BOROUCH DIRllefORf BURGESS

Sterling M . Chain

COUNCIL Robert .\1. Cameron, President Howard Cotter, Jr. Leonard A. Drake Nathan M cClure Douglas C. Miner Dr. Richard T. Smith Joseph F. Tripician

SECRETARY OF COU NCl L Ruth W. Graham

SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

Ceorge B. Suplee

SOLlC1TOR Henry A. Frye

TREASURER Jolm A. Mowrer, Jr.

TAX COLLECTOR Richard L. l''1iller

ASSESSOR E. L. Nies

BOARD OF ADJUST!'vlENT Robert F . Wood S. Howard Patterson Robert A. Class

/\UDlTORS Arthur C. Staples Elmer D. HackUlall C. C. Tysoll

PLANNiNG COMM ISSJON B. G. Simpson, Chairman C. E. Woolmington, Secretary W. Elmer Titus T. Noel Butler E. :.tilton Parran

Cl VIL SERVICE COMMISSION Franklin C. Hutchinson, Chairman Earl 1.. Hoffman C. Howard Nold

RECREATION BOARD William S. Howard, Chairman Mrs. Lulu W. McCartney Donglas C. Miner Samuel K. Barclay Ralph E. Hoyle

.J US1'lCES OF THE PE ACE Vincent Coldli RuberL t:. Baker

SCHOOL BOARD

Eugene ll. Ogdin, President Ralph E. Hoyle, Vice President lVIrs. Lulu W. J\lcCartne)' , Secretary Clifford Y. NalTigan, Treasurer Mrs. Ingeborg T. Robb Paul L. Caulwell Rubert P. Wetherald Joseph S. Roddy, Jr., Supervising

Principal Roland Flcer. Solicitor

FIRE CONLPA NY DlRECTORS

William S. Howard, President John .H. J effeTies, J r. Horace 1'. Smedley Richard ]\ 1. Gillis' Bnrns F. Best Arthur L. Cooke Ernest L. J enkins Robert .r. Hobson Leonard A. Drake Albert H. Nulty, Chief W. D. Stapp (Representing Merion

Civi c Association) F. A. Fontyn (Representing Wynnewood

Civic Association) Carl B. Metzger, J r. (Representing Pcnn

Valley Civic Association)

SHADE TREE COl\lJ\lISSION

Dr. Walter Steckbeck Thomas Laughlin George B. Suplee

BOARD OF lLEALTH

\Ii. J ames Drennen , Presidcnt Dr. A. G. Denman Burns F. Best W. Ralph Giles Mrs. Jane Miner George B. Suplee, Secretary and Health

Officer

COM:\IUN lTY UBRARY TRUSTEES

.vI.rs. May K. Cameron, President Miss Fanny H .. Laos, Secretary Mrs. Ennice Frye .\1rs. May T. Dre w Joseph F. Tripician. Rev. Gordon Gilbert ,"liss Jean Staples Elliott lVIorse Leon Piercey Mrs. Ingeborg T. Robb Mrs. Mabel Hunsicker Earl L. Hoffman '\11-;;. Althea Herold, .Librariau

Man y things affect your daily life as a citizen of the Borough of Narberth. Things which you take for granted such as the collection of your garbage, ashes and trash, the cleaning and repairing of your streets, the lighting of Ihe str eets, the cop down by the station who held back traffic to permit you to make your train , the fireman wh o respondp.,d to the alarm at the home of your neighbor.

These and many other items of municipal housekeeping are par t of the daily r outine carried on by or through the support of yo ur Borough Gov­ernment. They are homely activities, they rarely make headlines in the papers but they are essential to the enj oyment of community life in a well ordered town . The fact that these services are carried out effi ciently means that the Borough of Narberth has good employees, that their work is well supervi sed and that so und dec isions are made by the governing body. It is worth y of note that th e seven members of the Borough Council and the Burgess collecti vely devote more than 500 hours per year to Borough work without compensation. Their only reward is the satisfaction which comes from doing a necessary community job to the best of their ability.

One of the obligations of citizenship in a community is to keep informed. To help our citizens do tha t is the purpose of this annual report. The 'Pages which foll ow provide a n accounting of the Borough Government's activities for 1951 and a brief discussion of some current community problems.

purS/Cil /HPROfBIIBN'lIf

During the year l1lany physical improvements were carried out In the Borough. While not big projec ts, they were des irahJ f' from the standpoint of good municipal housekeeping.

Perhaps the foremost was the sidewalk constructed a long the north sidf' of Haverford Avenue from Conway Avenue to N. Wynnewood Avenue. This was long considered desirable as a safety l1leasure for the protect ion of children and adults using the Communi ty Playground. All additional reat'o ll for installation of the s idewalk was to provide convenient access to the Narberth business section and station. The Na ti onal Bank of Narberth and local busiuess interests public spiritedly offered to loan the necessary fund;; for the job to the Borough since it was not provided for in the 1% 1 Budget. However, the Borough was ab le to handle the financing without taking ad­vantage of this offer. The sidewalk was built by Borough forces under the supervision of George B. S uplee. Super intenden t of Public Works. at a cost of $3,500.

