Disingenuous application; F&M to have a medical school
(Editor’s note: The following was received from the Law Office of William J. Cluck. The application includes the following representation among many other revelations: “In 2010 Franklin and Marshall College will spend $144,000,000 on the College of Nursing and Medical Sciences and campus expansion.”)
I am forwarding to you the application submitted by the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee (LCTCC) to the feds for $81M in stimulus funding for the Harrisburg Pike projects. The application includes an additional $7.5M to cleanup the existing Norfolk Southern Dillerville Rail Yard (on top of the cleanup of the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority [LCSWMA] dump). [Couple this] with the pending capital budget request that would provide $150 million for Norfolk Southern projects in Pennsylvania funded by state and federal taxes. None of this has been reported.
The application is rather cynical in its suggestion that now in addition to reducing air pollution by removing 55,000 trucks it will also be energy efficient (the new buzz word for getting fed funds). Also, these projects will create thousands of new jobs especially for the city of Lancaster which is economically distressed and will provide jobs for minority and women owned business enterprises and the disadvantaged. Really, that is one of the key points of emphasis, not that most of the work will be in the largely white, affluent suburbs and will primarily benefit a private college, private developer, private hospital, private railroad, etc.
The economic benefit analysis is a good read at appendix 3. Here is an excerpt you might find newsworthy—it seems that F&M is going to have a medical school.
From Appendix 3:
“There are a number of major follow-on stimuli that will be made possible from this initial investment, as previously discussed, and are the 96 acre industrial park, the F&M development, and the Crossings retail project.”
“The transportation improvements expenditures take place in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The capital investments are $200,000; $36,450,000 and $89,653,392 respectively of which $86,250,388 come from the TIGER grant.”
“In 2010 Franklin and Marshall College will spend $144,000,000 on the College of Nursing and Medical Sciences and campus expansion. This investment will also create annual additions to output which is represented by the operational impacts.”
“In 2012 the hospital will invest $24,000,000 on the same site. This investment will also create an annual operational benefit beginning in 2013.”
“Also in 2012, construction on the State Road housing project will begin with an investment of $60,000,000. No operational impacts are created by this investment.”
“In 2014 a $19,000,000 investment in the Woodcrest Villa will take place and no operational impacts will result.”
“Also in 2014, a direct investment of $81,000,000 on the industrial park will begin. This investment will generate new permanent jobs and therefore is estimated to provide an annual operational benefit beginning in 2015.”
“In 2011 and 2012, a direct investment of $30,000,000 per year will take place on the Crossings. This investment will also generate new permanent jobs and therefore an annual operational benefit as well.”
I read the letter posted and I did not see any mention of a medical school. All I saw was reference to “College of Nursing and Medical Sciences.” Was there anything else that specifically mentioned a “medical school”? I googled the term College of Nursing and Medical Sciences and many of the nursing schools around the country use that term, but don’t offer MD degrees.
(Editor’s response: Point well taken. It is a nursing school. The application was less than accurate, which NewsLanc has already had confirmed. We are investigating and there will be more to follow.)
The final paragraph on p. 8 of the TIGER application states: “Redevelopment of the eastern portion of the Norfolk Southern Dillerville Yard involves a substantial commitment of private funds that will be combined with various sources of federal and state funds in a public-private partnership. Franklin and Marshall College and Lancaster General Hospital have committed a total of $12 million and Norfolk Southern has committed $2 million, to the project. A total of $39.3 million has been secured from a variety of federal, state and private sources for the entire project. The $7.5 million requested in TIGER funds will complete the funding required for infrastructure improvements needed to redevelop the vacated rail yard.
Question: Since the above makes it clear that F&M, LGH and N-S are partners in what they are calling the “Dillerville Yard” project (why are they avoiding calling it a rail yard?), why is it that F&M alone is listed as the “lead org’s) sponsor on the Roadway Improvements chart.
Perhaps F&M is listed alone because the $7.5 million because the money is ear-marked for F&M and not for LGH or N-S. Perhaps the entire $7.5 million is for the development of their athletic fields once the rail yard is relocated. Note the reference in the lst sentence above to the EASTERN PORTION OF THE NORFOLK SOUTHERN DILLERVILLE YARD. That’s where F&M plans to put its athletic fields.
So, does F&M expect to get federal grant money to use to build its athletic fields? Those athletic fields are for the use of its students; not for the general public. That’s tax-payer money going to a private corporation.
That tax money will be used to cleanup Norfolk Southern’s pollution, just like the Governor giving LCSWMA $10M to cleanup its dump.
Page 6 of the application states:
“The second transportation project of high priority from an economic benefit perspective is part of the redevelopment of the eastern portion of the Norfolk Southern Dillerville Yard on land adjacent to Harrisburg Pike. Lancaster General Hospital and Franklin and Marshall College, two major institutions in the county, plan to establish a vibrant “Eds and Meds” mixed use development on the vacated rail yard site and part of the adjacent former Armstrong Liberty Street Plant site. The new development will create and sustain
nearly 2,900 direct long-term jobs and another 2,000 indirect and induced jobs. The entire Dillerville Yard Redevelopment Project totals $46 million in public and private funds.
As part of the project total, $7.5 million in TIGER funding is proposed for civil engineering, demolition of structures and tracks, environmental remediation and site grading on the vacated site and construction to connect two existing city streets and install new sidewalks, curbs and streetscape improvements (Phase 3 of the Dillerville Yard project).”
Is the “eds” the football field or homage to the governor?
Is the “eds” the football field or homage to the governor?
That tax money will be used to cleanup Norfolk Southern’s pollution, just like the Governor giving LCSWMA $10M to cleanup its dump.
Page 6 of the application states:
“The second transportation project of high priority from an economic benefit perspective is part of the redevelopment of the eastern portion of the Norfolk Southern Dillerville Yard on land adjacent to Harrisburg Pike. Lancaster General Hospital and Franklin and Marshall College, two major institutions in the county, plan to establish a vibrant “Eds and Meds” mixed use development on the vacated rail yard site and part of the adjacent former Armstrong Liberty Street Plant site. The new development will create and sustain
nearly 2,900 direct long-term jobs and another 2,000 indirect and induced jobs. The entire Dillerville Yard Redevelopment Project totals $46 million in public and private funds. As part of the project total, $7.5 million in TIGER funding is proposed for civil engineering, demolition of structures and tracks, environmental remediation and site grading on the vacated site and construction to connect two existing city streets and install new sidewalks, curbs and streetscape improvements (Phase 3 of the Dillerville Yard project).”
Is the “eds” the football field or homage to the governor?
Why does Norfolk/Southern call it ‘Dillerville Yard’? Because that area was once a very small village called Dillerville [or Dillersville, though the latter was more frequently used]. And since this was a converging point of the Pennsylvania and Reading railroads, the PRR built a yard there… hence Dillerville Yard and not ‘rail yard’.