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East Brandywine supervisors weigh finishing exterior work at Bondsville Mill Park, ask budget committee for cost estimates
Summary
Bondsville Mill committee asked the board to permit exterior completion of Building C and to remove donated flooring from storage; supervisors asked for line-item cost estimates to present to the Oct. 1 budget committee and raised concerns about ADA access, long-term costs and “mission creep.”
Jim, chair of the Bondsville Mill committee and a member of the planning commission, told the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 19 that volunteers and the township have invested significant time and materials in rehabilitating historic mill buildings and recommended finishing the north-side exterior of Building C and installing flooring already purchased and in storage.
"We are on the verge of realizing the potential for independent sustainability of the park," Jim said, arguing that completing exterior work would allow the committee to solicit donations and realize the park’s operating model without a large township funding commitment. He said volunteers donated labor and that finishing the north side and installing the floors would be “no cost to Township” aside from glass for windows.
Township Manager Luke said the board should not commit funds without cost estimates and recommended that the committee prepare a detailed scope and budget for the Oct. 1 budget-committee meeting. "The five-year plan is not dead in the water," he told supervisors, but said exterior closure and watertighting should be prioritized before interior finishes.
Supervisors expressed repeated concerns about what one called "mission creep," noting that bathrooms and other amenities could add large costs and that accessibility and code considerations (including whether fire suppression or public water would be required for certain occupancies) must be resolved before approving interior work.
A member of the public and several supervisors pressed for clarity on ADA access to Building C. Committee presenters proposed two or three ADA parking spaces near the top of the trail to permit portable or limited-access options, and described a conceptual ramp/bridge that would link a pump-room pad to the second-floor elevation to provide access for volunteers and material delivery. Supervisors asked that cost estimates include both standard and ADA-accessible options.
The board gave direction rather than a formal funding commitment: it asked the Bondsville Mill committee to produce line-item cost estimates and a scope of work for closing the north side of Building C (and related exterior items) to be reviewed by the budget committee on Oct. 1. The committee said it would present those estimates for the township budget committee to approve or reject.
Next steps: the Bondsville Mill committee will prepare the budget-package line items requested, and the budget committee will consider those items at its Oct. 1 meeting. No formal township appropriation was approved at the Sept. 19 meeting.
