104 and counting within just a few short hours! Please share widely!
Please share the petition widely, particularly with Cheltenham residents who might not see it on social media.
I sent this message to our seven Commissioners after posting the petition this morning:
Dear Commissioners,
Please reverse course on the unbid $4.5+ million construction contract at Melrose.
Our Home Rule Township Charter Section C1207C covers contracts. (4) of that Section dictates that real estate transactions are exempt from competitive bidding only provided that an assessment has been conducted and evaluated to ensure that the township asset is being financially protected. I know from a denied Right to Know Law request issued 7/31 that no such assessment exists. The contract thus violates our own Charter and is ultra vires and void ab initio. President Areman said on the record on 12/17/25 that the property is worth "several million dollars," which suggests that Commissioners had practical knowledge of the parcel's value when they unanimously approved a ground lease that brings in a mere $10 annually from the tenant.
Section C1207F states: Willful violation of any of the provisions of this section shall constitute a summary offense punishable upon conviction by a maximum fine of five hundred dollars ($500.). Conviction thereunder, when final, or a plea of nolo contendere or guilty shall subject such person to surcharge to the extent of the damage shown to be thereby sustained by the township and shall result in forfeiture of office.
Residents were not a part of this decision to close Conklin and build at Melrose. The intention to do so apparently existed since at least last December (see March 4th Zoning Appeal), while Commissioners consistently told residents that it was to be a generic "municipal amenity," that no decisions had been made, and that residents would have adequate time to weigh in. This gap has not been explained, even when Commissioners were given the chance to clarify on the record at last week's Building and Zoning Committee meeting.
Please reverse course. You have now engaged outside counsel to defend this risky unbid contract. I encourage you to reconsider, and to not waste taxpayer resources defending an unlawful contract.
Here is a change.org petition that I launched about an hour ago. Feel free to keep an eye on it.
Regards,
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Sam Thacker