Commissioners Debate Engineering Post

Stantec, Inc. was recently reappointed to serve as the township’s primary engineering firm, but the 5-2 approval vote showed that commissioners had differing views on the matter.

Stantec has technically served as the engineering firm since last April, when the firm bought out Vollmer Associates. Stantec employees Joe Viscuso and Eileen Nelson have been serving as Aston’s engineering consultants since the early 1990s, when the township became a client of Brandywine Valley Engineers, which was taken over by Vollmer in 1997.

Prior to reappointing Stantec, commissioners obtained request for proposals (RFPs) from competing engineering firms.

Nick Cirilli will continue as the township’s alternate engineering consultant. Stantec has agreed that township officials can compare their prices with Cirilli’s and award a portion of this year’s contracts to their competitor. The non-exclusive Stantec contract was a factor in swaying some votes on the board.

“I was totally against the RFPs going out,” Commissioner Gary Robinson said, defending his support of Stantec. “I believe Stantec’s proposal will significantly reduce our costs this coming year,” he added.

Commissioner V. Michael Fulginiti noted the difficulty of getting an accurate  estimate  of  a project’s  total

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2007 Officer of the Year Honored

Aston Patrolman Mikell Jones was recently named 2007 Police Officer of the Year by his peers, and feted at last month’s commissioners meeting.

The award was bestowed on Jones, not for one single event, but for “the many contributions and sacrifices he makes on a daily basis,” commissioners said of the six-year veteran of the force.

“Officer Mikell Jones is a shining example of what a police officer should be in today’s society, and why he is truly an asset to the Aston Township Police Department and to the residents of Aston,” Commissioner Gary Robinson proclaimed.

Jones’ outstanding service was also recognized at the April 3 meeting of the Aston Lions Club, where the officer received a $200 donation to the police department in his name.

Everybody Loves A Parade  

The Aston Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 26. The  parade  will  form at  the  Village

Green Shopping Center on Concord Rd., starting at 9am, then start processing east on Concord to American Legion Post 926 at 10am. A service will be held in front of the AL building, followed by refreshments inside.

Any organization, group or person wishing join the procession should contact Chairman Bob Sexton at 610-494-0990 or at r.sexton@att.net.

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Vet Memorial Close To Goal

The Aston Township Veterans Memorial Garden Foundation is still $50,000 short of their goal of financing the construction and perpetual maintenance of the uncompleted memorial at Five Points Intersection.

The ATVMGF and the Aston Business Association are planning to host another golf outing in early fall.

For ad booklet information, contact Kit Spayd at 484-995-3274 or vetfundraising@yahoo.com.

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Aston-Beechwood To Host Emergency Celebration

The Aston-Beechwood Fire Co. and Ambulance Corps will be holding their first annual Emergency Medical Services Celebration from 7-9pm on May 21 at the firehouse off Aston Mills Rd. Food and beverages will be available to all visitors, while the life-saving organization displays their equipment and provides rescue demonstrations.

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