25-28 to award Pennoni Associates $144,481 for services including project management, supplemental surveying, traffic control plans, drainage and pavement design, environmental documentation (categorical exclusion/Level 1A), signal and utility coordination, erosion-and-sediment control and final contract documents. Planning staff said the fee range is typical for professional services on a roughly $1.7 million construction project.
Council unanimously approved the grant-application resolution (Resolution 25-27) and the Pennoni award (Resolution 25-28) by roll call.
Ending: Staff said they will continue seeking additional funding to extend the greenway and aim to complete design tasks so construction can follow as funds permit.
