News and Commentary

First Friday art displays

2009-04-06T11:15:00.002-04:00

It was the first First Friday of Spring ‘09, and Downtown Lancaster was stirring with hints of the bustle to come in the warmer months ahead. At the Prince Street crosswalk near the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, a horse-mounted police officer had to direct the dense streams of artwalkers that concentrated along Gallery Row.

The evening’s weather was certainly a powerful draw, even if it did require a light jacket.

The City’s more eye-catching displays were found at the Infantree Gallery (21 N Prince, 4th floor), Metropolis (154 N Prince St), and the Lancaster Museum of Art (135 N Lime St). The Infantree displayed “Out There” an exhibit defined by muted colors and some ironic interactions between pop culture and wild nature.

A Strasburg resident and recent Tyler School of Art graduate commented that the art in galleries like the Infantree is “more than just an image, as opposed to a lot of the galleries in Lancaster. It’s not just about what’s ‘there,’ but there’s something deeper than that. And they explore a lot more mediums and ways of creating images.”

“Moist. Mammal. Doom” was displayed at Metropolis and carried the gallery’s propensity toward the colorful, the comic, and the grotesque. The Lancaster Museum of Art featured the work of illustrator Barry Moser in an exhibit titled “Portraits of Illustrious Persons.” More can be read about this exhibit in this post from Daniel Klotz’s local culture blog.

The night was rife with creative activity on a variety of fronts. Jazz pianist Matthew Monticchio held his usual roost at the Christiane David Gallery while several street guitarists strummed along the sidewalks of Prince.

Up at the 300 block of North Queen, Building Character hosted fire-spinning to the thumping beats of a live DJ. Across the street, at the newly opened Progressive Galleries, the Harrisburg-based band Smoke the Groove spread their funky tunes among the hanging displays.

The rush of incoming visitors was a boon to Downtown businesses, as is usually the case on such evenings. Around 10pm, a line stretched onto the sidewalk at 23 N Prince as dozens of patrons waited for ice cream at Carmen and David’s Creamery. Max Garcia-Hommel, who manages his parent’s recently opened shop, noted that things had been this busy since the early evening. Garcia-Hommel commented that it certainly makes up for the winter’s frigid effect upon patronage.

Editorial: We don't mean to bore you

2009-04-05T07:25:00.004-04:00

NewsLanc believes that the incredible greed and dishonesty by business leaders throughout our nation which triggered the current severe recession also occurred in Lancaster over the past decade.

It's culmination was an almost $200 million Convention Center Project without a single supportive Market or Feasibility Study and, resulting from their opposition to the Project, a district attorney witch hunt of conscientious former county commissioners.

The deceptions could not have occurred without the past connivance and disingenuous reporting of the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc., a principal in the Convention Center Project.

The scam was so duplicitous and so shocking that only an extended NewsLanc series examining its various aspects can convincing tell the full story. The story is yet only about one-third reported in our series. The ultimate issue is whether we suffered from predatory business practices or a criminal conspiracy. And certainly even more will be learned in years to come.

The costs to date in the form of poor city planning, potential higher City and County taxes, and displaced worthier projects are staggering. If the Lancaster public doesn't look itself in its face, it will again be victimized.

PWC withdraws market studies, 2006

2009-04-05T06:50:00.002-04:00

(This NewsLanc article appeared in 2006)

In a stunning development that could have substantial consequences for the proposed Mariott Hotel/Convention Center development, an email has surfaced from a senior PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) analyst, which says that because of the drastic changes in the nature and scope of the project, the powerhouse accounting firm asked that the board's Executive Director, David Hixson, remove all reference to PwC from its website.

"I am very concerned that the project before us does not match the project PriceWaterhouse analyzed," said Laura Douglas, an LCCCA board member. "This forces the issue that what is critically needed is thorough feasibility study of the project as it now stands."

"This is grave matter," said another LCCCA board member who requested anonymity. "This could affect the bond issue."

Board member, Deb Hall, said if Mr. Hixson did receive the note from Mr. Canton at Pricewaterhouse, and Hixson continued to use earlier Pricewaterhouse reports in its promotions, then it confirms her concerns about the "board's inability to conform to standard business practices."

She added, "At this point, I'm hesitant to spend more money, but if the project goes forward we need a feasibility study to see if it makes sense."

The email, which first appeared on 5thEstate.com, shows Robert Canton, Director PricewaterhouseCoopers Sports, Convention & Tourism Services, voicing serious professional concerns about the feasibility of proposed project.

