The Chester County Post
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CALL TO ACTION *** Very Important Message *** The Plan for In a nutshell, this legislation will eliminate school property taxes and replace it with a broader 5% sales tax (replacing the 6% sales tax). This idea has been tested by economists and I have also reviewed it in detail. This is true tax reform. To put it bluntly, it will work. Your school property tax would be eliminated. It's time for everyone to mobilize into action. Here is what you can do and what hope everyone will do: 1. Contact your State Representative and your State Senator by email or letter and urge them to support and vote ?yes? on the Plan for Pennsylvania?s Future (HB?s 116, 117, 118, 119, and 1920). A suggested letter appears at the bottom of this email. Even if you know your Representative and Senator already support this legislation, send an email or letter anyway. They need to show the support of their constituents. If you are unsure who your Representative and Senator are, click this link enter your zip code: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm 2. If you have relatives or friends in other areas of the 3. Use the attached petition and circulate it through your neighborhood. Send the petition to friends and relatives throughout 4. And finally, if you have the time, there will be a grass roots rally on Monday, October 25 in Cheryl and I discussed one potential obstacle to the legislation with Representatives Rohrer and Schroder. TIF plans are being used and introduced not just in Coatesville but throughout I can?t stress enough the importance for citizens to take action. This is a real answer for tax issues plaguing all of us. I applaud Representative Rohrer for shepherding this legislation to this point and the hard work and support of Representative Schroder ? but now it?s time for citizens to act. This is where we can really make a difference. Feel free to copy or forward this email to your friends and relatives in throughout If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. casdact50@yahoo.com
****************************************************** Suggested letter to your Representatives and Senators (and send a copy to Representative Rohrer): Dear _____________________, I, the undersigned individual, am in favor of the total elimination of school property taxes through the Plan for Pennsylvania?s Future (HB?s 116, 117, 118, 119, and 1920) which utilizes a lowered, broadened sales tax to fund public education. I believe this Plan will empower Pennsylvanians while eliminating the burdensome school property taxes. I urge you to co-sponsor, support, and vote yes on this historic legislation.
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Family Blames Hillside for Damages
Michele M. Paiva
Of late, residents of the city are often at odds with Coatesville, but at the recent council meeting on July 25th, a resident came to Coatesville as a last resort, to be heard and to gain closure to a long-standing problem.
Lisa Segers, who lives near the East End near the water tower, has been having problems with her yard and home that she has been trying to resolve, to no avail.
She and her husband Bryon have been battling severe water run off since the Hillside project [Valley Township] had started, resulting in severe deterioration of their property; both the yard and home.
?When there is a flood warning for the area, I am always affected. I have to leave work if there is going to be a flood in the region, because my property is immediately at risk,? said Segers.
Bryon Segers stated he has also needed to leave work because of the situation. ?It has cost us more than time and inconvenience ? it?s also cost us a large portion of our income. I have lost a lot of money because I have to leave work because of this,? he said.
City Manager, E. Jean Krack, was sympathetic, trying to bring some avenue of resource for the family.
Krack admitted, ?I am not sure who the responsible party is. Is it the city? Is it the Segers? Is it Valley Township? Hillview??
Director of Codes, Frank Newhams, added that he would research the situation and bring aboard someone from Valley Township to begin resolution.
Luckily for the Segers, Council member Martin L. Eggleston, was painfully aware of the situation. Living near the Segers he had seen the damage not only to their home and yard, but stated that the entire 800 block was effected, and that he has seen the dangerous water run off.
?A small pipe, which is there, is not enough. The water can?t be contained by the pipe; it isn?t sufficient to carry the water away,? said Eggleston.
He added, ?Down the entire street, water, dirt, debris are collected on Oak Street. This is years of accumulation from run-off, and years of deterioration. You just can?t imagine.?
