In a 3-2 vote, the East
Marlborough Zoning Hearing Board approved a variance for the renovated Unionville
High School auditorium.
Among the conditions of the
variance, there may be no additional signage or lighting on the façade of the
building, the school district and the township must work to develop a landscape
plan for the façade and work with fire companies to assure safety.
The auditorium, with its
two-tiered balcony, is 58 feet high, 23 feet higher than the township permits.
ZHB member Richard Pratt cast
one of the two no votes. In an e-mail after the hearing, Pratt said: “At issue
is the fact that our building code limits the height of a building to 35 feet.
This limitation is arrived at based on the capacity of our local fire
department to effectively handle emergencies based on their equipment. Because
this structure exceeds what our local fire department, POMARLIN, can handle,
members of the board requested evidence as to what would be done to provide the
proper equipment in time of need. Given assurances that those details would be
worked out going forward, the board voted 3-2 in favor of the applicant. It is
now incumbent upon the community at large to be vigilant in being reassured
that a complete emergency plan is in place.”
The board would still like
something in writing from one of the other near-by fire companies, Longwood or
Kennett, saying that they have equipment capable of reaching the top of the
building.
ZHB Chairman Tom Simpers Jr.
said the Kennett Fire Co. has a 100-foot ladder, but the company wouldn’t put anything in
writing. He added, however, that his board “did the right thing” during the five-minute
session on Sept. 6. He also joked saying he was looking forward to getting back
to routine matters such as hearing variance requests for swimming pools.
John Laffey joined Pratt in
voting no, but Simpers, Gerry
Hoover and Steve Davison voted yes.
East Marlborough cited the
district over the height of the building in March, but the plans, with
elevations, were presented to the township during a 2008 hearing and the
hearing board approved the project in February 2009.
When Simpers was asked how the
height of the building escaped notice of planning and zoning members until
March, he said that remains a mystery to him.
Mystery not withstanding, new
school Superintendent John Sanville is relieved.
“We’re happy with the result
and looking forward to our students and community enjoying the auditorium for
decades to come,” Sanville said.
The auditorium has already been
in use by the school, but its first public use will be Sunday, Sept. 11, at 2
p.m. when the school hosts a 9/11 remembrance.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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