Delco re:View Summer 2019 - 29

www.DelcoBar.org

KEEP CALM and Carry On in Delco!
Things you may not know, that DO in fact exist ...
Visit Media Borough Website www.mediaborough.com!

Traffic Calming ... An antonym of
'Road Rage?'
Hundreds of Media residents cross
neighboring roads on a daily basis; very
few designated pedestrian cross walks
exist; such crossings can be precarious
in busy traffic. Overloaded roads and
frustrated drivers lead to poor driving
decisions; as a result, street safety for
pedestrians and bicyclists has emerged
as a concern in recent focus groups and
surveys. In response, Media Borough
Council has sought funding for a plan and
a strategy, and this summer, the Borough
will select a traffic consultant to lead the
planning process.
The Media Borough Traffic Calming
Plan will include recommendations for
specific and appropriate measures that
can be implemented to increase safety for
pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists in the
Borough. The study will focus on specific
problem areas as well as the overall
transportation system.
A traffic calming plan may comprise
a range of engineering, enforcement and
educational strategies including: the
physical design of streets, sidewalks and
crosswalks; lighting; signage; pavement
markings; vehicle-activated signs; public
and school outreach; and increased police
enforcement efforts.
The chosen consultant will work with
borough staff, officials and the public to
determine the measures most appropriate
to Media's conditions and needs. The
resulting plan will make specific and
appropriate recommendations that can be
implemented within the next 5 to 10 years.
Status Update on Third Street
Dam Project ...
Go to www.mediaborough.com
TRANSITION IS AN INNER PROCESS
AS WELL AS AN OUTER ONE!
Transition Town
Media ... A diverse,
active, and committed
group of area residents
from a wide range
of income levels,

educational backgrounds, political beliefs
and family types working to build a
stronger, more resilient future for all in the
Greater Media Area. Transition efforts are
designed to help the community become
more self-sufficient, economically and
socially vibrant, and enriched through
personal connection. Together, wideranged projects reduce Media's carbon
footprint and build community.
JUST BREATHE...
Media Borough's Shade Tree
Commission
As you stroll the streets of Media
Borough, take a look at the beautiful trees
that line the sidewalks, those that shade
the borough's buildings and parks. Like
Media's Shade Tree Commission, think
about the many benefits of the trees to the
residents and visitors of Media, including
shade (and climate control) on hot summer
days, stormwater management (roots of
one mature tree can absorb more than
1000 gallons of stormwater per year), and
clean air!
Do you know that Media Borough has
been a designated "Tree City USA" for 38
years? The Shade Tree Commission works
hard to maintain the beauty of Media
streets and our Tree City designation. The
commission is responsible for planting,
maintaining, protecting and removing
trees, where necessary, planted on borough
land.
When a tree needs to be replaced, the
Shade Commission first considers native
trees; those that have been in our area
going back hundreds of years. A great list
of native plants was compiled beginning
in the mid 1800s and is housed in the
Delaware County Institute of Science on
Veteran's Square in Media. The collection
of dried, pressed plants attached to special
archival papers kept at DCIS is called
a herbarium. It is housed in a special
wooden cabinet that was built in May
1887, located on the second floor in the
SW corner of the Lecture Hall.
https://www.delcoscience.org/

In 1869, two years after the Institute's
home was built here in Media, Dr. George
Smith donated his private collection of
2,400 dried plant specimens to those
already present. Until the mid-20th
century, members with botanical interests
continued to collect and add dried plants
to the herbarium, so that now it contains
close to 5,700 specimens! The majority
of them represent Delaware County, PA
angiosperms (flowering plants), but there
are also specimens from many states in
the US, as well as some from foreign
countries.
Questions about trees? You may
reach the Shade Tree Commission by
emailing Jeff Smith, Borough Manager, at
jasmith@mediaborough.com.
Proud to be called "tree huggers" for
the Borough ...
Kathy LoRusso, Chair, 2008 to
present, certified "Tree Tender" through
the "Tree Tender" program.
Donald Jackson, Tree Warden, who
with the help of the commission, is
working on a borough wide inventory
and tree assessment to get an idea of
the species of trees planted on borough
property and how our borough will be
impacted decades down the road by their
growth.
The remaining Shade Tree
Commission members include Chris
McNichol, Horticulturalist; Jean Thomas,
Landscape Designer and Gardener; Amy
Johnson, Borough Council Liaison and
Gardener; and Ralph DeRosa, Media
Borough Public Works Director, and the
Shade Tree Commission's "boots on the
ground" observer. *

Summer 2019

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http://www.DelcoBar.org http://www.mediaborough.com http://www.mediaborough.com https://www.delcoscience.org/
Delco re:View Summer 2019

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