In connection with the construction of the sidewalk along this section of

Haverford Ave nue, Council took advantage of the opportunity it a fforded to widen the roadwa y of Haverford Avenue nea r Wynnewood Avenue and increase the radius of the turn at the intersection. This improved the traffi c movement considerably from the tunnel into Haverforo Avenue. At the reo quest of Lower Merion Township, permission was granted the contractors for the Thomas Wynne Apartments on North Wynnewood Avenue to co n· sh·uct a sanitary sewer line in the bed of H averford Avenue and conned with the Borough sewer system. All costs of this work were paid by the contractor as well as the regular fee for opening the road which am{)unted

to $1.140.50. Other improvements of various kinds were made a t the PIa) gr ound itself .

.'\. new r oof was installed on the grandstand. Curbing was constructed a t the rear of the ball fi eld backstop to eliminatf washing out of the ball fi eld, a new bicycle rack was bui lt and new kid dies ' pla yg round equiPlllent installed . To facilitate recovery of balls, a gate was installed between the basketball and tennis courts. A section of fence along the playgr ound which had become worn and unsightly was replaced with new fencing.

Partly for reasons of appearance and partl y because it involves personal salety, a program of s idewalk and curb repair ;; was initiated by Counci l and carried out by property owners. They cooperated practica lly 100 percent on the program which made the looks of the comnlulli tl), more tidy and ship­shape as well as eliminating man y hazards to pedestri ans. {l nder rhe law,

J)I'OpcrLy owuers are responsible ' for the maintenance of sidewalks and curbs. AJlO thcr proj ect carried out during the year was the improvement of house

Ilumber posting. This was instigated by the Narberth Fire Company as an aid to firemen in responding to alarms and met with good cooperation from re idents.

Maintenance of streets in first class condition has been a Borough objective for many years. A program of surface treatment, which adds several years to t heir life, is being carried out over the entire town. DUrlllg the year, Forrest Avenue from Haverford to Woodbine, Iona Avenue fr om Mont­nomery to Woodbine and Price Avenue from Montgomery to the west end, were improved under this program.

Allerations were carried out to Elm Hall during the year by the fire Com­pany to permit use of the hall for recrea tional purposes. This included struc­Lural changes required by the State Department of Labor & Industry to make the hall safe for large gatherings. Further improvements are planned lor the hall this year and it is hoped that an indoor recreation program can be launched in the near future. The active firemen, in a pubFic spirited way, iJldicated their willingness to have the hall used for such purposes.

IlOII PUBtlt' SJllBTf

After 56 years' existence as a borough , Narberth came of age- traffic-wise. The town installed its first traffic ligh~ last year at the intersection of Haver­ford and Narberth Avenues. The State Highway Department made a survey which -howed 2900 vehicles and 1368 pedestrians passed through it in a ix hour period. The state considers this heavy traffic and promptly approved

a petition for the light. It was installed at a cost of $1,159 with some addi­tional work being done by borough forces.

ev 'r al changes were carried out to relieve congesti on and make for safer u - of the streets. These included relocatioll of a stop sign at Haverford and J. nn Avcnu' for better visibility, establishment of no parking zones on the '/I t sid of E~ ex Avenue from Woodbine to Price and on the west side of

lirl'y Road hom Haverford venue to Shirley Circle, the moving of a hu 'top on nav > '[ord v nue at [he . outbwest co rner of Narberth to the 01Jlur(JR . rJl r whj 'J D' 'mit" v, hHcs I,ll l'nin cr right frQm Haverford onto

Na'J.' l; " Ih to w'o('ccd, tHld tilt' r .loval (J( I'b,' bu Ions" f r oO I n av ·rford Ave-. lIlt il I, 111 rh l lll'J1 'iI ·j r to 11[' fol iat .

As a safeguaTd to afford better protection, arrangements were made during thE: year for the Penn Wynne Fire Company to respond to house fires in the Narberth Fire Zone in addition to the Narberth Fire Company. This is routine procedure in lnallY municpalities with more than one fire company.

The Burgess received an award during the year on behalf of the Borough from the Pennsylvania Motor Federation commending Narberth for its record of no peclestrian deaths during 1950. A similar award was also received fr om the National Safety Council.

As the head of the police, the Burgess kept a close check on the accident situation and deployed men from time to time to give special attention to Stop signs which were not being fully observed or to break up speeding on Ha\7erford, Essex or Wynnewood Avenues.

