A solution for the county's space-parking crunch: Elwyn

Delaware County has a problem.

I'm here to offer a totally unsolicited solution.

The county continues to deal with the fallout from the closure and demolition of the Orange Street garage and adjacent Sweeney and Toal buildings.

On Saturday it will mark one year since serious structural problems forced the facility to be closed. That caused havoc for a lot of county employees and jurors who routinely used the facility for parking.

The place had 409 parking spaces. That's a lot of cars looking for a parking spot every day.

Jurors were being directed to the county parking garage and a few spots at the nearby Broomall Lake Swim Club on Third Street.

The county also had to relocate 152 employees in the Planning Department, Park Police, Community Services and Public Defender's Office.

County Council has been getting an earful, both from their own workers and jurors visiting the county courthouse.

This week Council unanimously backed a move to have Executive Director Marianne Grace identify all viable options and report back to them by Sept. 30.

I'm not sure what those solutions might entail, but I am pretty sure of one thing - it's not going to be cheap.

So here's one man's take: The county needs space, both to relocate employees displaced in the two buildings, as well as a critical need for parking spaces.

I happen to know where there is going to be a fairly good chunk of space available.

And it's just a stone's throw away on Baltimore Pike.

How about Elwyn?

The organization has made it clear they are remapping their mission, and downsizing their sprawling campus just west of the borough in Middletown.

They also are moving several hundred employees to a new corporate campus in Camden, N.J.v Seems to me the county might be able to utilize this space and save a ton of money as opposed to building a new facility.

It's just a thought.

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