March 2026 Minutes
Merion Civic Association Board Meeting
March 24, 2026 - 7:30pm
The meeting was called to order at 7:40pm.
Officers & Directors in Attendance:
Scott Feuer, Brian A. Gordon, Li Halpern, Carol Lavoritano, Kevin Muprhy, Renee Hill, Todd Sinai, Les Greenberg, Steven Ludwig.
January 2026 Meeting Minutes:
The minutes of the previous Board of Directors meeting were approved unanimously.
Treasury Report:
Kevin Murphy gave a report on the current finances of the Association. The Treasurer reported that the balance in the TD account is approximately $30,000. The balance in the Vanguard account is approximately $20,000. There were two checks written during the month for $90. The Treasurer’s report was unanimously approved.
Commissioner’s Report:
Todd Sinai gave a report as a Member and President of the Board of Commissioners.
Streets: The following Merion streets are on the paving list for this Spring: Linden Lane, North Highland Avenue, Sycamore Lane, and Montgomery Avenue. It was noted that the roads in Lower Merion are worse than the roads in Ireland or Scotland and our expectations are simply too low for utilities who leave our streets filled with potholes for months. This observation was made by Brian Gordon.
Renee Hill reported 12 potholes recently and the Township came out right away to fix them. One half of Latch’s lane light poles are out. This will be reported. Thank you Renee!
Saks Fifth Avenue: Commissioner Sinai noted that Saks Fifth Avenue is now in bankruptcy, but they have a long-term lease, which is anticipated to be used to rent to a new long term tenant.
New Hires for LM Police Department: The Police have a new round of hiring. 136 remains the goal for a fully staffed Police Department. Currently, the Police employment is at 124 officers, with 4 mandatory departments. This leaves a deficit of twelve officers. In the last round of hirings, there were 600 applications and very few offers came out of the process. This round is expected to yield that same.
Schauffele Plaza: slated for redevelopment. Objections were made by Li Halpern and Brian Gordon about the plan to eliminate parking on Schauffele Plaza as being a great burden to business there.
Ardmore Train Station: After many years, the redevelopment of Ardmore Train Station is nearly finished. The Board is looking at properties near Amtrak for parking lots in Ardmore, Bryn Mawr and Haverford. A lot is being explored behind Ardmore Music Hall.
Federation of Civics Associations:
There was a report from Les Greenberg regarding the Federation of Civic Associations. The discussion included Channel 10’s property on City Avenue, development in Gladwyne, and other matters.
Lower Merion School Board Report:
There will be a meeting on April 28, 2026, regarding the School Board at the Merion Tribute House.
Melanie Schafmeister, who did a wonderful job as a School Board Member, will be retiring this year. Thank you Melanie!
Merion Community Coalition Report:
Commissioner Sinai reported that St. Joe’s wanted new zoning to supersede the old zoning and any special exceptions. He did not support their request for new zoning.
Alice Cheng, Ph.D. reported by email regarding developments at St. Joe’s. Those notes are attached hereto and incorporated by reference:
SJU and MCC met in February to review campus updates. Currently all construction is occurring on the Philadelphia side of campus. The next planned construction on the Merion side of campus will be the renovation of Paris Hall for the Kinney Center, which is dependent on completion of $15M fundraise (currently $10M raised). Timing is TBD.
A neglected building along Lapsley Lane was a topic of discussion, and the open windows were finally boarded up by SJU a week after our call.
There is currently no update on the Township’s new institutional zoning code. There seems to be no progress from SJU’s side with the Township and MCC has also not heard any updates from the Township despite attempts to reach out.
Fire and Public Safety Report:
Kevin Murphy reported on the Fire Companies. Narberth and Union Fire Companies are still operating well. On May 12, from 7pm to 8pm there will be a dog walker Town watch training program.
Station and Grounds Report:
Scott Feuer reported that May 3 from 9:30am to Noon will be planting of the new window boxes. Scott will, once again, enlist the services of Build On. Thank you Scott and Carol. Volunteers from the Board are welcome.
New Business:
Cars and Things that Go Event: The current date for the Cars and Things that Go Event will be April 19 from 1-3pm. Anyone who can help is asked to assist with this event.
Flag Day Event: The Flag Day event is scheduled for June 11 (not Flag Day June 14) from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Please volunteer to help and get the work out for the event. The LM High School Jazz Band will again be invited to give another lovely concert.