Canton writes: "In March of this year, I was so concerned that [PriceWaterhouse Cooper's] analyses (demand study, economic impact, etc.) of a different building program were being used to 'promote' the proposed convention center development, that I wrote a note to Mr. Hixson requesting that all reference to PwC be removed from the LCCCA website."

The memo also includes: "Regardless of any review of our prior studies, the physical characteristics of the development that I understand to be proposed are VERY different from the project I studied (the equivalent of using a study of a 500 room Marriott to evaluate a 300-room Hampton)."

Canton concludes the memo by stating: "…I try to be very clear that we will not be influenced by what the client or community stakeholders 'want,' but rather will base our findings on what the market supports."

The LCCCA is under pressure from several board members, community leaders, and concerned citizens to conduct a thorough feasibility study on the proposed $137 million project. Thus far, board chairman Ted Darcus has dismissed these requests.

PWCMarket Study: No vote of confidence

2009-04-04T20:49:00.003-04:00

By Luis A. Mendoza and Robert Edwin Field

(Editor's note: The NewsLanc article was first published about three years ago.)

Despite repeated requests by the undersigned then city councilman and other officials and concerned citizens to view the PricewaterhouseCoopers 2000 and 2002 purported "feasibility studies," access was denied. It was alarming to learn recently that the so called "feasibility studies" were merely market studies. But, upon finally having an opportunity to review the market studies, it is shocking to discover that they are more negative than positive in their implications. Here are quotes from the studies:

· "Air access ('an airport served by major airlines') is important for national and regional events where the majority of attendees fly to the destination…. Lancaster’s closet major airport is located approximately 30 miles north of the city in Harrisburg."

· "Highway access to the center is relevant for statewide and local events since attendees tend to drive to the destination and the venue."

· "A wide range of attractions and amenities help a destination draw a greater number of attendees and increase the possibility of attendees bringing accompanying persons."

· "…trade shows are generally located in destinations offering large regional resident populations, large metropolitan area hotel room inventories, a facility with more contiguous exhibit space than can be accommodated in a center city location, and an airport served by major airlines."

· "…for professional association facilities, surveys of meeting planners and association executives typically state lack of a concentration of proximate high quality hotel rooms, unique shopping outlets, or a wide variety of nearby restaurants as main reasons for not selecting a center of destination."

· "Multilevel exhibition halls are successfully marketed in only a few of the most popular destinations in the world, such as Boston and Hong Kong."

Contrary to reports, 2002 Market Study rejected CC Project

2009-04-04T20:32:00.006-04:00

Seventh in a series

The 2000 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) Market and Economic Analysis report envisions a much smaller convention center than was actually built. The 2002 update considers a convention center of the size eventually built and recommends the 2000 concept of almost half the size "should continue to be used."

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) along with Ernst & Young and PKF Consultants arguably make up the three most prestigious hotel and convention center consultants in the both the United States and the world. PWC was engaged in 1999 and again in 2002 by the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority to perform a 'Market Study' but not a 'Feasibility Study'. A Market Study largely deals in regional and national generalities; a Feasibility Study predicts the financial outcome of a specific project. (Visit here to read American Evaluation's confirmation of the difference.)

In or about 2006, PWC would withdraw both its 2000 study and 2002 update, stating the large difference between what they had studied and what actually was to be built. They reportedly had previously warned the LCCCA about misrepresenting the conclusions of their studies. (Visit here for specifics.)

In 2007, PWC would decline a request from the County Commissions to create an actual Feasibility Study. The implication was PCW feared a controversy given how its Market Study had been misrepresented. (PKF Consultants were then engaged to generate a Feasibility Study.)
The 2000 it was predicated on a Convention Center that would be from 102,000 square feet to 116,000 net of Back-of-house support and Food Service Areas. The actual Convention Center is 183,917, about 75% larger on a comparable basis.

It appears that, even when adjusted for inflation, the projected cost for the Convention Center is approximately twice the amount anticipated in the 2000 report.

More telling is the 2002 "Update" of the PCW that had been commissioned by the LCCCA. A copy of the report, marked "Draft – For Discussion Purposes Only" states:

"As identified previously a goal of this report was to consider the potential for a modified convention center assuming a larger exhibition hall (50,000-56,000 square feet) and seating for concerts and certain sporting and special events.

