Montgomery County, PA

 

Norristown, April 17, 2008 — The Montgomery County Commissioners hosted Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter Thursday for discussions on regional issues and ways that they can work together to benefit all of their constituents.

 

“I want to thank the Commissioners for hosting this meeting.  It was another great step in opening a constant line of communication and in working together on issues that affect our entire region.  I was impressed by the Commissioner’s commitment to our region and to their depth of knowledge on issues that concern us all.”

 

The discussions centered on the potential for City-County coordination on public safety, transportation and recreational opportunities.

 

“These are just a few of the areas where we can synchronize our efforts,” Commissioners Chairman Jim Matthews said. “Increasingly, the economics and workforce of this region are becoming intertwined and the need to work together is escalating.”

 

Philadelphia and Montgomery County have collaborated for the past decade on a number of public safety issues as part of the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force and are currently coordinating evacuation plans.

 

The two have also coordinated an Intelligent Transportation System along the Schuylkill Expressway corridor that is under construction now from the Conshohocken curve to Center City. Plans are nearly finalized for a similar system that would coordinate light signals along parallel roads to the expressway so they could be used to alleviate backups if there is an incident between City Line and the Blue Route.

 

A third area for potential collaboration is using a former rail bridge over the Schuylkill River to extend a recreational trail from Cynwyd in Lower Merion into the Manayunk section of Philadelphia.

 

This type of approach is what is needed in a modern era where the competition for jobs and business has grown fierce, both nationally and internationally, Commissioners Vice Chairman Joseph M. Hoeffel said.

 

"We need to address our economic and transportation challenges on a regional basis in order to compete successfully with other regions in this country and around the world, and I applaud Mayor Nutter for bringing us together," Hoeffel said

 

Law enforcement is a fourth area where the City and County have worked together successfully in the past, Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., a former District Attorney, pointed out.

 

"I look forward to expanding that to these other areas as well, and I commend Mayor Nutter on his affirmative efforts to engage in a regional approach to solving problems affecting all of southeast Pennsylvania," Castor said.

 

 

Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman James R. Matthews and

Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter

 

For further information contact:

 

John Corcoran,
Director of Communications
Montgomery County
(610) 278-3061