Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base
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Monday, January 9, 2012
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Horsham Police Keep Watch Over Air Base
Patrols regularly drive through Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.
Although the Willow Grove air base is a virtual ghost town as compared to its previous peak operations, a force will remain in place long after the military is completely gone. Horsham Police. The police took over regular patrols on the Navy side of the sprawling 1,100-acre base on July 1, according to Horsham Township Manager Bill Walker. With most of the military gone, Horsham Fire Company and ambulance are now responsible for emergency calls on the base as well, Walker said. Security remains in place at the main gate, which is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Walker said. To date, the only wrinkle has been a minor theft of a pig smoker, Horsham Police Capt. Joseph M. Repkoe said, noting that it was believed to have been taken sometime …
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Saturday, June 11, 2011
Community Views Five Preliminary Land Use Ideas for Air Base
Consultants presented three concepts without an airport and two with an airport as part of the redevelopment process for Willow Grove air base.
During a sometimes contentious meeting which pitted Horsham residents against non-residents, about 150 community members gathered Saturday afternoon to see five conceptual drawings of what the Willow Grove air base could look like. The colorful renderings - three of which featured an airport-less 892-acre parcel - were the outgrowth of two three-hour community sessions Friday in which more than 500 people mapped out their preferred uses. A team of consultants hired to guide the redevelopment process convened Saturday at 8 a.m. for a four-hour- long review session where common themes were extracted. Then, from noon to 4 p.m. the group met behind closed doors to sketch out rough renderings of what 8 percent of Horsham Township could become…
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James Boyle
6:14 pm on Monday, June 20, 2011
I believe there are plans for a permanent fence once everything is complete. I think if things are too far spread apart, it will be tougher for parents with multiple kids to keep an eye on everybody. If I got one child that wants to play on the slide, and another that wants to do Safetytown, they are both close by so I can keep tabs. more ›
Town Center Tops Base Redevelopment Options for Willow Grove Air Base
Consultants begin "making sense" of community preferences during second day of HLRA's planning sessions.
Regardless of whether an airport takes flight at Willow Grove air base, the overwhelming majority of the 500 plus participating community members want future development to take shape around a town center. From that common theme, residents had differing opinions on if the pedestrian-friendly land planning concept should include housing, a 55 and up, or assisted living community, employment centers, entertainment facilities, expo centers or conference space. Most seemed to favor incorporating a university satellite campus, green building designs and some type of medical or hospital facility. The rough sketch of ideas was presented Saturday morning following two three-hour community design charrettes held Friday at Horsham community center …
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Friday, June 10, 2011
Community Maps Out Air Base Plans With, Without Airport
Hundreds turn out for the first day of a two-day community planning charrette at Horsham community center.
More than 500 area residents tried their hand at planning the future of Willow Grove air base, adding color-coded dots to maps both including and excluding an airport. The community—predominantly Horsham residents—came out en masse Friday afternoon and evening during two separate but identical three-hour planning charrettes held at Horsham’s community center to engage the public in devising potential options for the 892-acre parcel. The large crowd turnout, in itself, is “rare,” according to Russell Archambault, a consultant hired by Horsham’s Land Reuse Authority to draft a redevelopment plan for the base. “This is extremely unusual,” Archambault, vice president and principal of RKG Associates, said Friday following the first session, …
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Carol Inman
6:17 pm on Tuesday, July 26, 2011
@David: I appreciate what you are trying to do, but that Feasibility Study is a zip file, quite large for a normal computer to download and very lengthy for anyone to read. How about giving us an Executive Summary? How many permanent jobs will be directly (not indirectly b/c that's speculative) created by the savewillowgrove proposal? If you took an airport out of the equation, and invested … more ›
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Share Your 2 Cents on Airport Possibility
The Horsham Land Reuse Authority will hold a two-day community planning meeting Friday and Saturday and the Montgomery County Commissioners are holding a special meeting next week.
Got an opinion on the future of Willow Grove air base? Forums, in Horsham, Norristown - and in cyber space - abound. On Friday and Saturday, the Horsham Land Reuse Authority and its consultant RKG Associates, will hold another round of public meetings. Held at Horsham’s community center, the sessions are aimed at finding the best uses for the 892-acre plot. Dubbed a community planning charrette, the two-day session features two identical Friday sessions – one from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and another from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. – to enable participants to disburse into breakout groups to review everything from the site’s assets and constraints to major land use. Then, on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, RKG will regroup to discuss information from …
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Mark Hubman
2:38 pm on Thursday, June 9, 2011
A great re-cap article on the issues surrounding use of the base and airstrip. And a wonderful look ahead into the planning process as the decision makers prepare for the weekend meetings. I am looking forward to reading more on this very important issue and hopeful that some use of the airstrip can be found. Better than tearing up the airstrip and remediating the soil in my opinion. It would be … more ›
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Hatboro May Take Stance on Proposed Airport
Hatboro officials will consider a resolution opposing future runway use at Willow Grove air base.