"It is important to note that the November 2000 study was conducted subsequently to a 1999 analysis by another firm (Editor’s note: Ernst & Young) suggesting the development of a convention facility containing 61,000 square feet of meeting, ballrooms, and exhibit space. As indicated in our 2000 study, at that time the Authority was also interested in assessing the potential for a larger venue capable of attracting larger conventions and trade shows that could benefit county-wide hotels, restaurants, retail merchants, and other segments of the local economy. The November 2000 report suggested demand in Lancaster County for a somewhat larger center (compared to the 1999 study), as illustrated above, containing between 70,000 and 80,000 square feet of meeting, ballroom, and exhibit space."

The report goes on to state: "Discussions with potential meeting planners continue to support our November 2000 conclusions regarding facility needs (square footage) required by events that would consider Lancaster County and the proposed convention center."

Finally: "Based on the findings presented in this report, we have concluded that at the prior estimates of utilization for the proposed Lancaster County Convention Center should continue to be used for long term planning purposes."

According to former City Council member Luis A. Mendoza, the PWC Update was withheld from council members despite his insistance that he be provided a copy before voting on the Project.

Lancaster medical rip off of insurers

2009-04-04T06:21:00.004-04:00

(When the cast was removed from a simple wrist fracture, the local medical practice encouraged the patient to purchase a customized splint and sling for $476. It was explained that the insurer would pay all the cost. The patient objected and ultimately selected the least expensive standard version for $40.

The following is from the wife of a physician in Canada, where they have a single payer health system.)

Boy, no wonder the U.S. Health system is in crisis!

The day my cast came off, I was fitted for what I could only describe as an open-ended tube sock. The specialist explained that it provides no support, but eases the transition from coming out of a cast. I wore it for the rest of the day, then no longer.

I may have worn a neoprene wrist brace on a couple of occasions while doing barn chores, as my wrist was weak and tired easily, but that's about it. You are right. The sooner you can go without a splint the faster you will regain strength and mobility.

Many patients may not even be aware of what they are signing when several papers are produced at once for their signature.

$476!! YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NewsLanc format to change on Monday

2009-04-03T14:07:00.004-04:00

NewsLanc plans to switch over to the WordPress.com publishing platform at noon on Monday, April 9th, thus offering viewers a state-of-the-art look and a variety of conveniences.

Spearheaded by Webmistress Jilly Harris and Reporter Cliff Lewis, the selection of WordPress, choice of formats, modifications and inputs has been underway for several weeks.

For the curious, a mock up as of early Friday, April 3, can be viewed at http://newslanc.ataraxia.biz/ .

We look forward to receiving comments and suggestions from our visitors.

LCCCA meets to approve final purchases

2009-04-03T06:40:00.002-04:00

Thursday evening the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority met for a brief supplemental meeting to approve a short list of line items that have emerged in recent weeks.

In the words of Chairman Art Morris, the purpose of the meeting was "to keep things moving"—undoubtedly in view of the Convention Center’s opening date, which last week was postponed from April 21 to May 11.

The Board approved a collection of expenses, most of which involve additional furnishings for the facility and equipment for the staff. The line items ranged in cost from over $55,000 for "Custom Food Carts" to under $6,000 for "Kitchen Utencils."

It was clarified by Executive Director Kevin Molloy that all of these items (totaling around $270,000) would be for exclusive use of the Convention Center, and not the Marriot Hotel.

First Friday Spotlight: The Infantree

2009-04-02T12:39:00.001-04:00

by Cliff B. Lewis

(First in a series of "First Friday Spotlights")

Lancaster art is more than just flowers and barns, and spots like the Infantree gallery on the 4th floor of 21 N Prince St are a testament to that fact. The Infantree was founded by Lancastrian Tim Hoover in 2007 to create a space for genuine artistic quality and creative expression in Downtown Lancaster. Hoover was later joined by Ryan Martin and Ryan Smoker, making the Infantree a unified collective of artists sharing a special propensity toward graphic design.

The gallery at 211 N Prince exudes a delightfully urban atmosphere—being one of the few galleries as high as four stories up. Upon entering the forth-floor studio, even the initial hallway is dressed for the evening’s exhibit, bearing visual nods to an established theme. Typically, the exhibit itself is composed of work from several local artists, aligned with a common thematic strain. Last month, for instance, the exhibit featured vivid grid of nearly 100 small, square-shaped works (each 6” by 6”).

Much of the work displayed at the Infantree is oriented toward a collage-like design aesthetic, and almost none is immune to a certain hint of indie-quirk and irony. The Infantree displays art that isn’t merely “pretty” or “quaint”; it displays art that, although certainly pleasing in color and form, stretches the visual palate of the viewer by challenging their artistic assumptions. And just like good food, effective art will carry the recipient somewhere beyond familiarity to introduce new realms of enjoyment.

