As we reported a week or so ago, there are construction issues involving The Londonbury. In that post we mentioned that a dog had been hurt due to ingesting a construction tact and that CBS3 had been at the site. Last night CBS3 broadcast its story, which was not exactly accurate. Anchor Susan Barnett refers to the dog park as “popular.” The dog park is not yet open, but it is sure to be popular once it is.
An official from the Borough called me this morning and confirmed to me that the tact that was ingested by the dog was from the construction occurring at The Londonbury. The dog park sits directly behind The Londonbury in a 100′ strip owned by the Borough.
The construction is currently on a winter break, but an area is blocked off to store construction items and that area is very close to the dog park. In the photo above you can see my shadow and I am standing just a few feet from the fence around the dog park. This morning the gates were locked and signs went up to not enter. According to Councilman Raj Gupta, who heads up the dog park initiative, the dog park will be thoroughly policed and safe.
If you live along the river or enjoy walking your dog there, the area is about to undergo other major construction projects. The Conshohocken Rowing Center will be built behind Riverwalk Apartments and two new apartment complexes by O’Neill Properties are in the pipeline (one next to The Londonbury and one next to Riverwalk). Hopefully these projects will be better maintained.
MoreThanTheCurve.com is glad to hear Colby has recovered.
UPDATE:
In the CBS3 report the reporter mentions O’Neill Properties, which built The Londonbury, but no longer owns or manages the property. I just spoke to Stephen Forster of O’Neill Properties and the company is not sure how its name got included in the report as “the management company” since it is no longer involved with the The Londonbury and not involved in the current construction project. Brian O’Neill, who has a long history in the redevelopment on the river front, just sent a crew down to the site with magnets to scour the parking lots and the dog park area to help fix the problem (which he did not create). O’Neill is seeking a retraction of the story.
The report also makes it appear the owner of the dog lives at The Londonbury, which is is not the case. He lives next door at Riverwalk. We do not point this out to criticize the owner in any way, just to point out the inaccuracies throughout the story, which are not the dog owners fault.
SECOND UPDATE
Just spoke to the owner of the dog. The dog swallowed the construction material near Riverwalk BEFORE the dog park fencing ever existed. He stressed that the CBS3’s story was not an accurate representation of what he expressed to them.
THIRD UPDATE
Developer Brian O’Neill plans to walk his dogs along the river front tomorrow. Even though he didn’t create the mess, he sent a crew today to police the area.