At a Thursday, March 31 special public meeting, the Lancaster Township board of supervisors voted unanimously to recommend that the administration formally present the School District of Lancaster board with their latest emergency services location proposal. The newly proposed location also satisfied the majority of previous complaints from local residents regarding potential loss of park space and impact on nearby residential streets.

On Thursday evening, after a months-long and contentious public discussion, board chair Tom Schaller asserted that “my gut feeling is that we’ve got to give [township manager] Bill [Laudien] some direction here.” Schaller, along with the rest of the three-member board, ultimately directed in favor of the latest plan.

Board member Ben Bamford ruled out the second-newest proposal—to develop a vacant lot at West Street and Elm Avenue—noting that the property could be commercially developed in near future. Bamford also questioned the “Elm” proposal due to its potential redirecting of traffic on Atkins and Spencer Ave.

Kathy Wasong, another board member, favored the latest proposal as the least likely to send fire engine traffic through residential streets.

Rather than sitting behind Planet Fitness with private access drives to Atkins Ave and Millersville Pike, the new location would front on Millersville Pike, sitting alongside the Planet Fitness parking lot. A one-way private drive leading to the fire house from Atkins Avenue would run along the Manor House Apartment’s property line and behind Planet Fitness. It would begin at a point that would minimize travel along the residential Atkins Ave. All emergency vehicles would exit at Millersville Pike.

Township residents, who turned out in an audience of more than 80, were largely in favor of the newest plan. Several expressed that they had been strongly opposed to the first proposal, but have appreciated the changes recently made.

Robert Field spoke as part-owner and representative of Manor House Apartments and called the new proposal a “win-win situation,” noting the diversion of emergency facility traffic from single-family residential parts of Atkins Ave and the preservation of park space. Field asserted that, while the Elm Avenue location could avoid any negative affect on Manor House, he was convinced that the new location near 999 would maximize the potential of such a center.

Some remained strongly opposed to any plan that would develop any parcel of the park. Kim Lutz, an active member of the Friends of Lancaster Township Park group, argued that the township should strive to preserve as much of that open space as possible, since the district could further develop nearby plots in the years to come. Another woman called it “sacrilegious” to build on even a smaller piece of the park.

Having obtained the supervisors’ approval, the township administration can now formally request a change in its lease agreement with the district. After that, the plan will be subject to review from PenDOT.

I’ve confirmed through numerous sources that the vast majority of the staff that works events at the Convention Center are working for temp agencies. This allows Interstate Hotels and Resorts to hire a minimum number of people, while keeping their personnel and benefit costs down.

As far as I know, there are only three businesses which have opened as a direct result of the project: the new Subway across the street, the new Tropical Smoothie Cafe across the street, and the couple who give guided Segway tours from a storefront on N. Queen St. There may have been others, but the point is that downtown Lancaster will never see the kind of economic revitalization from the hotel and convention center project which was practically guaranteed by Gib Armstrong and Charlie Smithgall.

I agree that this is a prime example of wasteful government spending.

I must take issue with the question that you posed to these businesses as it is the same inane question that LNP has been asking for 11 years.

The more apropos question to pose to downtown merchants, who as of yet have paid nothing for the CC, is whether or not they would support some kind of tax or fee levied against each and every one of their customers, each and every day of the year, for the benefit they might see over a 20-40 day a year period?

I wonder how much support you will see from downtown merchants when that questioned is asked?

From the FINANCIAL TIMES:

US companies continued to cut jobs in March, dashing hopes that private sector employers would begin hiring for the first time in two years.

Private businesses cut 23,000 workers this month, according to a survey from ADP employer services. on Wednesday. That failed to meet expectations of Wall Street analysts who were expecting gains of 40,000, but was the smallest monthly total of job losses since February 2008.

Separately on Wednesday, commerce department figures showed that US factory orders climbed by 0.6 per cent to $383.5bn in February after rising by a revised 2.5 per cent the prior month. It was the 10th rise in the last 11 months as businesses have looked to replenish inventories to meet renewed demand…

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Enjoy Bob Evans delicious pancakes & sausage as we listen to our panel discuss the importance of providing ex-offenders the support they need to reintegrate back into our community…  Q & A time will be available to learn more about how you can help.