This First Friday, April 3, from 5-9pm, the Infantree will present “Out There,” and exhibit featuring the works of John Slaby, Keith Garcia, Christian Herr, and Kris Harzinski. For more information and a few samples from the featured artists, click here.

EDITORIAL: Intell / New Era finally merge

2009-04-01T08:34:00.003-04:00

"That was to be expected" was the response of most astute Lancastrians in seeing the Intell headline this morning "Intelligencer Journal, New Era will combine." The marvel is that it took so long in coming about.

But that was representative of how Lancaster old money has been squandered by a generation of inept managers and custodians of the wealth generated by others. This has lead to dreadful misdirection of community efforts and the enrichment of opportunistic business interests.

The Intell quotes Jack Buckwalter, Chair, as saying: "This is a very difficult decision for all of us, but we believe it is a necessary one in this current newspaper publishing environment. We know of no other market in the United States where the same ownership publishes morning and evening newspapers with separate editorial staffs."

But making "difficult decisions" is what top management is supposed to do in a timely manner, not being finally pushed into actions by the entire trend of print media throughout the country and by repeated criticisms and admonitions publicly from NewsLanc and undoubtedly privately by others. The article goes on to tell how sweeping is the change, even greater than had been anticipated.

"As part of a work-force reduction related to this change, Lancaster Newspapers will reduce its workforce by about 60 full-time and 40 part-time employees, representing about 20 percent of its employees, by the end of June. These numbers could be affected by retirements and normal attrition." Not to criticize but to interpret, we assume "retirement" means accepting some sort of pension; "attrition" means receiving a severance check on the way out of the door.

The article explains: "The day-to-day publishing process of the expanded morning combined edition will be under the direction of [Ray] Shaw, as is currently done for the Saturday and holiday editions. [Ernie] Schreiber will oversee the New Era's editorial page and a new investigative reporting team."

People say that Schreiber was a very good investigative reporter before unwisely being elevated to editor of the New Era. In their one lunch together, Schreiber impressed NewsLanc Publisher Robert Field as one of the most irrationally suspicious individuals he had ever met. (Schreiber kept on insisting that Field had some sort of business motivation for his activism. That is what comes from Schreiber hanging out with bad company.)

Ironically, if indeed Schreiber is to investigate, he should start with the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. and explore whether they were involved in a criminal conspiracy concerning the Convention Center Project and whether Ray Shaw is fit to be the editor given his complicity with the actions taken by Intell reporters concerning illegal access to a confidential State web site. (To his credit, Schreiber editorially blasted the Intell and indirectly Shaw for its involvement at the time.)

One other good piece of news is that the circulation of the combined morning and evening newspapers has grown a bit. The stand alone morning paper should be stronger due to the added features from the afternoon edition. Whether circulation will shrink, stay the same or conceivably even grow (although unlikely) remains to be seen. Cost savings from the consolidation should extend the life of the Lancaster print media for years and perhaps even two decades.

There are three more actions that need to be taken by the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc if it is to fulfill the long held goal of the Steinman families of benefiting the community.

Both Buckwalter and President Chip Miller need to retire and bring in younger and smarter successors from outside Lancaster. And before leaving they should apologize publicly through a major front page editorial for their violations of journalism ethics concerning the Connestoga View investigation / witch hunt of the former commissioners and their self serving propaganda and pernicious misrepresentations on behalf of Penn Square Partners.

When that is done, the stable will have been swept reasonably clean. Integrity and wisdom will have been restored to a deeply damaged Lancaster City and County. John Steinman and others predecessors from that distinguished and generous family can rest in peace.

Moreover, the public will once again have newspapers in the Intell /New Era and Sunday News in which it can place its confidence.

CC Optimism at Downtown Barbers and Salons

2009-03-31T23:13:00.002-04:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

Even with its opening delayed until May 11th, all of the five Downtown hair-care businesses interviewed by NewsLanc were generally hopeful that the Convention Center will have a positive impact on business. This optimism, however, was tinged with a realistic awareness of problems that might come along with the package.

Eddie Hall, the owner of Champs Barber School at 24 W King St, expected that the Convention Center will increase customer traffic, but could bring some operational inconveniences: “It definitely can’t hurt the business….I think, if anything, it could help. Now, parking could possibly be an issue.”

