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Honey Brook Township members debate bench upgrades, ADA accessibility and event promotion for township park
Summary
Township participants discussed replacing and adding park benches (including ADA-accessible benches priced around $1,500), options to use recycled-plastic or treated-wood benches, sponsorship models to cover costs, outreach for Friday events and creating a shared budget tracker to brief supervisors by September.
Honey Brook Township participants spent much of their meeting on plans to improve the township park, weighing bench replacement and new purchases, accessibility needs and outreach for upcoming events.
The meeting opened with a reminder that Board of Supervisors Resolution 1-23 governs conduct; a participant said, “I'll make a motion,” and the chair acknowledged the motion but no second or vote appears in the transcript. The chair also raised a separate safety concern about bridge capacity near the park.
Committee members and residents described the park as an important but underused community space. “It's good news that it was used a lot,” the chair said, calling recent activity a positive for the area. Speakers noted the park includes ball fields, a skate park and open lawn and expressed interest in adding picnic and passive-use areas to attract families and non-baseball users.
Much of the discussion focused on park benches. One participant summarized vendor pricing and installation needs, saying an ADA-accessible picnic table with a wheelchair overhang runs "about $1,500 straight out," while a conventional 6-foot garden bench is "about 1000 dollars," with freight and customization extra. The same speaker pointed out ADA benches require a hard, compact concrete footing and discussed anchoring options ("duckbill anchors") and theft or movement concerns. Committee members also discussed recycled-plastic benches as a lower-maintenance option but cautioned they can become hot in sunlight.
A resident described a sponsorship model used in another locality where a vendor facilitated donations and businesses sponsored benches so the municipality did not have to buy or install them directly. Participants recommended pursuing local sponsorships and grants before committing township funds.
Members agreed they should inventory existing benches and prioritize replacing deteriorated seating before adding new units. The chair said the township should take an inventory and one participant offered to request a list of current park supplies to inform decisions.
Participants also discussed event promotion and logistics. They mentioned Friday evening park activities and a planned July 4-related offering; one committee member proposed posting flyers at high-traffic local sites (including the landfill and nearby stores) to attract disc-golf players and other visitors. A tech sale at a new shoe shop was flagged as another local outreach opportunity.
On communications, a committee member said scheduled Facebook posts would be prepared—likely by Kristy on her return—and suggested using a shared calendar or Google Doc to track expenses and outreach. That same participant recommended the advisory group prepare materials for the Board of Supervisors by September and noted the township had an approximate $10,000 allotment for the year, citing an example line item of $303.50 for inflatables.
The meeting closed with several members reaffirming commitments to keep park attractions active and to coordinate volunteers and sponsorship outreach. No formal purchase approvals, recorded votes or final motions to spend township funds appear in the transcript; next steps recorded were an inventory of current benches, outreach for potential sponsors and preparation of shared budget tracking to inform decisions and a future briefing to the Board of Supervisors.
