August 22: Camden County master plan survey | Judge delays building collapse suits | $50 million only gets schools so far | Plastic bag fee | ‘Snakey,’ Swathmore safe

Good morning Eyes on the Street! 

Want to have a say in the future of Camden County? The County is updating a master plan that will lead development through 2040, and as part of that process planners have opened an online survey to residents. The survey is seeking opinions about lifestyles, placemaking, bicycling, walking and public transportation. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has more. 

A Philadelphia judge has delayed the start of all civil suits related to the fatal 22nd and Market streets building collapse. Lawyers representing the contractor hired to demolish the building requested the delay in an effort, NewsWorks reports, to avoid potential self-incrimination. The grand jury convened to investigate the collapse will proceed as planned. 

With public schools scheduled to open in less than 20 days, The Notebook’s Dale Mezzacappa reports that, “… it is becoming increasingly apparent that the $50 million accepted from the city last week with such fanfare is not going very far.” Each school has at least one secretary or temp work in place to process registration but beyond that the schools will still be severely understaffed.  

A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to impose a two-cent fee on each new plastic bag shoppers use. The proposed fee is intended to reduce the volume of plastic bags in the trash. One-cent of each charge would go toward state recycling programs, and the other cent would go toward the retailer’s recycling program. As of this year eight other states are considering similar fees or taxes, and six states are considering banning single-use plastic bags all together.

Anyone who had been worried about the whereabouts of ‘Snakey,’ the 7-foot boa constrictor that was on the loose in Swathmore can rest assured. ‘Snakey’ was taken into custody yesterday. The pet snake had been missing since August 11.