New Board Member Sworn In, Playground Effort Moves Forward, Board Approves Two Settlements

The Bristol Borough School Board Thursday night added a new member, moved forward with playground plans and approved lawsuit settlements  of two cases involving special education students.

Jonn Stiltner was approved by members to fill the seat vacated last month by Michael Poploskie. 

Stiltner was sworn in and was seated.

Credit: PECO

District officials said they received four resumes from residents who sought to fill the seat vacated by Poploskie.

A new board vice-president was not voted on.

In related board business, students at Snyder -Girotti Elementary School are in the process of choosing a new design for the schools playground area.  Students have several designs to choose from which are displayed on a bulletin board across from the administrative offices on the ground floor.

District officials have been discussing plans and cost options in recent meetings, seeking to improve the playgrounds setup while keeping costs down. One of the features board members sought to improve upon is to replace the the dirt in the children’s play area with a rubberized base, which is an element of all the choices students are voting on, officials said.

Credit: Jeff Bohen Lower Bucks Source

Elementary School Principal Kelli Rosado who is heading the effort with parents from the playground committee, said students from the school will attend the June board meeting to reveal the winner of the “Pick your Playground”contest.

Board President David J. Chichilitti said hopefully the entire project will be completed before the 2022-23 school year begins but equipment delays could be a challenge.

Rosado said  a parent with experience setting up and installing playground equipment has volunteered  their time to set up the new design after students reveal the winner of the poll.

The playground was built in one day by about 225 volunteers from the community, Bristol’s Raising the Bar, Habitat for Humanity and PECO. in September of 2014 after the infamous dirt pile was remediated after state officials lobbied the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority for 1.4 million grant to rid the eyesore and replace it with a playground oasis for borough;s children.

National nonprofit organization KaBOOM! helped to build the playground while PECO contributed $85,000 and Raising the Bar raised the other 10 percent, LevittownNow reported at the time. 

Can’t wait to see which design the kids choose,  Chichilitti said after the meeting. Costs for the new design and layout will be available after students at the school vote the winner of their own election.

In other news, board members, voted to approve two special education lawsuit settlements unanimously. School District officials did not comment on the settlements, however, Lower Bucks Source requested information from the administration on the settlements.

District officials said after the meeting, they are working on putting something together to release to this publication about the legal agreements.

Lastly, the board congratulated the Girls Varsity Softball team on winning the 2022 BAL championship.

Congratulations ladies! Good luck in the playoffs. .