Krack decided that a meeting needed to come to fruition, and was going to procure their own engineer along with other professionals to get involved. He did state that the Segers might have to look into a legal route, to initiate a lawsuit if need be, to resolve the situation, and that they may act as an alliance with them, supporting their case in a court of law.
Eggleston stated also that the run off is not something that stops when the rain stops.
?The water runs for days after the rain. I?ve seen it run for at least a week after the rain. This is a serious issue, for the entire area, but especially this family, who receive the brunt of it [the damage],? he said.
The Segers have a four-year old child, who also has been a victim of the erosion and water damage.
?My child has allergies, and has been sick off and on because of this,? stated Lisa Segers.
The area, especially the Seger family, has suffered with water-run off erosion, water damage and debris, for about two and a half years, stated Bryon Seger.
He added, ?I?ve had to deal with all of this, including mold, a damaged basement which was once a nice finished basement, erosion of my driveway and yard and more, since the Hillside project began. This has to come to an end.
Municipal Construction with Focus on Community
Michele M. Paiva
The countdown to major construction is upon East Brandywine Township. Although building is hoped to be completed within approximately 15 months- dependant upon the Supervisors decision on the current bid round - for a new municipal complex for both township and police administrative functions ? the road has not been easy for the township.
The township, under direction of Manager, Scott Piersol, has been overseen with careful examination. This endeavor is not new-fangled; it has been in the making for approximately five years. There were bids that were rejected, and engineering firms that were discharged. With a lesser design and new architect, the project is now much more conducive to the township vision and budget.
If you drive by the buildings on Rt. 322, you will evidence that construction is due to begin soon. The township and police are now sharing a temporary space in the Laird Professional Building on Hopewell Road, which is less than a half of a mile from the original building.
The only problems that the move has encountered for the administration, is that because the offices are essentially former doctors offices [with numerous small examination rooms] the space is much more restricted. Piersol, improvising an office out of an old x-ray suite, can only fit two people in his office. There is not an area to have a larger meeting, which is often needed in townships of this size. Within the same floor of the Laird building, Chief Kocsi and Lieutenant Marshman of the Brandywine Regional Police share a larger office.
Another small setback is that township records and plans are not available at the Laird building, due to lack of space. Piersol isn?t fazed though, stating, ?We?ll make do with the limited space.?
The Laird building is best known among local residents as the home of Gateway Medical Practice and the offices of David Stocker, DDS and Allen Seltzer, DDS.
Although Piersol is optimistic, the lack of space does mean that there are additional considerations that must be disentangled; such as the necessity of accommodating larger meetings.
?The meetings of the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and Municipal Authority will be held at the East Brandywine Fire Company Facility, 2096 Bondsville Road in Guthriesville,? said Piersol. He added that the schedule is not changing but only the location is.
?The Delaware Community College [The Chester County Campus, which is in East Brandywine Township, on Bond Drive] has been gracious and offered us the use of one of their classrooms or other rooms for our other Commission and Committee meetings such as the Historical Commission, Open Space Committee, Park and Recreation Board and so on,? said Piersol.
Just as there are minor inconveniences to the township administration, there will be only mild disruptions to the local public, according to Piersol.
?Some slight disruptions when the construction driveway connection is made and final construction of the deceleration taper, which is not designed as a full lane, and final driveway entrance construction,? Piersol stated, is to be expected.
The site of construction, he said, is to be limited to construction and staff on an as-need basis, such as retrieving specific files.
The township alerted residents to this temporary change in location in June by mailing postcards to all residents and business owners, as well as signage.
Chief of Police, Mark Kocsi added, ?None of our telephone numbers have changed and our mail will be forwarded to us regardless of what address is being used.?
?Depending upon the final outcome of our review of bids and decision on moving forward, our recycling center will move to the rear parking area at the East Brandywine Fire Company [Bondsville Road], and the public works equipment will be moved to a fenced area at the Community Park,? said Piersol.
Piersol stresses that the dates of these possible events are still being reviewed.
