We're so glad Cheryl Allison is around....

Main Line Life:Big plans are still on tap for Ardmore
LM board OKs plan to select another development
By Cheryl Allison

Lower Merion's board of commissioners plans to move quickly to pick a new development partner for Ardmore revitalization, now that its first choice has bowed out.In a special meeting just one day after the township announced that EBL & S Development had withdrawn from negotiations, the board's Economic Revitalization Committee voted to set a process to select another development team-and a different development scheme.

It calls for the three remaining developers who submitted comprehensive proposals for a new transit center and development in the Lancaster Avenue business district to come back before the board next week. They will each give brief refreshers on their plans and how they may have changed since the initial selection process in January.

The public will also have an opportunity to comment on what they hear, and then the board expects to make a selection that night.

The meeting will be held Wednesday, March 19, beginning at approximately 7:55 p.m., at the Township Building, 75 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore

We're also glad Main Line Life Managing Editor Tom Murray is a plain speaker, and with his permission we are going to feature a healthy chunk of his excellent editorial:

An outsider's look at Ardmore's plans
By Tom Murray

As managing editor, my first reaction was to pick up the phone and call Cheryl Allison so she could start working on the story. Then it was off to the computer to put together a small story so I could post it on our Web site.As a person who has become friends with many people in Ard-more, my first reaction was heartbreak. I felt sorry for many of the people who truly have Ardmore in their best interests.

And as an outsider, a person who lives down the road in Drexel Hill, my first reaction was disbelief. “Can't these people do anything right?” I asked out loud.

Yes, those were the range of emotions last Tuesday morning when I received an e-mail from Lower Merion Township telling me that Ed Lipkin and his EBL & S firm were withdrawing their plans for the Ardmore transit center and business district project.

Another initial reaction was to sit down and write an editorial, but I'm glad I waited a week so my emotions could run their course.

So what are my thoughts a week later?

As managing editor, I am still trying to get the story to our readers and as a friend to many in Ardmore I still feel bad.

But as an outsider who originally wanted to blame someone, I think that has changed over the past week.

Instead of “can't these people do anything right,” I look at it as an opportunity for the township to take another look at what it wants to do with Ardmore.

Instead of big plans that Lipkin had proposed, maybe the board will scale down its ambitions and do a little bit at a time.

All along, I loved Lipkin's big plans, but wondered if it was too big, too soon. I wondered if it wasn't a mistake trying to revamp an entire town in one sudden swoop.

So what's next for the Little Town that keeps trying?

That ball is back in the commissioners' hands. They will look at the other plans that were originally passed over and hopefully make a wise decision.

There is some talk that the board already made up its mind and there were high-fives in the hallway after last week's special meeting.

There's another rumor that the board will not select any one developer and take pieces from the remaining plans.

And another rumor has them doing nothing at all except fixing up the transit center and waiting until financial times get better when they will then revisit the plans in another year.

I don't put much stock in rumors, but it's fun watching the different groups and developers jockey for position.

My only worry is that the Lower Merion commissioners and neighborhood groups are going to rush into a decision that they may later regret.

Does something need to be done with Ardmore?

You bet.

Does it have to be done today?

While many people would say “yes,” as a managing editor, friend and outsider, I think it would be a good idea to take your time.

As I come up on my three-year anniversary as head cheerleader at Main Line Life, there have been a few constants.

One has been that Main Line Life continues to be the best paper on the Main Line and the only paper that covers exclusively from Bala to Malvern.

And the other has been the ongoing goal of revitalizing Ardmore and giving the town a facelift.

There's no reason to rush into a decision.

Thanks Tom. We dig you too!