By unit vote on Monday, October 29, the five municipalities that participate in the regional parks program voted to endorse the easement, thus clearing the way for Toll Brothers contractors to start blasting and excavating in the Harter-Thomas recharge area in the coming weeks, and to ultimately build a large sewage holding tank and high-pressure sewage pipeline about a mile from our main public water supplies.
On November 2, Toll Brothers’ representatives had the land development plan recorded with the Centre County Recorder of Deeds.
Likely next steps for NVEC include:
- Citizen engagement in the State College Borough Water Authority’s data collection and analysis, from a SCBWA water monitoring well to be drilled in the lower right corner of the construction site, just below two large stormwater infiltration basins;
- Continued work to protect the Regional Growth Boundary and prevent the remaining Penn State-owned acreage in Ferguson Township (surrounding the combined Toll Brothers “Cottage”/Whitehall Road Regional Park projects) from further development;
- Continued advocacy for a lower-impact Whitehall Road Regional Park design throughout the Ferguson Township land development permitting process;
- Advocacy for structural reforms at the Centre Region Council of Governments, to increase the efficacy of concerned citizens and promote robust fact-finding and deliberative processes among General Forum members on controversial regional issues.