?Demolition of our present buildings will determine when these final moves will occur. I am anticipating this will occur by the end of August or mid-September,? said Piersol.
The township is hoping to construct the new municipal complex for both the Township and the Police administrative functions as reported; both groups were cramped for space at their previous respective locations. The said buildings were in place and utilized by the township since at least 1969, and an addition in the mid-seventies of a garage.
The area has encountered enormous growth since the 60?s; as an example, Croppers food store was then a small ?Mom & Pop? grocery store housed first where Brandywine General Rental now stands, and then a move to where the Agway now resides. The site of Sunoco, also in the village of Guthriesville, was a small lawn and garden store owned by local builder, Jim Fasel; and Guthriesville Road housed only with only a handful of homes dotting, what was the much narrower and unpaved dirt road. Where the development of Cross Keys now stands, one of the townships ?older? housing developments was a cornfield.
Just to give you an idea of population; according to the census, in 1960, the population in Chester County was less than 200,000. Now it?s well over 500,000 ? with the majority of growth being in the more rural areas, such as East Brandywine Township. According to research, the population in the area has almost tripled; and this is with the last, not new, census statistics. The township had a fast growth occurrence in the 1970?s through 1990?s ?and during that time, only minor improvements have been made to the township offices to support this growth.
Both of the current administrative offices must be demolished in order to construct a new facility, according to Piersol. The new facility will include a connection to McCausland Hall, which was the 1869 Guthriesville school building that has been used for public meetings; the building has always had a strong community tie and this will be preserved among the modernization.
Hanging Out, Soon a Crime in Coatesville
Michele M. Paiva
The city of Coatesville, with a unanimous vote of 5-0, approved on an established curfew for youths in the city, ages eleven and younger, with a 9:30 p.m. curfew and for youths ages twelve to seventeen, a 10:30 p.m. ? 6:00 a.m. and on Friday and Saturday, the older youth group have an additional leeway from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
This means that with the proposed curfew, all children eleven and younger, not accompanied by parents, are subject to arrest if breaking curfew, after 9:30 each evening.
The same is true for those youths ages twelve to seventeen must be accountable by 10:30 nightly, with Friday and Saturday the extension of midnight applying.
Although this curfew, presented by City Manager, E. Jean Krack, is imposed to empower parents, decrease truancy and juvenile crime, as well as protecting youth from being victims of crime; some negative feedback was presented.
One attendee claimed that curfews are illegal, stating she researched this with others and it is against federal law ? she went so far as to tell the council, ?Do what you want, it?s your lawsuit?.
Although the First Amendment give the right to assemble, and though there are many teen groups across the country fighting curfews, the key word in the amendment is ?peaceably? assemble, and is delineated to adults, not minors.
This argument is an old one; the most popular and publicized fight against curfews being in 1999, in Washington, D.C., where the federal appeals court for the D.C. Circuit ruled that [their] proposed curfew did not violate the rights of teenagers.
Legal grounds, such as the case in D.C., have been found constitutional because they have included provisions and exceptions. The law also states that each jurisdiction has the right to enact a reasonable juvenile curfew.
One local example is that of East Bradford Township, which has a curfew with provisions that include: minors accompanied by parents, a minor engaged in employment or is in transit to his place of employment, when a minor is returning home, or seeking aid in an emergency situation.
In 2003, the Pennsylvania Juvenile Defenders Association stated that over 30% of arrests for female youth alone was due to curfew violation.
Curfews are legal and common among some adults as well; many adults who are on probation or parole have curfews, also with provisions.
It is not known when the curfew will take effect.
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Lack of Financing puts Brakes on Bus Service
Michele M. Paiva
Coatesville?s city council meeting on Monday, July 25th, was the site of the late breaking news that there is a lull in financing from the State, Penn dot and the Department of Welfare that will affect bus service for the city until the winter.
?There will be schedule adjustments,? stated City Manager, E. Jean Krack.
