Lancaster blunders and missed opportunities in 2015

By Robert Field

Looking back on 2015, we are again reminded of how difficult, most times impossible, it has been to avoid tragedies and spur improvements in Lancaster.

Lancaster Public Library:   We thought this fourth try through commitment to a very significant grant would lead at long last to the expansion and renovation of the downtown Lancaster Public Library.   After much study, plans costing hundreds of thousands of dollars had had been finalized a half a dozen years ago. All that was necessary was a minor updating to take into consideration technological progress. It didn’t and we fear won’t happen. It isn’t for lack of funds. Rather it is like herding cats.

Lancaster Square East: Long into their third term in office (ten years), Mayor Rick Gray and his head planner Randy Patterson haven’t moved the project one jot. The Brunswick and its Annex could have been purchased for modest money and razed. The Bulova Building, long vacant and of zero economic value, has been in bankruptcy and is ripe for acquisition. The sale of the sites to developers of residential condominiums would have covered the costs of acquisitions. But Gray and Patterson refused a meeting to even discuss how this could be brought about. If herding cats was the obstacle with the library, ignorance and stubbornness when it comes to development issues on the part of Gray has thwarted important downtown development.   What progress that has taken place has been due to a national gentrification trend for young people and seniors to flock to downtown areas.

Lancaster’s Combination Sanitary and Storm Sewer System: Gray and Patterson were totally resistant to meaningful and incremental solutions to the problems that would serve the citizenry.   Instead they propose roof gardens and porous paving, sleighst of hand, not significant solutions. Sooner or later the Department of Environmental Protection will flex its muscles, and then city taxpayers will choke on the huge cost to prevent sewage discharge during storms  into the Conestoga River and downstream into the Chesapeake Bay.

Lancaster Downtown CRIZ Zone: The City Redevelopment Improvement Zone plan provides grants (actually gifts) to the Convention Center for renovation and to private interests for their projects. The theory is that the downtown Lancaster CRIZ Zone will benefit economically and produce extra taxes that can be used to pay off the grants. Fat chance!   We wrote articles explaining how these gifts today would have to be paid off by our children and grandchildren.   Just about everyone who is knowledgeable agreed but others were not willing to speak out.

Lancaster General Hospital: One moment it was a wholly owned community asset earning $150 million a year and worth $1.5 billion to $2 billion. The next it became part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Was it just to create an even bigger health monopoly to charge  insurance companies more and consequentially drive up insurance premiums? Or is it part of a bigger plan for the U of P System to offer its own health insurance and possibly bring down health care cost? No one knows because those in charge weren’t saying. And if any studies were made, they weren’t shared with the Lancaster public. No one knows.   No one seems to care. Think of what could have been done with the money had Lancaster General been sold rather than given away!

AMTRAK STATION: The initial parking plan as part of the station renovation actually reduced the number of spaces and would have caused passengers to walk much further had not NewsLanc and its publisher intervened with AMTRAK’S civil engineers.   Nevertheless, one cannot rely on finding parking spaces on a typical day. So train use which should be a major attraction for the region is choked.   This costs AMTRAK a lot of money and the Lancaster region a lot of opportunity. There is a solution close at hand, across the railroad tracks where the Days Inn used to be. A portion of the vacant site could be a parking garage with a bridge over the tracks to the second floor of the train station. Obvious? But who but NewsLanc is proposing it?

LNP:   Ownership is unwilling to promote the public interest when its financial interests in downtown real estate are in question. Despite NewsLanc’s urgings that LNP co-operate, they turned their backs on the Scott Martin plan that ultimately saved the Convention Center… at least for the time being. Sacrifices  were made by all of the other interested parties – bank, tourist bureau, city – but Marriott Hotel equitable owner Penn Square Partners (half LNP’s parent company and half a Dale High subsidiary) wouldn’t contribute a dime.   Now the long knives are out to obstruct Martin’s candidacy for the state senate.

Which all goes to the question of what really is the matter with Lancastrians, and in this we include the entire region.

Although many recognize the rip-offs and opportunities lost, those who could influence matters are obsessed with ‘getting along by going along.’ Far be it  for establishment  Lancastrians to offend anyone, let alone fellow members at the Hamilton Club or the Lancaster Country Club.

Despite our accomplishments on behalf of society outside the area with the sole exceptions of NewsLanc the  Lancaster Harm Reduction Project, over the course of 2015 we haven’t been able to accomplished much for the region.

But is hasn’t been for want of trying.

POST SCRIPT:  If you agree with much of the above, you can help by forwarding  https://newslanc.com/2016/01/01/lancaster-blunders-and-missed-opportunities-in-2015/ to ten local  friends.