Misc Category

Category: Misc

Newtown Township Park Restrooms To Be Re-Opened

Closed restroom in Roberts Ridge Park
with porta potty.

The restrooms in Newtown Township parks, including:

Chandler Fields
Veteran's Park
Robert's Ridge Park
Helen Randle Park

have been closed since the spring of 2020. This was due to the risk of contamination from COVID-19 and lack of staffing to thoroughly clean them. Porta potties were installed starting in September 2020 due to complaints from residents about lack of toilet facilities in the parks (see story below). Good news! At the May 26, 2021, Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisors approved a contract with BCS Facilities Group in the amount of $1,213.00/month for service of restrooms. Each restroom will be clened two times per week - at the beginning of the week and at the end before the weekend.

Note from Megan Prusienski, Parks & Recreation Director: As of today, May 18th, the restroom facilities in our park system remain closed. Seasonal bathroom maintenance is usually taken care of by temporary workers and after speaking with Public Works and advertising in various places, there have been zero applications for this position*. The department has received numerous complaints from residents, pavilion renters, league organizers and parents. The Porta Potties that have been issued (one per park) are not adequate, have been vandalized numerous times, and are not maintained more than once per week. After contacting the company, they are unfortunately unable to come out multiple times per week to clean. As a result, these Porta Potties have become unsightly and unsanitary.

* According to a May 25, 2021, personal communication from Mr. Lewis, “we have 2 part time employees, with an anticipated 2 more starting soon. Mr. Lewis stated “This contract … could be amended, or terminated should we begin to hire seasonal employees.” However, more seasonal employees are needed.

Want to help #NewtownPA save money by cleaning park restrooms part-time this summer? $15 per hour! Other neat chores as well like mulching, mowing! Apply here.

Persistent Resident Complaints Lead to Newtown Township Installing Portable Restrooms in its Parks

My Email Newsletter Subscribers!

Each month I publish several email newsletters: Newtown News Update (NTNU) and News of Interest to Newtown Area Residents (NOI) and Newtown Township Meeting Notes (NTMN) as needed. NTNU includes in-depth coverage of an issue of topical importance to residents. NOI is a collection of summaries of articles curated from various news and other sources focused on a broader range of topics in the Newtown area. NTMN is designed to keep residents informed about important discussions & decisions made at Board of Supervisors meetings. You can access back issues here. Better yet, become a subscriber!

Subscriber Profile

You don't have to be a Democrat or even a resident of Newtown Township to be a subscriber to my Newtown News Update email newsletter series of publications.

Political Party Affiliation

Of the current 613 subscribers (as of April 4, 2021), I estimate that 83% are Newtown Township residents and almost one-third are Republicans (see chart below). Based on 2017 data that I have, approximately 38% of registered Newtown Township voters are Democrats whereas 42% are Republicans.

Age Distribution of Subscribers

Of the current 613 subscribers (as of April 2021), the average age (of the 60% of known age) is 59 years based on voter records. See the age distribution chart below. Based on the voter records I have - which may be a bit old - the average age of registered Newtown Township voters is 53 years.

The age distribution of 60% of subscribers that can be identified from publicly available voter records. This chart is based data related to those subscribers.

Subscriber Growth

On average, about 24 new opt-in subscribers are added every month (see chart below). This number varies depending on how I recruit subscribers. Most new prescribers learn about my email newsletter via surveys that I host. See the list of the current surveys.

On average, about 24 subscribers are added every month.

The Top Ten �Curated� Local News Stories in 2018

The following are the TOP TEN viewed local news stories in 2018 in rank order. These stories were “Scooped” (i.e., curated*) by John Mack as being of interest to Newtown residents. See all curated news here.

5 Doctors Are Charged With Taking Kickbacks for Fentanyl Prescriptions - Lock 'em Up!

Doors Blocked With Tables To Stop Council Rock North Walkout, Students Say

Bucks County Initiates Smart911 with RapidSOS to Quickly Serve Callers

Arcadia Green Sues Newtown Township

Craft Beer Brewery, Food Trucks and Fun Coming to Newtown Commons This Summer

EWG Report: Perfluorinated Pollutant (PFAS) Contamination of Water Spreading

In God We Trust. Lower Southampton Supervisors Not So Much!

Opioids Not Better Than Acetaminophen at Reducing Pain to Improve Function for Chronic Back, Knee and Hip Pain

How Much Does a Family of Four Need To Earn To Live Comfortably In Bucks County?

Falls Wawa Developer Wins Case Brought by Local Service Station But “SLAPPs” a Lawsuit Against Residents Who Spoke Up at Public Meeting

* A Content Curator is someone who continually finds, groups, organizes and shares the best and most relevant content on specific issues online. I curate stories published in local and national media that I believe are of special interest to Newtown residents. Many of these stories relate to issues discussed or acted upon by Newtown Township Supervisors.

I use the Scoop.It platform to capture and organize these stories (news articles) online. Each curated story is called a “Scoop,” which is a shortened version of the article. Within the Scoop is a link to the original, long version of the article plus links to related articles, blog posts, etc. Some Scoops include my personal insight.