Monthly Archives: December 2013

Lower Macungie Christmas tree pickup, recycling information & dates

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Did you know that here in LMT when waste management picks up your Christmas Tree it is taken to our yard waste center for recycling?

ChristmasTreeRecycle

Why Recycle Christmas Trees: 33 million Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. every year. Compared to artificial trees, real Christmas trees are a renewable resource. 98 percent of trees are grown and harvested each year as a crop. 1000’s of locally owned and operated tree farms across the nation are supported. Real Christmas trees are carbon neutral and create biodegradable waste, making them the greener choice! It’s still important to keep Christmas trees out of landfills where they biodegrade slowly due to low oxygen levels. Here in LMT we’re doing our part by recycling trees into mulch/humus which is then available for pickup by residents at our yard waste recycling center.

Here is pickup schedule for Lower Macungie:

  • Christmas trees will be picked up by Waste Management on your normal trash collection day (by separate truck) during the weeks of January 6th and January 13th, 2014.

Remember: Trees will not be accepted if they are in plastic bags, bound with twine and/or have any ornamentation on them, including lights. 

  • If you wish to remove your tree earlier: They can be taken to the Yard Waste Recycling Center at 5536 Indian Creek Road. The same rules regarding ornamentation apply. Township website, www.lowermac.com has hours of operation.

*Note: Christmas wreaths cannot be placed out with your tree or brought to the Yard Waste Center. Wreaths should be placed in with your trash.

 

Allentown incinerator thoughts…

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Proposed 48,000 square-foot waste to energy facility.

Proposed 48,000 square-foot waste to energy facility.

There is a school of thought that the Delta-Thermo trash incinerator deal is not only a bad deal for the city, but also a bad deal for all the suburban communities. This includes Lower Macungie, Macungie and Alburtis, who may pay a little bit more to send their wastewater to the city sewage treatment plant. Over the past year the deal has generated alot of opposition within the city but not as much outside even though the deal definitely will have some effect on suburban communities. (It’s how some believe that in Allentown this past Nov. an underfunded independent challenger did alot better than expected against a well funded incumbent Pawloski who has a ton of name recognition.)

The increased cost is because of LCA’s new obligations since leasing the Allentown Water and Sewer System. Since LCA provides sewer service to these communities, it’s safe to assume rate-payers will shoulder cost increases associated with the Allentown deal.

The city agreed to pay Delta-Thermo an exorbitant premium to burn the sewage sludge in the incinerator, which was necessary to make the incinerator project financially feasible. Now they passed on the costs of sludge disposal to LCA. Sludge is a byproduct of the sewage treatment plant. The city currently pays to dispose of sludge in landfills. When the Lehigh County Authority won the lease to operate the city’s water and sewage system, it also inherited the deal to sell the sludge to the new waste to energy incinerator.

This is more expensive and the LCA will pass on this extra cost.

So just remember when you finish your business you’re also helping Allentown’s Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful. Also worth a couple minutes to Google Marcel Groen. He is a Democratic kingmaker apparently who is an investor in the incinerator and also an advisor to the Mayor’ gubernatorial campaign. You’ll find some noteworthy connections.

 

The 1st Amendment.

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The Duck Dynasty “controversy” is the hot button topic of the nation. To me it’s simple. Phil Robertson’s 1st amendment rights were not “violated” and to say so reflects a serious misunderstanding or worse blatant distortion of the constitution.

Let’s review: The gov’t did not arrest or restrict Robertson. The FCC didn’t fine him. He wasn’t prosecuted in a court of law for speaking his mind. What happened was an employer reacted to statements made in a public forum. This is fair since Phil is a public figure and A&E is a private company.

A&E paid (pays?) him handsomely to be in the public realm. It’s a choice to accept a job as a television personality. After his remarks, A&E made a business decision that his remarks could hurt their bottom line. Last I checked a cable network can’t restrict 1st amendment rights, they can only choose not to give that person a platform. When your in the public realm your subject to the free market. If your an athlete, television star, politician, musician ect. ect., your position hangs on public image. Those who support you and pay good money for a product have every right to choose not to support it based on your public persona. This has nothing to do with the 1st amendment.

