2/25/2023 0 Comments Delco operation spring cleaning![]() ![]() ![]() Service on the Board of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission has strengthened his view that the county is “over-developed,” and county council must intensify efforts expand both open space and trails.īorn and raised in Media, Madden is a third-generation county resident. Going forward as a member of the Delaware County Council, Madden points to “sustainability” as one of his top priorities. As chair of the council’s Jail Oversight Board, Madden sees the end of Delco’s for-profit jail as “as historic opportunity in criminal justice.” He is proud of council’s reforms in both the D.A’s and Public Defenders’ offices and anticipates a new county jail that will become “a model” for helping people “get back on their feel at a low point in their lives.” Madden looks forward to completing the establishment of a county public health department and continuing the “best practices” for hiring and bidding that the current council has established. That required close collaboration with the Chester County Public Health Department since Delco’s Republican leadership never created a public health department.ĭespite the difficulties, Madden says his first term on the Delco Council “has been the most personally rewarding experience of my life.” He now enjoys council meetings because they are “real discussions” that do not end with a predictably unanimous vote. As a senior member of the council, Madden has led the county’s COVID effort. In the past two years, Madden has worked quickly and effectively with the all-Democratic County Council that was sworn into office in 2020 – just six weeks before the COVID shutdown. ![]() When he spoke to the Haverford Democrats on February 1, he admitted that the past four years were “challenging.” In the first two years, he and Brian Zidek were the minority voices on an entrenched, backward-looking Republican council, and while they made some progress, it was always slow and uphill. It’s a calling.Kevin Madden is running for his second term on the Delaware County Council. And as someone who has been in the position of not having dependable housing, this is not work. 16, in Pottstown in the spring to coincide with “Pottstown CARES Day,” and is currently looking at undertaking one in Delaware County in June.Īsked about taking on more responsibility without an increase in pay, Lynch laughed and said “this is exciting to me. Habitat has plans for its signature “Rock the Block” clean-ups in Norristown on Sept. ![]() “But we’re going to do a call for requests for bids, to see which communities want to partner with us and where,” said Lynch. In Delaware County, areas of focus will be Darby and Upper Darby, as well as “some ownership opportunities we have for four lots in Lansdowne.” “We’re still working on acquiring a few properties in Norristown,” said Lynch. In Norristown, Habitat will continue its focus on revitalizing Cherry Street. “We are still committed to doing to two full rehabs at 439 and 639 Walnut street and six repair jobs in the area of Beech, Walnut and Chestnut where we’re concentrating our efforts,” she said. “It’s important to stress that this will not impair our ability to do revitalization work in Norristown and Pottstown,” said Lynch. Lynch said the expanded organization’s commitment to those communities has not changed. In Montgomery County, Habitat’s efforts have focused primarily on Norristown and, within the past two years, in Pottstown as well. She said no jobs will be lost as a result of the merger. “This partnership expands our capacity to build and repair homes, engage communities and uplift families.” “This allows us economies of scale which will mean we can serve a larger area of need,” said Lynch. The Montgomery County chapter serves a population of about 822,000 and there are about 500,000 more in Delaware County. So they approached us to get some advice on best practices and the more we talked, the more both boards realized it made sense to merge. The stores are supposed to provide one stream of income, “about enough to pay for one house per year,” but the Delaware County stores was only “breaking even. Montgomery County’s in on Trooper Road in Norristown and Delaware County’s on McDade Boulevard in Ridley Township. It began more than 15 months ago, Lynch said, when the Delaware County organization, which has an annual budget of about $300,000, came looking for advice from Montgomery County Habitat, which has a $1.7 million annual budget.īoth chapters operate something called a “Re-Store,” a retail store which sells used furniture and restored housewares at deep discounts. Marianne Lynch, the executive director of the Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, is now the executive director of the newly named Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware counties. NORRISTOWN > The Habitat for Humanity organizations in Montgomery and Delaware counties are joining forces. ![]()
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