Former Eagles cornerback joins Falls police
The Falls Township Police Department has added a former Philadelphia Eagles player to its roster.
On Monday night, the Falls Supervisors unanimously approved hiring Brandon Hughes as a new police officer. Hughes graduated from Oregon State with a bachelor’s degree in 2009. The San Diego Chargers used the 149th pick to select him in the 2009 NFL draft.
He spent five years playing football for the Chargers, Giants, Browns, as well as three years with the Eagles.
Following his playing career, he opened and operated his own gym, Fuel House, in Middletown Township. Hughes has also volunteered at Falls Township Police Department’s Youth Police Academy, coaching and mentoring the cadets in physical fitness.
Hughes will begin his 10-day orientation on Aug. 4. From there, he will engage in a combination of ride-alongs and in-house/external training before beginning the Temple Police Academy on Oct. 7.
Levittown Lanes to become 24-unit apartment building
Three years after a fire destroyed Levittown Lanes, the Falls Supervisors put the wheels in motion for the site of the long-time bowling alley to be home to a 24-unit apartment building.
During Monday’s meeting, the board voted unanimously to grant preliminary and final land development approval to owners Allen and Mary Ella Episcopo of 8815 and 8821 New Falls Road.
The plan calls for construction of an 11,875-square-foot, three-story apartment building on the 1.5-acre parcel, which includes the original bowling alley site and parking across the street.
Michael Meginniss, the property owner’s attorney, said construction is expected to begin within 90 days.
Meginniss said the family is “pouring all of their savings and money into this project to make sure they do it correctly.”
The Episcopo family had owned the property for more than 50 years and will continue to own the apartment building, he said. Units will not be age-restricted, he said, adding that a property management company will oversee its operations and undertake various functions such as landscaping.
Allen Episcopo said his family has been in Falls Township since 1962 and intends to stay.
“We want to do something to improve the property and improve Falls Township,” he told the board. “The building that we proposed is a beautiful building.”
His son, Michael, shared how, as a result of the fire, “we lost our whole world.”
“I’m going to continue my parents’ legacy to my children and have something that I can pass to them,” Michael said. “I hate seeing the empty lot.”
Residents in attendance echoed his sentiments about an empty lot, but said they opposed a three-story building in proximity to homes. Residents noted that a digital petition circulating has more than 400 signatures of residents who oppose the project.
Supervisor Jeff Boraski said he had one resident reach out to him regarding Levittown Lanes, expressing concerns about the placement of the dumpster. Boraski said he never saw a petition and did not receive phone calls or emails.
“I understand people’s concerns,” Boraski said. “I feel for the residents, and I feel for the property owners as well.”
Meginniss and the property owners agreed on Monday that the dumpster would be relocated away from residences and enclosed to prevent kids from playing on or around it.
In addition, Meginniss said 70 parking spaces will be provided for the 24 units, eliminating the need for overflow parking. Most of the parking – 56 spaces – will be situated across the street, while the remaining 14 will be on the same parcel as the apartment building.
Officials said the project will help with stormwater management and drainage in the area by reducing the impervious surface by 32 percent. A vegetative perimeter is also planned, as are sidewalks along the frontages on New Falls Road, and along Orchard Drive. Crosswalks are also planned.
Falls supervisors OK agreement for fire department expansion
Falls Township Fire Co. No. 1 moved a step closer to a firehouse expansion Monday night.
During the Supervisors meeting, the board approved a cooperation agreement between the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County and Falls Township Fire Co. No. 1 to undertake an expansion project to make room for new apparatus. The upgrades will be funded by a $1 million grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
Township attorney Mike Clarke said the agreement is necessary when an entity receives grant funding because “there needs to be a local sponsor.”
“There is no risk to the township,” Clarke said. “There’s no cost to the township.”
The Falls Supervisors last year granted land development approval to permit the Fallsington-based fire company, which is located on a 1.54-acre parcel on Yardley Avenue, to construct a 2,700-square-foot addition. The extra space would be used to house additional equipment that the fire company plans to purchase in the next several years, according to Brian Binney of the engineering firm, Pennoni.
The extra space would be comprised of a front-facing bay that would house a full-size fire truck, as well as a bay on the side for a pickup truck, Binney said. Plans also call for a gear room for the storage of equipment and the reconfiguration of bathrooms and sleeping quarters to enable more volunteer firefighters to stay at the firehouse overnight and occupy the station on off hours.
The fire company received several variances last year from the zoning hearing board to permit construction of the addition as planned.
Falls advances pedestrian safety upgrades on New Falls Road, Vermillion Drive
With an eye on public safety, the Falls Township Supervisors on Monday set the wheels in motion for greater pedestrian protection along a state-owned roadway.
The board unanimously approved a bid award in the amount of $59,990 which entails the installation of crosswalk signals, rectangular rapid flash beacon traffic control devices and a widened shoulder on New Falls Road and Vermillion Drive. Even though New Falls Road is owned by the state, Supervisor Jeff Boraski said the township is sponsoring the pedestrian improvements.
“I’m excited to finally see it come through,” Boraski said of the project, which is focused on the area that crosses Thornridge to Vermillion. Boraski, whose second term ends in 2025, said the board approved a sidewalk during the first year of his first term. “It’s kind of bittersweet for me to finalize the project in some of my last meetings as a supervisor.”
Supervisor Chairman Jeff Dence said “this has been a long time coming.”
Driving along New Falls Road from Penn Valley Road to Tyburn Road, you can see a couple of memorials already in place, Boraski said.
The walkways will be equipped with wired push buttons for crossing on both sides of the crosswalk, Boraski said, adding that the township will call on police to step up enforcement in the area.
“We’ve had some incidents there and probably more close calls than you can imagine,” Boraski said previously. “We want the traffic to stop to allow these children and their families to cross safely.”
Boraski added that the project is “a step in the right direction” in improving safety along New Falls Road.
Rectangular rapid flash beacons are designed to increase driver awareness of pedestrians crossing roadways at marked midblock crossings. The beacons consist of rectangular shaped amber LED lights installed below pedestrian warning signs.
