Conshy Approves Deal for Waterfront Helipad, Dog Park

Conshohocken took another step forward in it its development of the waterfront on Wednesday, as borough council approved a 5-year agreement with Kynetic, Inc. to construct a helipad and dog park in the "100-foot strip."

As , council first discussed the deal in June after the Conshohocken-based company expressed a desire to build a helipad, in order to fly in high-profile clients for its TeamStore, Inc. subsidiary.

"When they have people like the baseball commissioner or NFL commissioner coming into town, they want the ability to bring them right to the office," said Council Chair Paul McConnell.

But to sweeten the deal, the borough asked Kynetic to also construct a dog park; a project council has been seeking for some time. Kynetic agreed, opening the door for Wednesday's unanimous council vote.

Under the terms of the agreement, Kynetic will pay for all construction costs of the helipad and dog park, and the borough will assume ownership of both. Council will then enter into an initial 5-year license with Kynetic for use of the helipad, at an annual fee of $5,000.

After the original term is up, Kynetic will have the option to enter into a second 5-year agreement, this time at a $10,000 annual rate. After the conclusion of that term, contracts will be renewed on a yearly basis, with a five percent increase in fees every year.

Emergency services will have priority use of the helipad in the event of an emergency, and the borough will have the authority to "black out" use of the helipad during community events along the riverfront, staff said at last week's workshop meeting.

Council also stated that early designs for the dog park show two separate pens totaling 9,500 square feet. Upon a helicopter coming in for a landing-- estimated to occur 12 times a month-- a Kynetic employee would be responsible for clearing the area ahead of the arrival of the helicopter, council said.

However, Kynetic would not be responsible for the maintenance of the dog park. Council said that responsibility would likely fall to the membership of a dog park organization, which would be formed upon the facility's construction.

Finally, council said that the helicopter would not be a nuisance to borough residents. Councilman Raj Gupta, who researched the helipad for the borough, said that sound studies concluded noise from the chopper fell within the currently existing range for the area, and that the helicopter's flight path would not cross over the borough, instead following the Schuylkill Expressway in Lower Merion.

Neither council nor Kynetic said when construction would begin, although Kynetic first needs FAA approval for the helipad.