Even though it is a small community Narberth, too, has its traffic problem. Citizens can help the situation by observing parking time limits, by park. ing properly within marked spaces and at the proper distance from the curb, by observing stop signs and speed limits and driving with care and consideration for others.

IJlPROfBD JWRflCB

Arrangements were made during the year whereby residents might obtain dog license applications at the Borough Office, and, if they wished, have the license mailed directly to their homes. They can also be sent to the Borough Office from the County Treasurer's office, the issuing agent for the state.

Procedures were worked out to provide prompter attention to street lights reported out. This closer check resulted in quicker service by the Philadel· phia Electric Company which supplies the Borough street lighting. One new light was installed on Windsor Avenue.

JrJRll COJ/HUIITI PRORLBRS One of the problems facing the community is the growing obsolesem:e

of some of the older large houses in the Borough and the desire of some owners of such properties to convert them into two or three family dwellings. If the house happens to be located in an R-3 or an R-4 district, such use of the property is permitted under the Borough Zoning Ordinance of 1940. If it is situated, however, in an R-1 or R·2 district, such use is not permitted.

Considerable thought was given by the Borough Council to this situation. The Borough Planning Commission was asked to study the matter to see if a revision of the Zoning Ordinance was in order to make possible such use

of older large houses.

In addition to studying this maUer, Council also asked the Planning Com­

mission to review the proposed uses of the Borough-owned properties at

Forrest and Windsor Avenues and at Conway and Haverford Avenues, giving

Council its recommendations. The Forrest and Windsor lot was originally

purchased as a site for a new borough hall, fire house and community build­

ing but the project proved to be Loo costly and was abandoned. Its use as

a parking lot has been considered but no decision has been reached. The

other property formerly housed dressing quarters for the ball teams, a use

which was no longer needed when the new, modern facilities of the Field

House on the playground became available.

Narberth Councilmen took an active part in the Montgomery County

Boroughs Association, an organization composed of representatives of the

24 Boroughs of Montgomery County. One Councilman served as president

of the county association for the past two years and another has just taken

office as a vice president. Narberth was host at a dinner meeting of the

llssociation during the year . Lack of a hall of sufficient size within the

Borough eaused arrangements to be made to hold the meeting at Merion

Friends Meeting new activities building on Montgomery Avenue. Many

matters of concern to our Borough as well as to the other 23 boroughs of

Montgomery County are discussed at the County Association meetings and

oftentimes, light is shed upon common problems. In some cases, legislative

action is decided on as the solution and a change in the state law is sought.

This is done through the State Association of Boroughs.

In the realm of streets, the section of Conway Avenue Rorth of Sabine

rCll1anleJ unpaved during the year. This is a private road aud it is necessary

LOT tlw ahuttiJ)n' property owners to pay the major share of the cost of

TJilVin . ~h .~b·(' c-1. Tb· norutl·yh ll"'re 'd to appropriate $1000 towards the

I$II II -d I'W;t D1 .$:3UOO bnt '\,Ii · I Ulw ill i.u·~ n('~s of <1 few property owners to

go along held up the project. The Borough Council is 'hopeful that tht' matter may be successfully concluded and the street paved during 1952.

It was found that a 100 year old bridge, really little more than a culvert, on North Wynnewood Avenue just north of the playground was badly in need of replacement or repairs. It was decided to repair the structure at a nominal cost and also try to straighten the course of the stream on the Borough's side of Wynnewood Avenue to eliminate flooding of basements of several properties along Windsor Avenue. Straightening the stream's course will also tend to carry off high water mOTe rapidly without backing up and flooding.

Consideration is being given to the arrangements which will have to be made in the not-too-distant future w'hen Philadelphia's sewage treatment plants go into operation. This will undoubtedly require a revision of the very nominal fee Narberth now pays Lower Merion for the privilege of emptying its sewage into the Lower Merion system which, in turn, empties into Philadelphia's sewers. It is anticipated that some form of sewer rental will be needed in Narberth to pay the increased costs involved. Thought is being given as to the most equitable method of assessing charges. Water consumption and the number of outlets are the most frequently used yard­sticks.

All Narberth residents who use the Railroad station are familiar with the desirable improvement made by widening the platform on the south side of the tracks. In the event that this foreshadows further improvements by the Railroad at the Narberth Station, the Borough wellt on record with the Railroad that it would like to be consulted when, as and if improvements are made to the station property on the north side. In Council's mind is the need for widening Haverford Avenue between Station Circle and the rear of the bank property, which constitutes a traffic bottleneck.

