The Lowell Township Board of Trustees had its regular monthly meeting on Monday, April 15.
All board members were present and discussed several items on the agenda, including the approval of Jessica Grim as the township’s new front desk coordinator. The board also approved a $19,184 payment request for work done to prepare the site of a future splash pad at the North Riverfront Park. During this meeting, the board approved a contract with Fusion Sports to allow it to run pickleball, cornhole, and volleyball tournaments at township parks in exchange for 23% of net signup fees being allocated to the Lowell Township Park Fund. All approvals were unanimous.
There was note about how future zoning and enforcement reports will be separated into a “Planning and Zoning” report and an “Enforcement” report. Trustee Bill Thompson made a comment about how the Stoney Bluff phases were progressing well. “They are doing a good job,” he said.
Annual IT Services
One of the major issues of discussion was the yearly IT cost to the township by KHC Technology. The company provided the township with a proposal late last year for services for 2024-2027 that include network management, software, and helpdesk support. The proposal included a one-time cost of $5,264 and an annual recurring cost of $15,890.
A representative of KHC Technology was on hand to give a report of the management services the company would provide to the township in regards to their IT. The agreement would allow all IT services for the township to be paid in one lump sum.
Evan Zanotti is a representative with KHC Technology who has worked with the township for years. “We provide you guys with the essentials: the firewall…the antivirus, your licensing for [the] email.,” he said. KHC proposed to also act as the internal IT department for the township. “We will look for issues before they occur,” according to Zanotti. The yearly cost would include security awareness training, as well. Also, the email would also go through a spam protector.
The proposal for a 3-year contract was unanimously approved by the board.
Liquor License for Bobbie Sue’s Roadhouse Approved
Bobbie Sue’s Roadhouse officially requested a liquor license. The Roadhouse is a new restaurant that is coming to Lowell and will be located on Fulton Street in the building that was most recently home to the Golden Dragon restaurant. The township has two available liquor licenses.
John and Bobbie Sue Heim were present to discuss the restaurant, along with their chefs. Heim has another restaurant in Pennsylvania called Gigi’s. “We are the proud owner of the old La-Te-Da’s,” said John Heim who was adamant on letting the board know that “We are passionate about food.”
The new restaurant will be “barbeque-centric” but not focusing totally on barbeque. Their restaurant will feature a lot of southern cuisine. The couple have 13 years in the industry and want to show “…hospitality that you wouldn’t expect in a roadhouse.”
In a business plan submitted to the township, the Heims said they plan to completely redevelop both the interior and exterior of the existing building. They expect to be open seven days a week, having outdoor seating and host live music.
The motion to approve the liquor license resolution was unanimously approved.
Alden Nash Corridor Crash Review
Board members also reviewed an analysis of crashes that have occurred on the Alden Nash/Segwun Avenue corridor. The analysis showed a total of 109 crashes in a five year (2019-2023) period. Of those crashes, 46 were caused by deer, and 63 were vehicle-only crashes. Four were fatal crashes and one was considered a serious injury crash.
“The complaints from residents has been the speeding,” Thompson mentioned.
It was also mentioned that many of the crashes were alcohol and/or drug related. The first fatal crash in 2020 was caused by a driver who ran the stop sign on eastbound 36th street. The second fatal crash was drug and alcohol related.
Based on the crash data, the Kent County Road Commission determined that the Alden Nash/36th Street intersection did not meet the necessary criteria to warrant a four-way stop or “intersection flasher.”
The next regular meeting of the Lowell Township Board will take place on Monday, May 20, at 7pm in the Lowell Township Hall.
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