Krack stated that funds needed, between $250,000-$300,000, will not be available until December, and that to ensure that the city is not placed in a position to borrow or acquire additional debt for this endeavor, the new schedule will allow for service to run, but on a tighter timetable.
Council member, William Chertok clarified that the new schedule would not be too inconvenient, and compared it to the R5 Septa service that runs to and from the area to Philadelphia, with a lighter mid-day service but a busier phase during common work travel.
The Coatesville Link, a service of Krapf?s Transit and the Transportation Management Association of Chester County [TMACC], provides service to neighboring municipalities. This link, more importantly, connects Parkesburg to Coatesville, and offers riders an economical avenue, to travel both in and out of the area; to shop, work and partake in recreation, who otherwise may not able to do so. Krapf Transit further offers supplementary transportation opportunities, for those seeking or requiring further commutes.
Some of the stops include, but are not limited to: Freedom Village, The Parksburg Library, Highlands Corporate Center, Regency Park and Handicrafters.
Krack added that there will be information available to the public, in both English and Spanish, provided by TMACC; the 2000 Census shows that over 11% of the residents of Coatesville are Hispanic. A project spearheaded by the Chester County Community Foundation [CCCF] illustrates over 20% of the counties residents being Hispanic. CCCF also found that 76% of the Latino/Hispanic population relied on public transportation for employment, while 54% depended upon public transportation for health and human services.
The new schedule becomes effective on August 1st. For more information, you may stop at City Hall for a schedule, or contact www.tmacc.org or call 610-933-0911 for more information.
The Coatesville Link will have a change of bus service effective on August 1st. Contact www.tmacc.org or call 610-933-0911 for more information.
La Conexi��e Coatesville tendrᠵn cambio del servicio de autobuses efectivo el primero de agosto. El contacto www.tmacc.org o 610-933-0911 de llamada para m᳠informaci��/FONT>
COLUMNS
Public Relation Propagation
Michele M. Paiva
Understanding why your Press Releases are Not Effective.
Most people who learned to write press releases on the job or in college, write a pretty standard format release. They send the release in a fairly straight-forward manner; out to local or national media outlets?and then they wait. And wait. And wait.
Sometimes a few releases make it in the news. Unless the news of your organization is very worthy, effecting many people in a dramatic way ? or has star/celebrity appeal that is unique to the area ?it probably is just sitting on an editors desk somewhere in a pile of similar, press releases.
Effective Press Releases are actually not Press Releases at all.
To make the most effective account for your press releases, follow these simple steps and watch your organization glean considerably more notoriety.
- Make informal (not when you need them only) contacts with the key press that you will most likely frequent. Invite them to lunch, attend an event with them or simply begin dropping them an email or two just introducing yourself. Always send your releases directly to the new contacts and not the editors.
- Make it personalized. I myself have used standard white envelopes but had the envelopes decorated by my students with crayons - for my dance studio releases. For my work and releases as Mrs. PA, I included a photograph signed, and to ?the news editor at xyz paper?? anything personal always had a better shot at getting in the paper.
- Make it unique. If your company is having a fundraiser, then just don?t send out a typical white sheet with font. Send out a package to the media outlets, with an invitation that welcomes two representatives from their company, comp parking and perhaps, have a fundraiser t-shirt or other item in the package. If you are sending out to many media outlets and can?t afford that, offer to give them a one hour before-event Q &A time, AND a day-before telephone Q&A meeting.
- Follow Up. I can?t begin to tell you how important it is to follow up. When I was a journalist, in the news room ? we?d have a pile of press releases every day sitting on a desk. We?d go through and pick out one that caught our eye ? and the rest just sat there. UNLESS someone called to follow up. Then we?d look through the pile if the item seemed even mildly interesting, and often, we?d push that item through to print.
- Always send a thank-you to anyone who does print your release or news. It makes a lasting impression.
- Join up with other organizations and events to piggy back on press in the news ? the bigger the event, the harder you should try to become a part of it.
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