Unless the unlikelihood of reimbursement be made by the contractors for the cost of the delay, the answer is somewhat convoluted but amounts to: The Taxpayers and perhaps also countywide hoteliers.

Reproduced by permission from www.LookingatLancaster.com. “Some things simply do not make sense. A good example is the announcement of yet another delay in the completion of the hotel and convention center project in downtown Lancaster, PA.

Last weekend, I walked downtown to take pictures of the project, as usual. I encountered a construction worker on break, and he initiated a conversation with me. One of the things he mentioned several times was the number of water leaks that they had to deal with, and the amount of drywall work that needs to be redone as a result.

NewsLanc recently interviewed Mark Herr, a resident of Poplar St in Lancaster City who is working to coordinate his South West city neighborhood into a unified association called the Cabbage Hill Neighbors. The section of Lancaster City dubbed “Cabbage Hill” is roughly bordered by Manor St on the West, W King on the North, and Water St on the East. The area was originally populated in the late 1800s by German immigrants working at new factories inthe Western part of the city.

In a letter to parents circulated to school children today, School District of Lancaster Superintendent Pedro Rivera writes: “Although the current circumstances do not warrant it, I would encourage parents to work on a contingency plan for childcare now in case of a local outbreak requiring schools to close. If this were to happen, parents and guardians would be notified immediately. Please know your child’s safety is our primary concern.” There are English and Spanish versions of the letter.

At last night’s Lancaster County Convention Center Board Meeting, the Board held a firm tone in their discussion with developers Tom Smithgall (representing High Construction) and Tim Sullivan (representing Reynolds Construction). When asked by Chairman Art Morris for comment regarding the most recent opening delay, the two developers initially declined, citing that all relevant information had already been shared; but upon the urging of PR Chair Kevin Fry, Smithgall and Sullivan ended up spending nearly an hour speaking with the Board, and even agreed to present a detailed account of the delay at a meeting next Wednesday.

At today’s public County Commissioners’ Meeting, Crystal Gingrich, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Children and Youth Agency (CYA), presented an overview of the current challenges facing the organization, as well as the steps that are being taken to improve services.

On Tuesday evening, several dozen Lancaster City residents met for the first of four community meetings regarding a $3 million plan to introduce 105 new surveillance cameras in the city. The gathering was hosted by Joe Morales, City Council Member and Executive Director of the Lancaster Community Safety Coalition (LCSC). The LCSC is a private organization of citizens interested in pursuing the implementation of digital video technology to reduce crime in Lancaster City.

I was disappointed in the coverage of the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee meeting published in the April 28 New Era. A couple of dozen members of TRRAAC took time from work and other activities to come downtown for a 12:30 pm meeting. We wanted the committee to delay voting to give $4 Million in our federal tax money to F&M until a real public hearing and opportunity for public comment would occur. The newspaper originally erroneously reported that the committee had approved the $4 Million request two weeks ago.

At today’s County Commissioners’ Work Session, Mary Stehman, Chief Clerk/Registrar of the Lancaster County Election Office met with Commissioners Stuckey and Martin to discuss the “Adoption of Election Night Policy and Procedures.” The procedures are largely the same as those currently in place, but are being mildly adjusted for the upcoming elections in 2010.