Sponsored by Bob Evans Restaurants and Justice and Mercy, Inc.

Panel Consists of: 

Scott Sheely,  Workforce Investment Board

Scott Fischer,  Lancaster Council of Churches

Mark Wilson,  County Adult Probation & Parole

Craig Stedman,  District Attorney of Lancaster

Tuesday, April 6th   7:30 – 9 am

Held at:  Liberty Place,

313 W. Liberty St, Lanc, PA  17603

For reservations, call/email:  Ruthi Schultz   717.808.9368   RuthiS@justicemercy.org

Reservations Required      $20 fee accepted at the door

The Lancaster County Convention Center has long been billed as a boon to downtown businesses and a catalyst for local revitalization. Last week’s American Quilt Society show at the center, perhaps the largest expo of its kind to ever be held in Lancaster, could be viewed as a significant litmus test for that longstanding claim. NewsLanc surveyed 23 downtown shops this week to see how much their business was up during the course of the show.

The result, averaged from locations in close proximity to the event as well as some several blocks north, showed a rise in business of roughly 21%.

Businesses within a block of the convention center—including the Tropical Smoothie Café, Isaac’s Downtown, Ric’s Bread, and the Penn Square Grille—all estimated an increase of business near or above 100%.

But not all shops near the center saw such an influx of quilters. Character’s Pub, a classy bar and restaurant tucked away near the back of Isaac’s, only experienced a 5-10% jump. About the same increase was estimated by Annie Bailey’s, which shares the first block of East King with the Marriott.

Tony’s Fashion’s, located directly across from a convention center entrance on South Queen, actually saw a drop in business last week. According to the owner, local customers were deterred due to parking limitations from the show.

Most businesses north of Orange Street did not see gains above 5%. Rachel’s Creperie, Spiro Gyros, Zap & Co., the Fractured Prune, and Square One Coffee all reported no significant up tick in business from the show. Both Gusto and the Alley Cat, however, estimated a jump in business around 20%.

Two significant variables are worth mentioning. On the optimistic side of things, some shop managers noted that the quilt show crowd—predominantly made up of older women—might have been uniquely less inclined to explore what the downtown has to offer. On the other hand, some vendors asserted that a performance at the Fulton last weekend may have made the quilt show returns appear more significant than they actually were.

“Gray told NewsLanc that the City has recently been looking into other means of covering the costs of future event-related services necessitated by the convention center. In particular, he mentioned the possibility of setting aside a portion of funds already given to the City each year by the Penn Square Partners.”

Has Lancaster City actually received any Payments In Lieu Of Taxes from the Penn Square Partners?  I don’t recall a mention of this in the Lancaster City budget for 2010.  Penn Square Partners has been promising annual PILOT of $100,000 or more, but I have seen no evidence that this has actually happened.

I am concerned that Mayor Gray might be making a promise that he cannot deliver on.

From USA TODAY / AP: —

In a reversal of a long-standing ban on most offshore drilling, President Obama is allowing oil drilling 50 miles off Virginia’s shorelines. At the same time, he is rejecting some new drilling sites that had been planned in Alaska.

Obama’s plan offers few concessions to environmentalists, who have been strident in their opposition to more oil platforms off the nation’s shores. Hinted at for months, the plan modifies a ban that for more than 20 years has limited drilling along coastal areas other than the Gulf of Mexico…

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An article “Convicted killer of 2 dies in prison” goes on to say “LeRoy Stoltzfus always maintained he was innocent…”

WATCHDOG: We felt sad for both Stoltzfus and the victims. Modern day DNA testing would have established whether Stoltzfus was indeed guilty of the rape and murder. Where the evidence still exists, scores of people who have been imprisoned have been proven innocent as a result of the new testing methods.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The health care reform legislation that became law last week served up at least one change that many in the restaurant industry seemed almost relieved to see: the promise of a national standard for nutritional labeling requirements on menus…

The National Restaurant Association quickly claimed the new requirements as a win for diners and the establishments that feed them, even as the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest cheered how easy it will be for Americans to determine if a coffee drink holds 20 calories or 800.

Despite the general rush to welcome the changes, there will be challenges for businesses affected by the new rules, which apply to restaurants with 20 or more locations and vending machine operators with 20 or more machines…

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