Kunkel Tract-Part 2

Remember when the Kunkel tract athletic fields at Easton High School went millions and millions of dollars over budget? Well, surprise-surprise-surprise, the Shawnee Middle School project is now going to cost an additional $100,000 due to the ineptness of the architects (Spillman-Farmer) and engineers (D'Huy).

While the architects and engineers should be chastised for their incompetence, at the end of the day, the citizen elected school board members are accountable as they hired these two firms, and placed confidence in school district leadership to get this right.

It is our opinion that this $100,000 is just the first of many cost overruns to come. Based on decisions made years ago, as well as in recent times by the Forks Township Supervisors, the residents of Forks Township will see all of their taxes skyrocket within the next 3 to 7 years. A big chunk of these will be due to poor prioritization and decisions by the Forks Township Board of Supervisors and the Easton Area School District.

Watch your wallet ladies and gentlemen, its going to get much lighter.

Raise the rates!

Based on the above headline story in today’s Express-Times, it is obvious that rates charged to builders are too low and should be raised right now! The growth in our area and most especially in our town is not slowing down. It appears as though the housing bubble has not, nor will it burst here.

About a year ago, the Board of Supervisors raised the fees by a few hundred dollars. The time has arrived to charge substantially more money as obviously the supply and demand equation is in our favor. Some might argue-

1. The fees are passed on to the new homeowners. Who cares as long as we get the money needed to support our infrastructure, municipal and emergency services to name just a few needs.
2. That most of the projects have been approved so no substantial money will be raised. It is our opinion that whatever additional money can be garnered from the residential developers should be, whether it involves 40 or 40,000 homes.

As for the fees themselves, are the ones currently being charged fully compliant with the law? Despite public outcry, traffic impact fees were eliminated many years ago. Two of the Supervisors (David Hoff and Don Miller) who voted to eliminate those fees still serve on the Board today. Why do other towns in our area charge traffic impact fees and we do not?

Like always, many more questions than answers!

Paper or plastic?

So the Planning Commission voted 5 to 1 last night to recommend to the Board of Supervisors a change that would permit a grocery store in an area zoned as “employment center district.” To his credit, commission member Dean Turner was the lone no vote and raised this point as well as traffic concerns.

Here is our .02 on this. Every time another less than desirable massive cluster home project is proposed, or a biker type bar approved, our township officials always say, “can’t stop it, it’s a permitted use”. Whether this proposed grocery store has merit or not, this is one more example of something that does NOT have to be permitted. There are approximately 7 grocery stores within 5 to 7 miles of Forks Township so no one is going hungry looking for food. Should anyone try to make the argument that a grocery store on this site will reduce vehicle traffic and save fuel, they only need to look at the reality that we live in an area that has NO viable mass transportation system, so, people drive everywhere, like it or not, whether gas is 3, 4 or 5 dollars a gallon.

Oh, but wait a minute. When, oops, meant “if” the 800+ homes are ultimately approved in the farmland preservation district, this would make marketing them much easier wouldn’t it? Hmm, wonder who else is thinking of this?!?!?

Though we hope that we are wrong, after watching this Board of Supervisors work, we think the only question left is paper or plastic?

Is something "shady" going on here?

Apparently the trees Mr. Rossi removed had a ripple effect-

1. Did Mr. Howell get hit in the head with a branch as they were being cut down? if not, how else would ANYONE explain-

A. How he supposedly forgot that he gave Mr. Rossi the name of a tree cutting service?
B. His support of Mr. Hoff, a.k.a. the builders and developers best friend, to become chairman of the Board of Supervisors?
C. His campaign commitment to serve the PEOPLE versus the political machine in place prior to his arrival?
D. His other campaign promise of "open" government?

2. As for Mr. Hoff, will we see him start to represent the people, or, will he continue as the voice of "progress" for special interest groups?

3. One wonders what will happen next with

A) Farmland and open space preservation
B) A continued 3/2 voting lock on the Board of Supervisors
C) More traffic from increased residential building
D) Public school over-crowding
E) Contractors who feel confident that they now have a free-ride in Forks Township
F) Those who had hoped back-room deals/politics would stop with Mr. Howell's election

Stay tuned boys and girls; the tangled web will undoubtedly become even more interesting as time unfolds

Ok, I'm voting yes, but I don't know why

Politics aside for a moment, our favorite quote (E-T, 4/7/06) regarding the vote to elect David Hoff as the new Chairman of the Board of Supervisors at last night’s meeting comes from Supervisor Donald Miller. When asked why he voted for Mr. Hoff: “no particular reason”. Sorta reflects Mr. Miller’s voting record over the many terms that he has served!

Mr. Miller, shouldn’t an elected official actually have some reasons for casting their vote? What else do you vote for without having reasons to do so?