George Valentin, the owner of Who’s Next Barber Shop at 301 W King, carried a similar tone: “I think it will affect us positively….The only thing I’m scared of is the taxes….But, overall, as a businessman I think that it’s a good thing.”

Kathy Hainley, an employee at Daymaker Hair Studio, on the lower level of the indoor mall at 45 N Market St, indicated that Daymaker is an appointment-only establishment, and thus will not likely benefit from Convention Center walk-ins. Although, she noted that more Downtown visitors could never hurt. On a more negative note, Hainley, who also works in Human Relations, expressed a concern that the Convention Center would not be well-managed. Having visited the recent career fair, she was struck by a pronounced lack of professionalism among those running the tables.

Wanda Castillo, owner of Jannat Beauty Design at 402 W Orange Street, was confident that some conventioneers will make it out to her West End location.

And Wendy Farrell, co-owner of American Male at 14 N Queen St, eagerly anticipates the Convention Center’s May opening: “All is good. I think we’re going to do great.” In fact, when Farrell selected this Downtown location in 2001, it was in direct anticipation of the Convention Center’s eventual opening.

On the whole, the prevailing theme among local barbers and salons was that more visitors might mean more customers—and that’s never a bad thing.

County Commissioners meet in Marietta Borough

2009-03-31T23:08:00.001-04:00

Tonight the Lancaster County Commissioners held their weekly public meeting in the picturesque Marietta Borough Municipal Building in Downtown Marietta. The meeting, which is typically held in Downtown Lancaster, continued a longstanding tradition of County Commissioners periodically meeting in other parts of the County to more effectively engage with the diverse communities of this immense region.

Early in the meeting, Marietta Borough Council President Miriam Fletcher, addressed the commissioners on behalf of the local government. Fletcher expressed gratitude for the County’s role in the effort to revitalize the post-industrial riverfront neighborhood; one such contribution has been the provision of Urban Enhancement Funds for the renovation of Marietta’s town square, which, according to Fletcher, “is the heart of the Borough.”

Also, the Borough has been assisted by the Lancaster County Planning Commission in the early planning stages of the possible development of a post-industrial plot of land; the proposed plan would create an affordable housing facility for senior citizens. The Borough is currently in the process of seeking a developer, as well as project funding. Fletcher indicated that Federal money is not yet out the question.

Also at tonight’s Meeting, the County Commissioners approved a change order providing an additional $6,500 for Rettew Associates “in the design of the new Big Chickies Creek Bridge #2 on Action Road located in Rapho and East Hempfield Townships.”

The Commissioners also approved the procurement of claims management services from Murray Risk Management and Insurance, which is based in Lancaster. The switch from Travelers Insurance to Murray not only recruits locally-based service, but also will provide the County and immediate savings of $7,000.

The collapse of journalism threatens democracy itself...

2009-03-31T09:58:00.006-04:00

An article "The Death And Life Of Great American Newspapers" by John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney appears in the April 6, 2009 edition of The Nation.

It contains many interesting observations and recommendations.

Here are two excerpts with our comments:

"Journalism is collapsing, and with it comes the most serious threat in our lifetimes to self-government and the rule of law as it has been understood here in the United States."

Many of the woes that have befallen our Lancaster community over the past decade are attributable to biased reporting due to special interests and virtual elimination of in depth reporting, causing the public to be misinformed and misguided. The major decisions have largely been debacles. (The worst pertaining to downtown Lancaster.) These 'chickens' in various endeavors are coming home soon to roost. The more NewsLanc learns from behind the scenes, the more concerned we have become.

"Mired in debt and facing massive losses, the managers of corporate newspaper firms seek to right the sinking ship by cutting costs, leading remaining newspaper readers to ask why they are bothering to pay for publications that are pale shadows of themselves. It is the daily newspaper death dance-cum-funeral march."

Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. is not afflicted by debt, but no enterprise - especially one so poorly led - can go on indefinitely if it increasingly loses money. A new generation of business executives - astute ones this time - is needed to lead LNP into the age of paperless journalism via the Internet.

This isn't a matter of further 'dumbing down', but rather paring down to well paid, highly competent journalists who provide in depth coverage and commentary. If they don't, others will! And ownership will likely come from national chains headquartered outside of the region.

Thomas Hylton lectures on "Growing communities, not sprawl".

2009-03-30T23:26:00.003-04:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

Monday evening, as a kickoff to Franklin and Marshall's annual Sustainability Week, Pulitzer Prize-winner Thomas Hylton was hosted by the college for a lecture entitled "Save Our Land, Save Our Towns: Growing Communities, Not Sprawl."