It’s similar to the Gilberton issue. Yes, “Chief Kessler” has the right to make an ass out of himself on youtube. But the town, it’s residents and elected leaders have the right to not be represented by a clown. So they suspended him. They exercised their rights.

Time will tell if A&E made the right decision. In the end it may have been a bad decision, but it was their business decision to make. The government didn’t interfere with individuals deciding what they think is or is not offensive. The gov’t doesn’t decide who should be rewarded in the public realm. In this case viewers and sponsors do. The gov’t shouldn’t interfere with the market. If enough people were offended by Robertson’s remarks then A&E’s decision would prove correct. Only time will tell.

The 1st amendment protects us from the gov’t making laws that restrict free speech, the press and freedom of religion. A&E is a private company with the right to hire and fire.  Robertsons ‘rights’ weren’t restricted by Gov’t. Today, this very second Phil still has the right to say whatever he wants.

The storm of reactions implicating some sort of 1st amendment issue represents a lack of understanding about what the constitution is and isn’t. It’s alarming when politicians take part. People like Sarah Palin choose words carefully to strategically fan fires for gain. It’s pandering. I’ve come to expect that from Palin but was disappointed when someone like Bobby Jindal jumped into the fray. 

Someone nailed it in the comments in the Bacon’s rebellion post below… “How can you be an elected official who supports the Constitution and get it so seriously mixed up with free market businesses?”. To me that is scary. When we have issues where the constitution is slowly morphing (principles of federalism, the ACA, bottom up gov’t) we need Republicans who understand the document they claim to protect. When politicians choose to distort it and it’s principles for personal gain you hurt the Republican brand.

Other good reads on this topic:
Phil Robertson and A&E Fight Not About 1st Amendment, Expert Says

Bacon’s Rebellion

 

Lower Macungie BOC Agenda Preview 12/19

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FYI – This is a practice I started and will continue as a member of the BOC. In these previews  I may indicate a voting inclination, but it in no way means my mind is made up on any issue. During a critical hearing for the Jaindl issue, a Commissioner once spoke before public comment outlining he was voting to move forward the project regardless of what people said during public comment. That was wrong.

My hope is by doing this I open the door for conversations before public meetings. One of my biggest issues with the Jaindl debacle was people didn’t truly understand what was happening until it was “too late”. I plan on doing everything I can to make sure residents have background information and then my thoughts on issues before they come to a vote  in front of the board. This is one mechanism to do that. I hope people find it useful. Please contact me at ronbeitler@gmail.com if you have any questions about any issues.

12/19/13 Complete agenda with detail

NOTE: This will be the first BOC in the new meeting room. I have mixed feelings about this. Yes, it is beautiful. And most of the work was done by township public works staff. And they did a fantastic job. And yes, I think it includes much needed improvements to our Audio Visual setup. These are important since they allow better participation for residents during critical hearings and approvals. Especially ones dealing with land development plans. I firmly believe residents should be able to see what commissioners  see during hearings. The new room has a giant monitor just for this specific purpose. Additionally the recording equipment was updated.

Where my mixed feelings come into play is the giant (and I mean GIANT) new Dias. I do not think this was needed and felt moving the old Dias to the new room (previous ballroom) would have been sufficient if this would have resulted in cost savings. I do not think we needed additional seating and further I actually prefer volunteer commission meetings to take place in more informal settings. I think the formality of the room in some ways creates a barrier to participation. If I had my way, the pulpit would be removed and residents could speak (when called upon to maintain order) from their seats. I do understand this is tough because of the recording requirements of meetings. Basically, I think the AV enhancements were needed. But overall, the room is pretty exorbitant and I’m not sure if I would have voted for this version had I been seated in 2013. I would have liked to explore less costly and smaller Dias variations/options.

Announcements & Presentations
There are 2 Eagle Scout projects on the Agenda. This is always a pleasure to see.
Dr. Gary Cordner – Police Protection Study.
Executive summary outline here of police protection study.

