Once again, Morrisville gets the opportunity to star as its own worst enemy. The headline for the story in the BCCT today is Residents split over Gateway Center.
We're always split. I'm not condemning partisanship--Biblically, sharpening steel upon steel is recommended because it provides a keener edge, and so it is with ideas. The more the ideas are worked upon by more and more people, the better the ideas can be.
However, we here in Morrisville have the uncanny ability to use this sharpening capacity for cross-purposes. Instead of buckling down to the admittedly hard work of making things happen, we're left with the same type of petty sibling bickering that used to have my father threatening to pull the car over.
Time and time again, we see "residents split" in the headline, whether it be for the late new school, Gateway, or whatever dispute du jour. I find it fascinating how the same people who bemoaned the high taxes that accompanied the new school and contributed to its demise, are the same people who do not want the new development to lower those same taxes.
Why would anyone in their right mind want to move to such a contentious little town, where anything new is greeted with derisive scorn and no one is a longtime resident until they've been here for over five decades? Imagine the sign at the foot of the Calhoun Street bridge--"Welcome to Morrisville. Now get out."
Sorry Mr. Mayor--your explanation notwithstanding, the Borough Council has a large share of the ignominy factor here for the nearly complete inaction and lack of support for a major new business initiative. After two years, this new building should be soliciting new tenants, not requesting approval actions. The fig leaf of legality aside, egos and hubris on the part of borough leaders have delayed this process. The sliver of land that is needed from Williamson Park doesn't destroy anything but the goose latrine area in the former leaf dump. The toll bridge commission sliver of land is ready to be acquired, but only if the borough council signals a go-ahead. Stop this squandering of this opportunity and settle this once and for all.
Residents split over Gateway Center
Disagreement continues over early plans for the Morrisville Gateway Center.
Some residents say the borough needs the extra tax base the proposed commercial office building at the corner of Bridge Street and Delmorr Avenue could bring to the borough.
Others say there are places better suited for the building, which calls for the purchase or lease of two acres of unused land at the southern end of Williamson Park.
“Please don't infringe on the little bit of green space that we have,” resident Herbert Brookes told the borough council Tuesday night.
Resident Sharon Hughes said there are other areas that wouldn't require using any park land.
“One of the best things Morrisville has is a park along the river,” she said.
The executive vice president of Penn Jersey Real Properties, the Morrisville-based developer that proposed the idea in May 2006, disagreed.
“There is no other place. This is the best location,” said Dan Jones, the executive vice president, who claimed that the building would be the “cornerstone to redevelopment in Morrisville.”
But there is a list of people who desperately want the Gateway Center, a proposed 50,000-square-foot building in its infant stages that Penn Jersey claims could bring between 400 and 600 jobs to the borough and revitalize the business district. Only sketches have been given to borough council and no formal plans have been submitted yet.
Resident Judy Miller said the new office complex could lower the tax burden on residents and add a boost for other businesses in the downtown district. She urged the council to enter into a non-binding agreement of sale with the developer.
“Taxpayers desperately need relief,” Gayle Haug said.
Council President Nancy Sherlock said the council would not make any decisions on the matter, but residents could expect the board to specifically address the matter “in the very near future.”
“Unfortunately, right now ... there's nothing council is legally allowed to discuss,” said Mayor Thomas Wisnosky. Officials have said they can't comment on the proposal because no preliminary plans have been submitted.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Thank you Judy and Gayle for providing some reasonable balance to the debate.
If you just read this Courier Times article and nothing else, you'd think from Ms. Hughes' and Mr, Brookes' comments that the project was going to consume all of Williamson Park, when in reality it only affects a small portion along bridge street between BECO Kitchens and "Hogs & Rice" (the Morrisville Treat). What's the total footprint, less than 1.5 acres out of the several hundred acre park? And 0.8 of the affected acres aren't even owned by the boro - they're owned by the Bridge Commission.
This "everthing's a catastrophe" mentality is extremely stifling and unproductive, perhaps even "ignomineous".
Imagine the sign at the foot of the Calhoun Street bridge--"Welcome to Morrisville. Now get out."
Or, according to Jane Burger's May 13, 2007 letter to the Courier Times, maybe the sign should read: "Welcome to Morrisville. Mind Your Own Business."
Does anyone remember that that corner of land used to have a Go-Go bar operating on it? Probably not... unless you are a vetted long-time Morrisville resident.
I forgot about the go-go bar. I guess that REALLY makes me a long timer and almost eligible for junior residence longevity status.
We can place the MYOB sign at the Trenton Makes bridge. Anyone have a suggestion for the superhighway/toll bridge sign?
We should keep in mind exactly what jon mentions. This is hardly a land grab of the final blade of grass in Morrisville. I would not support any further encroachment on Williamson Park. I take my kids there often, and I use it myself.
Ah! The go-go bar. That brings back many found memorys. Steve and I used to meet there for drinks on Friday nites.
