Controversies
In 1945 Abington Township purchased a tract of land on each side of Fitzwatertown Rd. (below Susquehanna and above the intersection with North Hills Ave.) from Upper Dublin Township and, after some controversy, operated its sewer plant at 1000 Fitzwatertown Rd., Roslyn, PA).87 Beginning in 1955, its trash incinerator on the neighboring tract to the east at 997 Fitzwatertown Rd., immediately adjacent to the Ardsley section of Abington Township at a time when Upper Dublin had no zoning laws. The incinerator continued in operation until 1968.
There was consideration of reviving the incinerator in the 1980s, when those plans were opposed by the Concerned Citizens Committee to Stop the Ardsley Incinerator [apparently consisting of Abington residents and Frank Costanzo of Upper Dublin, who ran for commissioner opposing incumbent Norton Freedman in 1983), Phila. Inquirer, p. 81 (Nov. 7, 1983); Russell E. Eshelman, Jr., Incinerator, trash issue poses additional problems, Philadelphia Inquirer, p. 94 (Feb. 7, 1985); Letter to Editor, Dino DeSimone, President of Concerned Citizens of Upper Dublin, Inc., Fort Washington, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 13, 1988 (agreeing with Inquirer editorial critical of Upper Dublin Township commissioners). GET THAT EDITORIAL
Ultimately, upon approval by the Board of Commissioners, the tract has been used by Upper Dublin and neighboring municipalities for a recycling collection facility. William Lukens, How They Do It-Glass: Upper Dublin Township Municipal Glass Recycling (1982).
The absence of sewers in Upper Dublin until at least 1956. Now the Abington sewer treatment plant, the Sandy Run Waste Water Treatment Plant, serves the western part of Abington and a small portion of Upper Dublin near that facility, while Willow Manor ‘s sewage has been treated by the Upper Moreland-Hatboro treatment facility since Willow Manor’s inception, and the great majority of Upper Dublin is served by Ambler’s sewage treatment facility. (when were these sewer treatment plants established?) The issues took a long time to resolve. Donna Shaw, Upper Dublin officials seeking alternative financing for sewers, p. 7-N, Phila. Inquirer, June 30, 1983 (discussing three housing developments: Jarrettown Road, Kenmare Drive and Galway Place among 17 streets and neighborhoods lacking access to public sewers); Funds Expected For Only 2 of 8 Sewer Projects, p.NW 1, Phila. Inquirer, May 2, 1965 (Upper Dublin is 20th on the priority list for sewer project financing by federal government).
Ryan Genova, Upper Dublin Township to receive $17M sewer upgrade, Around Ambler, November 13th, 2024:
“The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority (BCWSA) today announced a $17 million capital improvement project that will upgrade Upper Dublin Township’s sewer system and provide new wastewater treatment capacity to Ambler Borough. BCWSA will construct a watertight pump station in Upper Dublin Township and install a new 12,000 linear-foot force main, a pressurized pipe that moves wastewater to a treatment plant using pumps or compressors, to Ambler Borough where the wastewater will be treated. The existing 71-year-old treatment facility in Upper Dublin, which is in a floodplain, will be taken out of service and decommissioned.
“As a result of the new system upgrades being made by BCWSA, which are slated to take full effect [in March 2026], Upper Dublin Township and Ambler Borough will realize an increase in wastewater treatment capacity. Greater treatment capacity provides an opportunity for local municipalities to bring new homes and commercial sites into their systems.
“The Upper Dublin capital improvement project is another example of our commitment to making necessary upgrades to enhance an aging infrastructure on behalf of ratepayers and the communities we serve,” said Benjamin Jones, CEO of BCWSA. BCWSA has owned and managed Upper Dublin’s sewer treatment facility since 2001.
“We are proactively relocating the existing system out of a floodplain in Upper Dublin Township in the event of a catastrophic flooding that many communities have experienced in recent years.”
“The new force main will run from the site of the existing treatment facility to Ambler Borough. The project is expected to take about 18 months to complete. BCWSA is working with Joao & Bradley Construction Co. and Eastern Environmental Contractors, Inc. on the project, and plans to commence work immediately.”
An October 2020 letter from Paul Leonard, Upper Dublin Township Manager, to BCWSA stated:
“There is significant development going on in Upper Dublin Township in the Fort Washington Park and elsewhere. This 67-year-old plant, while well maintained and serviced by BCWSA, is in vital need of retirement.”
“Ambler Borough has been working with Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority for the past few years to plan for the additional flow from BCWSA customers in Upper Dublin to be processed at the Ambler Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP),” said Mary Aversa, Borough Manager for the Borough of Ambler. “There are various improvements and upgrades being planned and implemented so that the flow is transferred smoothly and level of service provided is not impacted. The upgrades will be a benefit to the residents of Ambler Borough, Lower Gwynedd, Whitpain, Whitemarsh, and Upper Dublin. We will work closely with BCWSA during this transition and post updates on the Borough’s website as needed.”
The legislative district line changes in redistricting after 1968 (new Pa. Constitution ended multi-member districts and created mechanism for decennial redistricting), including division in state representative districts (in the 90s UD was smallest municipality in the State to be divided into 4 districts and likely the smallest to be divided in 3 districts in the first decade of the 2000s) and changes of State Senate and congressional district boundaries; notable events involving them; litigation challenging splitting of Upper Dublin into multiple State House districts. (See discussion of “Greenwood Gash” below)
Opening of PA Turnpike Extension (King of Prussia to New Jersey)1954 /Rte 309 Expressway, 1958-59, updated ----) interchanges as transformative events; impact of nearby commuter rail; buses; other state routes; the slow progress of the “zip ramp”; 2022-2023 formation of the Eastern Montgomery County Interchanges Group (Abington, Horsham, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland) with participation of Montgomery County Planning Commission to deal with possible new interchange, including one at Welsh Road, a slip ramp for westbound traffic at Susquehanna, and other issues-2017?
The Trenton Cutoff freight railroad line constructed in the 1880s; limiting east-west walking; national security designation; now owned by Norfolk Southern; failed SEPTA plan to use it for proposed Cross County Metro, commuter rail traffic on that line; reasons for failure likely included the national security designation for that line.88
US Rep. Joh
John Sterigere in the 1830s (only member of Congress from Upper Dublin –and only federal legislator ever from Upper Dublin, although he lived in Norristown for his adult life)--and buried at the Upper Dublin Lutheran Church Cemetery) introduced and passed law barring African-Americans from voting (Mark E. Dixon, How an Upper Dublin Politician Assisted in Curtailing Voting Rights, Main Line Today (Oct. 11, 2016). Sterigere last Democrat to represent any part of Upper Dublin in any federal legislative body until Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky was elected in 1992).