Hearings and Approvals – None

Communication

  • 5 statements of interest for various positions. Remember,  these vacancies will be filled in January but the township always accepts applications! (they will keep on file for 1 year)
  • There is one letter opposing Hamilton Crossings TIF.
  • 6 letters opposing Real Estate Tax
  • 2 letters supporting increase EIT instead of Real Estate Tax
  • 2 letters in support of Real Estate Tax
  • 1 Letter encouraging investigation of Home Rule Charter
  • One letter encouraging creation of a police force and supportive of tax to support. (Note, seems to be the minority opinion based on conversations with residents)

Engineer – Approval of Hydrant Installation for Spring Creek Properties (Jaindl). Note, I believe we will be seeing Jaindl spring creek land development plans coming to the township next month. I will be sure to keep residents informed. The entire subdivision will be one of the largest development projects in township history. Over the last 3 years I opposed the rezoning of 700 acres of farmland where this industrial (warehouse) project will be built and I supported the resident funded litigation attempting to overturn the zoning. Moving forward, I think it’s critical residents stay involved in the process.

Township Manager: Presenting 2013 year in review.

Page 2 od LMT Manager Report 2013 in review

Page 2 od LMT Manager Report 2013 in review

Old Business:

Couple items here, one of note. The policy regarding appointments of incumbents to volunteer boards. I feel as though all applicants including incumbents should be interviewed. This will be addressed at a January meeting.

Nice letter about Willow Lane Elementary

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Below is a letter written by a resident about WLES. There was another couple weeks ago complimenting the crossing guards. Last BOC meeting was justifiably dominated by tax issues so I wanted to post the letter. It reflects alot of the rationale for building neighborhood schools as opposed to “sprawl campuses” that are disconnected from the neighborhoods they serve.

Yes, rollout was at times complicated to say the least. But when dealing with ensuring safe routes most of the parent safety concerns were warranted. After initial hiccups and the inevitable politicking that came during election season, from my observations the program has been a success. From my standpoint as a smart growth advocate, I agree with many of Scott’s comments below about fostering a connected community with a sense of place.

A community benefits when we build neighborhood schools. I was supportive of WLES’s location for this reason during the planning process. I think it’s a suburban walkable model located appropriately in the middle of 100’s of homes. Hindsight, I  wish the walking routes were discussed during land development so that walking was rolled out when the school first came online. I still to this day have no clue why they weren’t. I know it was late in the game that walking was postponed.

So let’s keep working through the kinks.  I have heard about speeding issues on the interior driveways leading to the school. I also still believe we need to texture the crosswalks and install “stalker boards” (radar boards that tell drivers their speed) on the corridor. Aside from that, I think the township improvements have worked out. I do think the crossing guards have done a fine job.

Anything else on the township end that we should be aware of? What do you think of the letter below? Let me know in the comments. 

How we make traditional development illegal.

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Interested in stunting the re-development of a traditional Main St.? Do you want to make entrepreneurship prohibitively expensive? How do you ensure your Main St. is a ghost-town during prime business hours?

Set up more barriers! Make sure you institute arbitrary parking requirements and require them of all commercial land uses.

Take 5 minutes to watch this case study of a place called Surrey. (From Stroad to Boulevard blog). This really demonstrates the insanity of arbitrary parking requirements.

At 3:30 mark is it coincidence the devolution of Front street occurred with the institution of arbitrary offstreet parking standards?

Main St. Macungie, the downtown business district – 11am on a Tuesday.

Macungie Borough business district 11am on a Tuesday. Parking issues?

Interested in Smart Growth issues in the East Penn area? Friends “FriendsLMT” on facebook! An online smart growth resident association.

LMT BOC Agenda Preview 12/5

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FYI – This is a practice I started and will continue as a member of the BOC. With these previews while I may indicate a voting inclination, it in no way means my mind is made up on any issue. Back during a critical hearing for the Jaindl issue, a Commissioner once spoke before public comment outlining he was voting to move forward the project regardless of what people said during public comment. That was wrong.

