If you're one of those harried folks who scramble every morning to arrive early and snag a precious parking spot at the Secane Station to start your commute into the city on the Media/Elwyn line, you owe a debt of gratitude.
There are 60 brand new parking spots at the transit stop this week.
They are there for one reason: Act 89. That is the massive transportation package that was passed by the Legislature. It is providing critical funding for infrastructure and transit work across the Commonwealth.
Act 89 happened in large part because of one man.
That would be former state Rep. Nick Micozzie. The longtime Upper Darby Republican, who retired last fall after representing Upper Darby in Harrisburg for more than three decades, deftly shepherded this crucial piece of legislation through the mine field known as Harrisburg.
Make no mistake, Act 89 was not a particularly popular piece of legislation, especially among Republicans. The GOP folks from the middle of the state very often turn a deaf ear to packages they believe are tilted to giving aid to the southeaster portion of the state. Add in what many believe were thinly disguised tax hikes, and they consider it something akin to anathema.
It was left to Micozzie to pick up the ball and run with it for Gov. Tom Corbett.
Few people know the intricacies of how Harrisburg works - and how legislation gets passed - better than Mizozzie. He not only managed to get the crucial funding through his Transportation Committee, he got it passed and onto to Corbett's desk.
The result is a lot of critically important projects such as the one unveiled at Secane Station this week.
That's why it was particularly poignant to see a phalanx of local and SEPTA officials gather at the station this week to cut the ribbon and show off their new toy.
And to honor the man who made it possible.
There will be a road sign at the station marking it 'Nick Micozzie Way.'
It was a nice gesture for a nice man.
A guy who was not afraid to reach across the aisle to get something done, whether it be more funding for local schools, or important infrastructure projects.
The moment also comes with a tinge of sadness.
Delaware County has no idea how much they will miss Nick Micozzie looking after their interests in Harrisburg.
That's a lot of clout that just left town.
But Act 89 - and the projects it will fund - will remind us just how important Nick Micozzie was.
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