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Committee recommends grant application to cover most costs of Elmwood Park pedestrian bridge
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Summary
The Finance & Administration Committee voted 3-0 to recommend submitting a MontCo 2040 grant for an Elmwood Park pedestrian bridge and stormwater facility estimated at $465,919. Borough staff said combining MontCo, DCNR and county stormwater grants could cut the borough’s share to roughly $40,000 or less if all awards are secured.
The Narberth Finance & Administration Committee on Feb. 17 recommended that council approve submitting a MontCo 2040 grant application for a proposed pedestrian bridge and associated stormwater improvements at Elmwood Park. The committee voted 3-0 to forward Resolution 2026-05 for consideration by full council.
Borough staff told the committee the engineer’s estimate for the full project is $465,919, and the MontCo 2040 program has a maximum award of $250,000. Staff said eligible costs under the county program would include the bridge construction, stormwater management facility and demolition of the existing bridge, but would not cover the borough’s engineering fees. The borough has set aside $400,000 in its capital improvement budget and staff described a required minimum match of 20%; staff estimates the borough’s actual match would be substantially higher because the project exceeds the grant maximum by roughly $200,000.
“If we get all of the grants, it might be looking at closer to $40,000 instead of $400,000,” a borough staff member said, summarizing the strategy to layer MontCo, a DCNR C2P2 small communities grant (up to $100,000) and a county low‑volume stormwater program award to reduce the local contribution.
Staff explained the project also includes a stormwater management facility (a rain‑garden feature estimated at about $60,000) designed to provide both volume/rate control and sediment and water‑quality treatment for runoff that now drains to the east branch of Indian Creek without controls.
Committee members asked detailed questions about sidewalk removal, property access and snow‑storage logistics. Staff said depaving of about 20 feet of Elmwood Avenue and removal of a short segment of sidewalk are included in the design; the bridge is being relocated to the north side of the roadway and a new ADA ramp will be added so pedestrian access is preserved. Staff committed to confirming final property‑line impacts in the detailed design and to notify and consult affected property owners before construction.
The MontCo 2040 application deadline is March 2; staff said award notices are typically issued about four months after submission and cautioned that grants sometimes provide partial awards. The committee recommended the grant submission to council so the borough can pursue multiple funding sources should the county or state awards be limited.
Next steps: staff will finalize and submit the MontCo 2040 application by the March 2 deadline and pursue concurrent DCNR and county stormwater funding; council will consider the committee’s recommendation at an upcoming meeting.
