Lansdowne News to Peruse

Memorial Day Parade! Join your friends and neighbors this Memorial Day weekend as Lansdowne marks the traditional opening of the summer season with a fabulous parade on Monday, May 29. The parade route will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Lansdowne and Lacrosse Avenues, so be there!

Lansdowne Days are here! Get out and celebrate the weekend of May 12-14 as Lansdowne Days 2000 brings a variety of entertainment and fun for the whole family. From Friday night until Sunday afternoon, the borough will celebrate with concerts, trolley tours, a flea market, jugglers, an automobile and motorcycle show, marionettes and much more. Many of these events are free. For a complete schedule of events, tickets or more information, please call Lansdowne Borough Hall at 610-623-7300.

Member Spotlight: Member Spotlight: Edward J. Meloney, Inc.
What do Independence Hall and Upper Darby High School have in common? As different as a modern-day high school and a national historic site may seem, the link between the two facilities is that both had all or most of their respective renovation projects performed by a Lansdowne business — Edward J. Meloney, Inc.

It's entirely possible that you've never heard of Edward J. Meloney Mechanical Contractors, especially if you're not involved in the construction industry. But with a track record of producing top-quality work for a number of major projects, the company is one of the most recognized names in the industry in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

The business can trace its Lansdowne roots back 100 years, when founder Edward J. Meloney — then an infant — moved to the borough with his family. Edward Meloney built a successful career as a mechanical engineer, becoming president of the Bowers firm. In 1962, he established his own company, Edward J. Meloney, Inc., and enlisted son Edward Jr. (Jim) and his wife Debbie in the firm.

The company — specializing in the business of performing commercial, institutional and industrial plumbing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning contracts — located its office in the former Fidelity Bank Building at the corner of Lansdowne and Baltimore Avenues. Although Edward Sr. passed away in 1963, Jim, Debbie and fellow Lansdowne resident Richard C. (Dick) Burke have remained with the company since its incorporation.

The business remained in the Fidelity Bank Building for more than two decades. In 1984, Edward J. Meloney, Inc. purchased the former Philadelphia Suburban Water Company property on Madison Avenue, adjacent to the SEPTA Regional Rail station, where the business remains and flourishes today.

Edward J. Meloney, Inc. maintains an office staff of 10 people and employs an additional 45 people in the field. Kirk Meloney, the son of Jim and Debbie, serves as the business' corporate treasurer and handles estimating, project management and information systems operations. Two of Dick Burke's sons, Brian and Danny, also work for the company as foremen in the HVAC department.

To date, Edward J. Meloney, Inc. has performed mechanical construction work on projects ranging from historic buildings such as Independence Hall to hospitals, schools, city and county facilities, and industrial plants in and around the Philadelphia five-county area. In addition to current HVAC projects for the Penn-Delco, Interboro, Marple-Newtown, Springfield and Philadelphia school districts, the company is currently completing work on $4 million in contracts for the Upper Darby School District.

Over the course of four decades, Edward J. Meloney, Inc. has proved that a Lansdowne business can be a vital element in the local community while having an impact that extends far beyond the borough.