Keystone Warehouses

[Tom Benjey]

I have no recollection of saying anything about how long the supervisors have been on the board. Please point out where I said anything about that. Tom Faley and Jim Baker have been supervisors for a long time. Duff Manweiler retired a year ago after serving many years. Ron Reeder served previously before he relocated to another area. Phyllis Givler and Bryan Gembusia have served 5 and 1 years, respectively.

I admit to being a newcomer moving here in 1978. I have owned 3 houses in the township. The newest was built in about 1900, a few years before my birth. In 1978 South Middleton was a relatively expensive place to live because of Met-Ed and having our own school district. Those moving here at that time felt the quality of life was worth the expense. Now the quality of life is gone but, as you point out, taxes are still high.

Surprisingly this residential sprawl we are experiencing has not increased school emrollment significantly as student population has remained fairly flat in spite of the out-of-control development.

Millions of sq ft of warehouses and large retail complexes built in the last decade or so have not reduced our taxes. Don't expect taxes to go down when the approved but not built warehouses, hospital and shopping center are completed. Taxes rarely go down because those with the authority to spend tax money usually find things to spend it on and seldom return it to us. Taxes are not in question; they are going to go up regardless. What is in question is quality of life.

[Carlisle Reader]

What taxes are you talking about?...I thought S.Middleton prided itself in not taxing its residents. The problem with the immigrants to the township in the last decade or so, is they want the good life at the expense of the 'natives'.

[vel]

"It is no coincidence that poor people live in undesirable areas, such as those near refineries and chemical plants; it makes perfect sense. Property values for houses in undesirable locations are lower than elsewhere and people who can afford better typically choose to live in less polluted places. The same phenomenon is happening here. A number of long-term residents are quietly selling their houses here and relocating out of the township. Some people approaching retirement are plotting their escapes to other locales when they retire. Some younger people are already making general plans even though they are not yet in a position to plunk down any money for their retirement homes."

So, they are moving out to take up some more farm land with new houses. This doesn't do much to support your arguments that farm land does so much for taxes. There is also the problem with few people wanting to be farmers anymore. And if they want to be farmers, then someone will complain about the smell, or the dust, etc, etc.

And yes, property values are less in polluted areas. But why should someone have to live in a polluted area if it's being polluted by something that someone else wants or does? Why not shut down the refineries since they really aren't needed if you don't drive your car so much because of your long commutes?

Everyone can't have everything they want. If they do,then we have a society of the haves and the have-nots.

[Tom Benjey]

It's nice to see that our Carlisle neighbor has a sense of humor.

If I understand VEL's statement, he or she thinks farmland is not a good for a township tax-wise because it might be developed someday. Someone else can decipher that logic.

Here is a link to an article that helps explain why we are under siege with residential development: biz.yahoo.com/brn/050113/14985_1.html
The Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon is number 11 on the list of places with affordable housing. Many of the places higher on the list are in what used to be the industrial midwest and have lost much of their manufacturing base.

This helps explain why so many people are moving out here from cities in New York and New Jersey. It's cheaper here.

[Tom Benjey]

Articles in both local papers inform us that North Middleton Township has been considering tax incentives to attract a tenant for a long-empty warehouse: www.cumberlink.com/articles/2005/01/21/business/busi01.txt
Although they dodged a bullet, at least for a while, when Borders leased 3/4 of the building without being granted tax incentives, the problem exists in other townships. All those warehouse for lease signs you see identify properties that may have their tax contributions reduced in the not-too-distant future, one way or another. The Sentinel should sponsor a contest for creative uses for empty warehouses.