A continuing effort is made by Council and all Borough authorities to maintain friendly and harmonious working relationships with Lower Merion Township. Many municipal services are inter-related. Narberth's sewers empty into the Lower Merion sewer system. Our police radio and call boxes are p:ut of the Lower Merion system. The Township lockup and detectives are available to us in case of need. Narberth's trash is burned at the Lower Merion incinerator (for which we pay the current rate per ton). On the credit side of the ledger, insofar as the Borough is concerned, are thes!" entries: Narberth maintains and lights the boundary streets of N. Wynne. wood, Rockland and Haverford Avenues; our fir e company responds to alarms in its fire zone established by the underwriters which includes most of Penn Valley and Merion and part of Wynnewood; and certain town­ship sewers hook into Narberth's sewer system.

Hence it will be seen that governmental services and relationships between T.wmship and Borough are closely integrated which is natural when the Dorough constitutes an "island" within the township's boundaries.

FIIlNCEf Financiall y speaking, your Borough government is in a reasonably health)

state. Your elected officers have continued to follow the sound policy of a balanced budget. In 1951, by vil1ue of economy and an intensive tax col· le;:;ti on effort , a small surplus was attained. This will be carried over to 1952 to help offset some of the inflated costs anticipated for that year. Out­standing indebtedness was reduced by $8500 and now stand s at $55,000. A ttention has been given to liquidation of dormant assets. Changes have been made in accounting practices to better record and con trol financial transactions. Much consideration has been given to a more equitable dis­tr ibution of the tax load. Your Borough taxes are assessed to cover the cost of providing community services you require. An illustration of this is presented in the accompanying charts. If you would like more details, they are yours for the asking.

57.7 Cents for SCHOOLS $163 ,725

Where om' tax $$$ go -

COUNTY 2.7 Cents

$7500

39,6 Cents for GENERAL

GOVERNMENT $112.400

How our general government tax dollar was spent in 1951

Administration $10,412

Interest $10,630

Police Protection $23,420

Community Bldg., Playground , Libra

$13.440

Fire Protection

$14.500

Street Lighting, Health, etc.

$14.575

Streets and Sidewalks $12,990

(The above appropriations exceed taxes by $17,275 which was received from miscellaneous revenue sources).

NJ8BBllfR fllIB COKPJNf

This is one of the most venerable institutions in tbe community, being practically as old as the town itself. It is composed of publ ic spiriten citizen" who serve as volunteers with the exception of two paid men, one of whom is on duty at all times. The company's equipment is modern and well l1Iain­tained. Active firemen receive instruction r egularl y and are well trained. Business affairs of the Company are managed by a Board of Directors. Tht' Borough Counci l appropria tes funds to cover salaries of paid men, purchase and maintain equipment ami for maintenance of the Fire House. The Fire Company also receives funds from dues which are devoted mainly to pro­viding recreational faciliti es and advanced technical training. Any sums received from dues over a certain amount are split evenl y between the Fire· Inen's Relief Association and the Equipment Fund. The Fire Company re­sponds to alarms of fire promptly at any hour of the day or night without 1 egard to weather cond itions, rendering a serv ice of inestimable value to ! he citizens.

lI8BGRTI! CORRUNITf tIBRJRfM~ , .. , ....... - - .. ; 1_1 1 ....

The Library, located in the Community Building on Windsor Avenue. houses some 15,000 fi ction and lion· fiction books, including latest popular novels, as well as important educational material for student research.

The library is supported by grant,. from the Borough Council and the School Board, and by rentals and fines charged on overdue books.

The general supervision of the library is vested in a Board of Trustees elected by the Narberth Communit y Library Association. Actively in charge is a full-time librarian, with capable assistants. The library is open at hours convenient to the borough citizens dur ing the day and even ing.

Any adult residen t of the Borough may become a member of the Associa­tion, and automati call y does ,.0 by simpl y registering as a borrower, without charge.

RI/CRBATION BOARD ~. - """'" . ,-->

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This is a five member body appointed by the Burgess which has juris­<licti oll o\'er the Community Playground. One member is chosen from Borough Council (usuall y the Chairman of the Property Committee) and two from the S(;hool Board. It is charged with supervision of activities at the Com­munity Playground. This includes the summer recreation program under the direction of a supervi sor and assi i'tants. (J urisdictioll over the Com­lilunity Building is vested in rhe Property Committee of Council.) The fuuds spent by the Recrea ti on Board are appropriated by Council and the School Board with contributions being made also in recent years by the Fourth of J u I y Committee. The Recreation Board is also charged with de­veloping and supervising rec reational programs.

HOARD OIl HI/AtTH

This consists of five utlzens appointed by COlillcil who serve without compensati on. The Secretary and Health Officer is a paid employee. The Board of Health has under its jurisdiction the inspection of food stores, i ~~ llaJl ee of permits to food handlers, adjustment of sanitati on complaints and , throu gh its participation ill the work of the Milk Control District No.1, :,:upervises milk and other dair y products. Arrangements are also made, through the Community Health and Civic Association, for the services of a public health nurse ill the community. The Board 's expenditures are met fr olll an appropriation by the Borough CounciL