Hatboro officials may join the growing list of neighboring municipalities that have banded together to oppose future flights at Willow Grove Naval Air Station. At its committee meeting Monday, the council, at the request of Hatboro-Horsham School Board, discussed the possibility of adopting a resolution similar to one adopted recently by the school board, Horsham, Warminster and Montgomery Township officials to oppose airport use.Montgomery County, as well as the Bucks County Airport Authority have submitted applications for use of the base's 8,000-foot-long runway. The Hatboro council directed its solicitor, Michael Savona, to draft a resolution to be considered at the June 20 meeting, but not before discussing whether Hatboro should …
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Richard Clyde MacNeel
12:28 am on Monday, July 25, 2011
I live under the final approach. The planes fly right over my home lined up with the runway, which is one mile away. I can't put up a ham radio antenna that is higher than 20 feet because I'm too close to the runway. And sometimes I can't hear a conversation with a neighbor or on the phone because of the noise. That said, I am pro-airport. I don't understand how continuing to have an airport in … more ›
Monday, May 23, 2011
Horsham Council Appoints Two to HLRA
The new board members will have a vote on the future development at Willow Grove air base.
The Horsham Township Council on Monday appointed two businessmen to the board charged with deciding the future development of the sprawling Willow Grove air base. The council appointed Gary Bissig and Larry Burns to fill five-year terms that end Dec. 31, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2014, respectively. Bissig, who spearheaded the Horsham ChATs community policing program and serves as the township’s deputy emergency management coordinator, will fill the seat vacated two months ago by Terry Tumulo, owner of Commonwealth National Golf Club and the Commonwealth Corporate Center. Burns, who participates in several regional organizations, including the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, also sits on the HLRA’s economic development subcommittee …
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Carol Inman
8:37 am on Monday, June 13, 2011
Be certain that all are equally educated about the adverse health effects of living next to an airport. Google it! more ›
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
State Representative Addresses Area Concerns
Todd Stephens talks with residents about issues facing the district during a town hall meeting Wednesday.
With topics as varied as redeveloping the naval air base, the budget, and education as hot issues among Horsham citizens, those in attendance at State Rep. Todd Stephens' town hall meeting on Wednesday had many questions and concerns to address. Stephens is holding town hall meetings with municipalities within his district, such as Horsham, Upper Dublin, Ambler and North Penn, to summarize legislation he is working on, what is being done to address the issues of each community and how the larger state legislation impacts the smaller communities. The first topic of concern was the budget, which incorporated education and welfare. “It’s never easy,” Stephens said to more than a dozen residents that turned out. “What can you cut?” Education …
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Scott Johnson
10:04 am on Friday, May 20, 2011
"With natural gas drilling, Stephens believes there are two real issues to consider: business taxation and the environment. He believes taxing these businesses is the wrong decision. “I didn’t run on a platform of increasing business taxes,” Stephens said. He then continued to question the impact taxes will have on the industry. “Are we hurting an industry that has potential?”" I am not convinced… more ›
Aviation Museum Still in Flight
The volunteer group that runs the Wings of Freedom Museum received conditional approval Wednesday for a sub-lease that would allow the museum to stay open following the air base's closure.
The Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association crossed a major hurdle in its attempt to survive amid the closure of Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base. The Horsham Land Reuse Authority on Wednesday voted unanimously to execute a sub-lease with the nonprofit group that runs the Wings of Freedom Museum along Route 611 in Horsham conditioned upon DVHAA’s successful acquisition of a $200,000 letter of credit and a certificate of insurance. “It’s assured that it will happen,” DVHAA President Ron Nelson told the board. “But, they couldn’t get it done today.” DVHAA currently leases land from the Navy. That lease expires May 31. Without a sub-lease with the HLRA – the entity leading the charge to redevelop 892 acres of base …
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Steve Czerviski
9:25 am on Saturday, November 3, 2012
Those are the old 913th hangers (C-130 unit).This is such a waste, the base would have been very valuable in helping move supplies and equipment to those in need after Sandy. more ›