My hope is this opens the door for conversations before public meetings. One of my biggest issues with the Jaindl debacle was people didn’t truly understand what was happening until it was “too late”. I plan on doing everything I can to make sure residents have background information and my thoughts on issues before they come to a vote  in front of the board. This is one mechanism to do that. I hope people find it useful. 

12/5/13 Complete agenda with detail

Hearings and Approvals – Kratzer Farm Minor Subdivision
I’ve written alot on this subject. The house will not be sold before January 6th when new Commissioners are sworn in. I do not support the sale of any portion of the Kratzer farm parcel at this time. Selling assets is not solving our underlying financing problems. Selling assets that make sense to sell was good policy over the last 3 years. The Kratzer farm however is unique. It makes no sense to sell at this time. Or better put, there is not good reason or pressing reason to sell it at this time. Not before a comprehensive plan is complete for the parcel. Further, every relevant volunteer board (planning commission, EAC, Parks) objects to the sale of park property at this time. Original position on Kratzer Farm open space

Communication
Compliments:
Scott Alderfer writes a nice letter complimenting crossing guard staff at WLES.
Richard O’Keefe writes complimenting staff on Leaf Collection

Positions:
Carol Black writes in opposition of TIF funding for Hamilton Crossings

18 residents wrote in opposition to property tax. Many favor Conrads EIT alternative. Of note, at least 2 seemed confused about municipal taxes. For ex: one mentioned “subsidizing schools”. Seems confused on school tax vs. muni property taxes….

3 residents wrote in favor of the tax increase and provided supporting rationale.

Solicitor: Solicitor has a note about “Deed in lieu of condemnation of Sauerkraut Rt. 100 intersection. I think this has to do with acquiring land for Sauerkraut extension. I need more information about this before I write about it.

Township Manager:
This will be the huge topic of the night. The ordinance adopting the 2014 budget. I will be writing about this tomorrow. I am looking forward to hearing comments from residents, Commissioners and staff.

Here are some posts I made about the subject over the past 2 weeks.

Blogs
What is home rule charter – and link to Ryan Conrad’s proposed plan
One pro property tax argument that has been made.

Mcall
Lower Macungie property tax proposal stirs last-minute outcry
 

Macungie Borough probably doesn’t have a parking problem….

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Continuing the parking theme this week. Moving over to Macungie Borough, the other municipality I spend a lot of time in. It’s where my business is located.

Perception is that Macungie has “parking problems”. As someone who parks in the borough daily I disagree. Rarely if ever do I have issues parking close to any destination I want to get to downtown.

How parking requirements hurt small businesses

To demonstrate my point I took a little walk. 11am on a Tuesday. Prime business time right? (NOTE: I’m am going to followup with the same exercise at night. I suspect we’ll be closer to peak parking since we have a lot of Main St. renters, but we’ll still have excess.)

From Park entrance to railroad tracks (what I’d call the business district):

  • 55 open spaces were completely unused. (this did include a loading zone and 30 minute parking spaces)
  • Only 33 spaces were actually utilized by vehicles.

To illustrate that here is what a 50 car parking lot looks like in the suburban model. Basically at 11am on a Tuesday you have this amount of parking in the downtown borough business district completely unused. If a box retailer had this amount of parking available during prime business hours would anyone call it an issue?

Parking for 50 cars is outlined in this photo. (CVS parking lot) This is basically equal to the amount of open parking in the borough of Macungie on any given weekday over lunch.

 Below are photos of the “Parking problem” Dec. 3rd (yes winter, but a nice winter day) at 11am. Like I said, going to try the same exercise tonight. See what we’re dealing with nighttime.

Macungie Borough 11am on a Tuesday. Parking issues?

Parking problems?

Yes, I do think Macungie has some issues with it’s Main St. business district. Tractor Trailer traffic is the biggest. The condition of the streetscape is next. But for some reason I hear parking most often. You don’t have a parking problem, until you have a parking problem. Parking issues are a symptom of a thriving business district. Excessive parking regulations are a barrier to a thriving business district. If a thriving business district is the goal, remove the barriers. Then deal with the by-products after you have success. Otherwise we’re just a place with a whole lotta parking, but not many places to go.