Hylton, a lifelong Pennsylvanian and resident of Pottsville, focused his lecture upon how communities like Lancaster can preserve our natural lands by enriching our local neighborhoods. And, as Hylton explained it, local neighborhood enrichment leans upon two general qualities: Livability and Walkability.

For most of human history, people have lived in villages, towns, and cities. This was a commonsense arrangement: We can accomplish more, create more, and enjoy more when we’re closer together. But since the post-World War Two era, America has had a different idea.

With the development of affordable automobiles, our country has progressively sprawled away from its urban centers in favor of more personal space. Along with this shift, we have developed a car-centered way of life, which has produced its fair share of problems—neglected downtowns, obesity, and global warming only being the most obvious.

Other parts of the world, Hylton explained, have followed a different course of development: In England, "they had practically starved during the Second World War because they couldn’t import food …. So they decided after the War, 'We’re not going to see any agricultural [land] conversion if we can help it; we’re going to save the farms.'…. They developed greenbelts to save agriculture, but what they also saved, at the same time, was their towns …. In England more than two thirds of all retail trade is still conducted on traditional main streets; in the United States, it’s about 4%."

Ultimately, Hylton held a positive tone, confident that a rising global demand for oil, a growing cultural interest in local downtowns, and an increasing public awareness of the environmental costs of a car-centered society will steadily lead more and more people to lay roots in America’s towns and cities. Of course, in areas of policy, there remain some impediments to urban growth and land preservation; one example cited by Hylton is the property zoning:

"Zoning, in this county, generally speaking, does exactly the opposite of what you want to do. Zoning, in this county, separates things: 'The housing is here, the offices are here, the mall is up here….' Zoning should say, 'I don't care what’s going on inside of a building nearly as much as I care about what it looks like and how it relates to the street.'" On this note, Hylton commended the County's newly adopted Greenscapes plan in its consideration of these issues.

Mayor Rick Gray, who attended the lecture, expressed his personal commitment to growing and guiding Lancaster City toward a higher standard of livability: "Currently, we’re looking for the money to do a study that would end [the zoning problem] by individually zoning every business in the city for its prospective use. For example, so many corners we see in Lancaster were obviously built for commercial use and are now zoned residential….We’d look at that building under 'form-based' [zoning] and think about zoning just that building for light commercial use—a tailor shop, a coffee shop, that sort of thing." Gray expressed that a central goal in Lancaster City’s planning is to make the city a "walkable urbanity."

Concerned about prices of drugs?

2009-03-30T20:20:00.000-04:00

www.parxpricefinder.com is a state website that allows consumers to search a specific geographic region for the prices of the 300 most commonly prescribed medications.

No lingering under Marriott portico

2009-03-30T08:59:00.003-04:00

A NewsLanc reader, viewing the Marriott Hotel canopy being constructed in front of the Watt & Shand facadel, inquired "When one drives up to check in, what happens with the traffic?"

We asked Tom Smithgall of High Associates: "How many lanes are there for the traffic under the portico."

He replied "About 2 lanes." Hmm.

We asked "Is there room for cars to park for a few minutes while the driver registers without obstructing curb side registration?"

Smithgall replied: "This will be an operational issue for the staff at Interstate Hotels & Resorts to manage, but the idea is for people to arrive, remove their luggage and to choose to valet or not. As you can see, and is the case in some urban hotels, the area is not for lingering as there may be many others coming at the same time. The valet service and the staff are to make this as seamless and inviting as possible for the guests."

EDITORIAL: SD of L soccer off to disasterous start

2009-03-30T08:00:00.006-04:00

Junior Varsity Girls Soccer at McCaskey has scored one goal to the opponents 18 while losing their first three games of the season. The Varsity has also lost all three games by lopsided scores.

It's all about lack of training of coaches and, despite over a year of prodding and offers from outside the District to subsidize the instruction of coaches, Superintendent Pedro Rivera and more recently Athletic Director Jon Mitchell aren't doing a thing about it.

Next we will hear whining about how these kids are not motivated. Bull! The ably coached track team wins more than its share of metes. So can the other teams successfully compete when coaches learn how to conduct meaningful practices.

The good intentions of coaches are not enough. Teachers and coaches need to know how to teach their subjects! And Rivera and Mitchell need to know how to manage.

Was the New Era 1999 article re Ernst & Young disingenuous?

2009-03-29T20:35:00.004-04:00

The following is excerpted from the Aug. 26, 1999 New Era.

