News Nearby: Vote Remains to Not Connect Peters Twp. Neighborhoods

Not an empty seat in Peters Township Council chambers as concerned residents filed in Monday night.

that it would be reviewing , made July 24, to eliminate the Berry Lane interconnection between The Woodlands and new Whispering Pines plans.

"Council can reconsider votes," said council President Robert Lewis. "Nothing assures you that it's the final decision." 

Township Solicitor William Johnson and Lewis went back and forth on the legality of conducting a new vote.

The Peters Home Rule Charter states a vote once taken is final. 

Lewis made the motion to reconsider the vote via "yay" or "nay." Council voted 4-2—Lewis and Robert Atkison dissenting—to not reconsider its previous decision to not connect the two subdivisions. 

Councilman Frank Arcuri abstained as he did not vote on the issue originally—he was not present at the July 24 meeting. 

"It is a mistake to not connect these plans," said Lewis. "There wasn't a single resident that looked at how that street is configured."

Councilman Jim Berquist said he immediately regretted his original vote, however, he felt it was only fair to stick with it. 

"In life, you don't get mulligans," he said.

He said he understood the worries of the residents, as his daughter lived in The Woodlands for six to seven years, but he said he does not feel an interconnection would have devalued homes, increased traffic or decreased children's safety. 

"In the past, interconnections were a top priority in all developments," Berquist said. "We have to look at the big picture. We're here to serve the citizens, groups, factions (of the community) and neighborhoods." 

Councilwoman Monica Merrell is a resident of The Woodlands and said she would not recuse herself from her original vote.

For more on the issue, .