Damascus Township joins river council - Breaks 20-year boycott of intergovernmental management group

DAMASCUS — It took them 20 years to make up their minds, but the Damascus Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on July 21 to join the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) and become the first Wayne County member. “We are delighted that Damascus Township has exercised its option to join the UDC,” said 2008 Chairperson Alan Bowers, who represents Westfall Township. An activist opposition to the then controversial National Park Service presence during the 1980s had kept three Wayne townships Damascus, Manchester and Buckingham out of the organization for two decades. “Unity among the river valley municipalities is important as we continue advocating for the conservation of our resources and the protection of the quality of life that we enjoy here. I thank the Board of Supervisors and the citizens of Damascus for their decision to work with us,” he added. Damascus Supervisors Jeff Dexter, Charles Grady and Jason Roberts had attended UDC meetings as observers, and recently invited UDC officials to attend their July 21 monthly meeting to discuss membership issues. UDC Executive Director Bill Douglass and Shohola Township Representative George J. Fluhr offered a presentation and answered questions posed by the supervisors and the audience. Township Board Chairman Dexter said that the supervisors “did our homework” before taking the action to join the UDC. A survey taken over the winter of 2007 to provide research into the development of the East Central Wayne County Comprehensive Plan revealed that 67% of Damascus Township residents and 75% of non-resident respondents favored joining the UDC. “People had been asking us, ‘When are you going to do it?’ We attended meetings, asked questions, and came away impressed with the types of discussions and the amount of information that was available. You have everyone there together at the table. We feel it’s important to keep ourselves educated, present our views, and have our say in what goes on in the river valley,” Dexter said.