"In a display that united old foes and bridged city-county and Republican- Democrat differences, county leaders have embraced plans for a $75 million downtown hotel and convention center with almost religious zeal…

"Representatives of Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm and industry leader in real estate analysis, presented the findings of their study supporting the plan.

"The project includes a 281-room four-star hotel, a 61,000-square- foot convention center built on vacant land adjacent to the former store and on the site of Oblender's Inc. furniture store, and a $7 million expansion and renovation of the King Street parking garage…

"After completion, the project would employ 577 full-time workers, generate $13.3 million annually in sales, income and personal income taxes and create another $30.7 million annually in local goods and services, she said."

Note that the "75 million downtown hotel and convention center" ended up costing almost $200 million.

Given the recent NewsLanc analysis of the report, note the false description of the Ernst & Young study as "supporting the plan."

Note the 61,000 square foot convention center ended up over three times that size.

Note the absurd claim of generating "577-full time jobs." Again, this is about three times what is taking place.

What we do agree is that "county leaders have embraced plans... with almost religious zeal." It had to be a matter of faith because there was little about the facts that was encouraging.

EDITORIAL: Naivete or hypocrisy, or both?

2009-03-29T08:19:00.003-04:00

The Sunday News "Perspective Section" rails against greed and privilege on the national level (Gil Smart: "Too big to suffer the consequences") and corruption on the state level (Editorial: "The State for Scandal.")

What is missing is any censorship of local practices, as though Lancaster has remained pristine during an era that was recently aptly described as notable for the "Incredible greed and dishonesty of the ruling class of America."

The entire history of the Convention Center Project scam is proof, as is methodically being established by the series in NewsLanc. And the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. played a pivotal role and endeavored to profit from it.

Lancaster citizenry awaits the day that newspaper management will make a public apology for years of disinformation and propaganda (and possibly worse!) But first the executive floor will need to be cleaned out.

What really happened atTMI 25 years ago

2009-03-27T21:52:00.003-04:00

Special to NewsLanc from H. Michael Gray. Gray wrote the original screenplay for "The China Syndrome." His book, "The Warning: Accident at TMI," is based on his on-scene reporting, operator interviews, and the five official studies that followed.

The "unplanned event" at Three Mile Island 30 years ago this month was set in motion by the failure of a $20 check valve in a half-inch copper pipe. That minor incident led to a series of cascading failures that presented the men in the control room with a situation they had never seen before and had never been trained to handle. With key instruments gone haywire, flying blind, they made a couple of bad choices that wiped out the plant and released a still unknown amount of radioactivity into the air.

For several years, the wreckage of the reactor itself was too hot to approach so we didn't know how close we had come. But when the inspectors were finally able to lower a camera into the pressure vessel, the image was a heart-stopper. There was nothing left of the 150-ton uranium core but rubble. Parts of it had turned to liquid. Which means that at some moment on that fateful Wednesday, the reactor at TMI was within 30 minutes of the "China Syndrome" -- a melt-down comparable to the disaster at Chernobyl. Had it not been for a lucky operator who flipped a switch to see what would happen, the Pennsylvania state capitol might now be a ghost town.

The current world-wide scramble for dwindling oil reserves is forcing us to take another look at good neighbor nuke. But before we hit the on-switch, we need to carefully consider the lessons of Chernobyl and TMI: nuclear power is a completely unforgiving technology. The worst-case scenario must always be front and center --- because Murphy's Law turns out to be as immutable as the law of gravity. "If something can go wrong, it will."

Art community voices concerns at CC meeting

2009-03-27T06:52:00.003-04:00

At Thursday’s Lancaster County Convention Center Board Meeting, several local artists addressed the Board with concerns that the surrounding art community was not properly informed of a potential business opportunity. On February 19, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was published by the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA) for over $78,000 worth of art for Lancaster County Convention Center.

With a tight proposal deadline and limited notification, many artists were left with as little as five days to submit their proposals, while many of the project parameters required unusual dimensions in which most artists could not provide existing material.

One Pequea resident, who recently opened an art gallery in Downtown Lancaster, spoke firmly to the Board regarding his disappointment with the process: “While I applaud the Authority’s interest in supporting the local artists, I must say that the planning and implementation of the release of that information, I believe, was flawed.” While acknowledging the difficulties of coordinating a slew of last-minute work requests, he asserted that this problem, at the very least, exhibited a lack of connection to the local art community—particularly those located Downtown.