Will our new developments stand the test of time?

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I enjoyed reading this Mcall piece about the PPL building in Allentown: PPL manager takes special care of landmark building.

Got me thinking about growth & development here in Lower Mac. Are projects being built now in Lower Mac being built to last? Will our built environment stand the test of time like the PPL building has? For nearly a century the tower has stood as a local landmark. It’s a symbol of pride and creates a sense of place.

Histories Headlines: PPL Tower was architects ‘sculpted mountain’ – WFMZ

Do we still build landmarks? Here is an example: Is this project going to stand the test of time. In 100 years will it serve as a focal point of our community? (Hamilton Crossings) HC is billed as the “gateway to the township”. Does it deserve that pedestal? In 100 years will people feel a sense of pride when they look at Hamilton Crossings?

Will it even still stand in 75? How about 40 years? I for one doubt it. In fact, I would bet Hamilton Crossings will still be the beneficiary of tax abatement long after it’s deteriorated into another dated strip relic. Box commercial is notorious for it’s short lifespan.

What do you think? Why do we not build projects we can proud of here? Other suburbs value their built environment. Why don’t we get commercial development “built to last” here? What are we doing wrong? Is it because we don’t demand it? Is it because we are shortsighted and in 20 years we’ll pay the price when people flock to places that did care?

Photo: Artist John Epler’s winning 2008 Holiday Card for Allentown. Features the PPL building in downtown Allentown. The painting is titled “Shades of Winter.”

Will this building stand the test of time? Will it even be standing still in 20 years? The lifespan of strip box commercial is notoriously short. Will it even last the length of the TIF used to fund it?

Built to last? Or another strip eyesore in 20 years?

The other side of the Tax argument… Should residents pay for warehousing?

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Ongoing dialogue about the tax issue.

Last week, I posted about Home Rule Charter. It’s the lynchpin of Commissioner Conrads proposal to replace property tax with an increased earned income tax. The problem is almost no one understands what Home Rule Charter is. Including myself until I started researching it. I’m still learning. As I outlined last week it’s a complicated undertaking. There are positives and negatives. One negative being it is not easy to initiate. It takes both time and alot of money. I thought it was important to get people thinking about Home Rule.

Today, I wanted to spend some time talking about arguments I’ve heard in favor of property tax. It’s important to present both sides of the argument. To understand the argument, we need context.  4 years ago, the township refused to fight a quarry proposal and instead engaged in a Memorandum of Understanding that resulted in 700 acres of farmland (Over 1 square mile) rezoned to mostly industrial.

Industrial and Orlic = Distribution warehouses. In this case, large distribution warehouses. This is our new reality.

The pro property tax argument centers around our growing inventory of commercial and industrial development. Since we’ve gone down this road with no turning back some argue warehousing is a key to our fiscal equation. Much like Upper Macungie. This, in my opinion becomes the most compelling counter argument for a property tax.

To put it simply, the EIT plan let’s warehousing and large commercial shopping centers off the hook.

Remember, there is no single use in the entire township that generates more liabilities than distribution warehouses. Under Ryan Conrad’s proposed plan warehousing contributes very little to Lower Macungie’s tax base aside from LST and one time windfall.

You can further assume that a large number working at these large distribution warehouses are folks from outside the township. (evidenced by LANTA’s push to expand lines to them) Because of this we capture little EIT from employees locally.

I have a hard time trying to reconcile warehousing paying so little in local taxes with my belief that development should pay it’s own way over the long term. Residents should not carry the bag for industrial and commercial development.

Here are some numbers to think about. Under .33 mil property tax proposal.
A 200,000 residential home: = 66.00 in property tax
8,000,000 Shopping Center (Trexlertown mall) = 2,640.00
*24,000,0000 Industrial Warehouse: = 8250.00 in property tax.
*74,000,000 projected value of Hamilton Crossings: = 24,420.00 (/2 with TIF = 12,210.00)
*Assessed values based on County website
**Based on TIF narrative 

Here is my question to residents:
Now that Commissioners have doubled down on warehousing, isn’t it sort of crazy not to cash in?