Bring out all the usual deniers. One will claim it's a secret attempt by Toll Brothers to continue their efforts at world domination. Another will point to those yuppies on cracker hill. One esteemed councilman will claim that some person on the public payroll is getting rich by accepting kickbacks for this deal. Another will claim it's destroying the historic quality of the town. Many will simply dig in their heels and declaim that "We need to move slowly on this," over and over again until the issue passes by with nothing done. Some cabal will claim it's meant to deprive senior citizens of some birthright. Others will claim it will draw more problems from Trenton. I'm sure I've missed a few of the same old crap complaints coming from the same old obstructionists. The town is not as divided as these stories make it seem. You can almost always find the same group represented in some fashion whenever their is devisiveness. They may not all show up, but some of this group is always a part of it. I expect the majority of people are too busy getting on with the rest of their lives to get caught up in this. Many only show up when the rabble rousers get their spin machine into high gear. Even then, it's not as if the town gets a majority ruling. This extends to the polls. The representation on election day is pitiful.
Does anyone have a copy of the actual Jane Burger letter to post here? I think it would be good to show it again verbatim.
Alas! I have cleaned out my file of Courier clippings. If anyone has an online subscription to the Courier, I can tell you it was published on May 13, 2007.
Maybe Kate Fratti could dig it up for us!
Bucks County Courier Times (Levittown, PA)
May 13, 2007
Tax group should mind its own business
BY JANE BURGER
The May 1 letter from Pat Elliott, of the Citizens for Equitable Taxation (CET), did not include information about this group or its purpose. Why would a group of mostly Lower Makefield residents in the Pennsbury School District take a position on Morrisville school board elections?
Ted Fletcher, a member of the CET board and a longtime Lower Makefield resident who has recently moved into Morrisville, asked me to speak to the CET members. It was my understanding that they are a Lower Makefield group with a few members from other areas that were interested in tax issues. I agreed to speak on borough tax issues and plans for redevelopment, stating that although I am council president, I wasn't speaking for the council.
The opportunity to network with a neighboring Lower Makefield group seemed positive. However, I was barraged with questions about the school, its taxes and the new school construction project. I had to stop them and remind them that I wasn't there to talk about the school. I said they should ask CET board member Ed Frankenfield about the school, as he is Morrisville's school board member and was present at this meeting.
The Elliott article talks about 10 major development projects in the borough seeking approvals. Only 1 one project is active with the borough government, and we are just receiving proposals for consideration now. Dan Jones, a Citizens for Equitable Taxation board member and a Lower Makefield resident who recently joined a new corporation interested in Morrisville development, was also present at this meeting. Jones made a proposal to the school board to buy both elementary schools now for only $1.2 million and lease them back to the district at an undetermined cost, for a period up to three years, while the new school is being built. The school district would pay rent, all utilities, maintenance and repair costs during this time.
Where was the CET group when Morrisville's school board president went to Pennsbury to ask that they look at a merger or other options for sending our high school students to Pennsbury? A thorough, objective study on this proposal is something CET should support as an equitable taxation issue.
Funding for schools and assuring an equitable, quality education for all of our state's children are important. Would CET welcome our children into Pennsbury? Fletcher, the CET board member, who is a former Pennsbury school board member, told me many times that he opposes a merger.
Morrisville has great kids who are working hard with limited educational resources. Our residents are capable of making informed decisions about the future of our schools, and we will do so this Election Day. Too bad Elliott's letter didn't disclose that at least three of her organization's key members have a financial or personal interest in the outcome of our election.
With all due respect to the Citizens for Equitable Taxation, Lower Makefield has its own tax, school and development issues. Please focus on them.
Jane Burger is a Morrisville council member and a retired social worker.
I have lived in this town for 46 yrs so far. I was born and raised here. Though I didn't attend MHS, all my good friends were from MHS. I went to Egan by my choice, not because I thought MHS wasn't a fine school. I went through Holy Trinity and thought I would finnish at Egan. I married a MHS Grad. We have three wonderful Boys. All of who Graduated from MHS. One is still working his way through college. One graduated Cum Laude from a very fine Private College. This fine college presented him with a VERY generous Financial package, (almost tuition free), He did this because of his hard work in MHS and the help of the best teachers at MHS. My last boy is a freshman at another fine private college. Again all because of hard work and the great teachers of MHS. All three boys finnished in the top of their respective class at MHS. I used to think very highly of this town and was proud to call this town my home. Unfortunately, I can't say that now. I'm so amazed at the disinterest our elected officials have in this community. They claim that is not true. I don't see any proof of their work in beautifying this town. We have become the laughing stock of communities. Our schoolboard doesn't care of the future of this town either. The only thing in their eyes are dollar signs. Well people, you have to spend money in order to make money. No person in their right mind would want to move into this town, as it stands right now, and I don't blame them. I only wish the "residents" who have only been here a few years would wake up and see the light, just maybe we could move ahead. Until then, I'm so afraid to imagine how much worse this town might become.
Post a Comment