Mayor's Message 8/10/22

Good evening, 

Last month, we hosted a town hall meeting concerning the ARPA funding which remains unallocated by Council. The atmosphere fostered by our amazing community speakers and our panel of administration leadership, as well as all our resident attendees was one of positivity and inspiration. It was incredible to see such a display of what makes our Upper Darby community the amazing place that it is. And how much it deserves this ARPA money. Council received on July 14th six narrowly tailored ordinances for each of the allocations of the funds. 

These include:

• Flood Mitigation & Sewer Upgrades: $5,000,000.00

• Police & Fire: $5,500,000.00

• Upper Darby Community Center: $3,000,000.00

• COVID Relief & Negative Economic Impacts: $5,786,245.00

• Parks & Public Spaces: $4,500,000.00

• Additional Lost Revenue 2020: $1,776,294.00

• Lost Revenue 2021: $9,999,400.00

• Total: $35,561,939

As Jack Reagan from UHY discussed, we are on a tight timeline. The federal government considers the funds allocated not just when the funds are released through the ordinances but when we have contracted out with vendors to spend these funds. We need time for bids and contracts to be finalized. These funds need to be contracted by December 2024 and need to be spent in full by December 2026. Jack Reagan serves as our ARPA Administrator and Compliance Agent and clearly articulated the timeline.  We are working against the clock. I’m asking for a motion for these 6 ordinances to be placed on the August 17 council meeting agenda.

Daniel Knowles has been selected for the position of Director of Licenses and Inspection. I will now read a bio from Dan. 

BIO:

Dan grew up in Drexel Hill and graduated from Upper Darby High School in the honors program.

He will bring his over 40 years of experience in construction to our License and Inspection

Department.

Dan ran his construction business successfully for over 35 years and will use this business

approach to streamline our L&I Department.

Dan is still a member of the Holy Comforter church located on Burmont and Bond Avenues,

Drexel Hill, and serves as an accounting warden and a lay reader minister.

He has also worked for the City of Chester, Sharon Hill, Newtown Square and Commonwealth

Code Enforcement and does plan reviews for Glenolden, Folcroft, Aldan, Ridley Park and

Colwyn.

In addition, he is the president of the Planning Commission for Ridley Park and helped develop

their Comprehensive Plan.

He is a certified Building Code Official, Commercial building inspector, solar inspector, health

inspector, commercial electrical inspector and an electrical plans examiner, and is currently

working on a certification for building plans examiner. Dan will be a welcome addition to my administrative team.  I am asking for a motion from council to okay the appointment of Dan Knowles to Director of Licenses and Inspections.

Thank you.