Residents raise development, school‑capacity, water‑pressure and park construction concerns at Middletown meeting

Several residents used the public‑comment portion of the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors meeting to press officials on development policy and infrastructure.

Lance Seggers said large projects often get rescheduled after initial review and suggested developers use timing to avoid public scrutiny. Seggers also criticized an overlay previously approved for Wood Services, arguing it would allow sizable residential buildout and expressing concern that property owners could sell to other investors who would still build at the higher density. “We’ve already given Wood Services a huge…overlay,” Seggers said, and he urged the board to consider school capacity impacts; he asked whether supervisors planned to contact the school district or superintendent in “Shabney” about a plan he said could add about 290 apartments.

Bill Reed reported damage to township open space behind Swan Point Development caused by ATVs and said police and township staff responded promptly. Reed said Sergeant Gracie and building director Jim Ennis had walked the site, spoken with witnesses and the adjoining property owner, and secured an assurance the activity would stop; Reed asked whether remediation of disturbed soil would be required because runoff from a small Core Creek tributary drains into Lake Luxembourg.

Christopher No Kalski raised construction‑quality concerns about the Core Creek Park trail work, noting that the county is the lead agency on the project and that he had worked for two decades in construction inspection. He described a newly paved section where the subbase was visible through the asphalt and urged township staff to contact Bucks County and the contractor (named in public comment as James D. Marcy) to confirm compaction and paving compliance.

Fran Grama spoke about cumulative impacts of development, saying impervious surface and runoff are taxing the community and questioned whether the township has adequately planned for water supply and pressure. She described long‑standing low water pressure at her home, noted the township’s minimum delivery standard she was told was “3.2,” said she ultimately installed a booster to achieve higher pressure, and asked whether the township has capacity to serve new growth.

Eric Bruno urged the township to promote bike racks at retail centers and to reenergize the multimodal program, noting a lack of public bike parking at shopping areas.

Township officials responded on several items: staff reiterated that the Core Creek Park trail is a Bucks County project with a county project manager; staff confirmed police and building staff had investigated the ATV damage reported by Reed and that remediation and enforcement measures were being pursued; and staff reiterated that school‑district notification is part of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code process for land development plans.

Ending: Residents asked the board to weigh school capacity, open‑space preservation, infrastructure sufficiency and inspection oversight as part of future development reviews; staff noted applicable procedural requirements and said County or township staff would follow up on inspection and enforcement concerns.