Executive Director Kevin Molloy provided some helpful explanation for the rushed proposal deadline: “Originally, the plan by the architects did not have the level of artwork involved with the Convention Center that we are now….We had listened to some public comment, and we flipped that 180 [degree turn around], rather late in the game.”

Molloy also noted that the aforementioned art requests will not likely cover all wall-space that could potentially be fitted with local art. The Board made assurances that, the next time around, there will be a more rigorous effort both to notify the local art community and to allow sufficient time for response.

Although noting the unavoidable complications surrounding the recent RFP, Chairman Art Morris asserted that he is “sorry” that the process didn’t reach as many artists as possible.

Veri and Jamanis wow New York audience

2009-03-27T06:30:00.005-04:00

Thursday evening Lancaster's duo-pianists Veri & Jamanis performed "An Evening with George Gershwin" before a packed Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The audience of almost three hundred expressed great enthusiasm after each number and gave them a standing ovation at the concert's conclusion.

For those with memory going back to decades of the couples' New York recitals, the evening was especially satisfying.

A bus load of devotees made the trip from Lancaster and back after the concert, arriving mid-afternoon to allow passengers time to do a bit of sight seeing and to stretch their legs.

Fran Veri obviously was enjoying her solo performance of the Gershwin "Song Book" of seventeen popular numbers starting with "Swanee" and concluding with "I Got Rhythm." The duo performed "Variations on 'I Got Rhythm'" at the outset followed by a Veri arrangement of "An American in Paris."

The couple concluded with a performance of "Rhapsody in Blue" that 'brought down the house.'

Veri is a native of Lancaster, the daughter of a physician. The couple have resided locally for well over forty years and are the artistic founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. They met in New York City while students at the famed Julliard School of Music.

The audience had come to hear Gershwin played at its best and as it was written: for one and two pianos. It was clear from the its rapt attention throughout the performances, comments at Intermission and happy faces when filing out that that the attendees were delighted.

Downtown stores for old books are local jewels

2009-03-26T16:28:00.003-04:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

The used books business is a tough one these days. With big-box outlets drawing the masses to their pseudo coffee shop environments, and with online networks connecting buyers to individual booksellers, people too quickly overlook the simple pleasure of strolling through aisles of thoughtfully arranged hardbacks or the sweet dry fragrance of time on pages once-read.

Of course, a walk on Chestnut Street might jog one’s memory. On 11 and 529 W Chestnut Street are two such thoughtful and inviting bookshops.

Chestnut Street Books, at 11 W Chestnut, has been the endeavor of Warren and Mar Anderson since 1991. Before setting up shop, the couple made their final decision to move here from Baltimore after Warren had visited Onion’s Café in Lancaster City: “I had coffee and chatted with the woman who was running the place….I thanked her and went on my way, and I hadn’t gotten maybe half a block, and here she comes, running down the street, because I’d walked off and left my portfolio on the counter. And I said to myself: ‘What would be the probability of somebody doing that in Baltimore? Zero!’”

In the last 18 years, the Andersons have garnered a fluent handling of the skills required for used book-selling: An encyclopedic knowledge of literary works, authors, genres; a sharp memory for the faces and interests of repeat customers; an innate understanding of the value of different books in different places. According to Warren, a good used book store is measured by the quality of its selection: “Any idiot can put out bad books or common books…that you can hardly walk down the street without tripping over a copy; but putting out good books, interesting books that are in good shape…that’s what makes the difference between a good book store and an inferior bookstore, in my opinion.”

Unfortunately for the City of Lancaster, Chestnut Street Books will only remain open beyond July of this year. Proud of what this post-retirement project has accomplished, Warren says “the problem is that, just about the time that you have learned how to do it, you realize that you are now too old to do it.” This little bookshop near Chestnut and Queen will surely be missed.

Fortunately for the City, however, there will still remain another used bookseller—and on the same stretch of road, no less! Dogstar Books, at 529 W Chestnut, was opened by Brian Frailey in 2006. The new establishment boasts a hip and colorful atmosphere, located just across the street from the quaint Chestnut Hill Café.

Frailey opened the shop as a supplement to an online business that he had already been running for several years. The physical location served as a way to sell inexpensive books not worth the shipping cost and to keep his work interesting: “Selling online, there’s a lot of time and work, and you don’t ever have a social life. At least, when you’re in the shop, people come in and talk to you.” Since Dogstar’s opening, the shop has played host to a broad variety of Downtown social and cultural events, from poetry readings to art galleries to musical performances.

Though the market can be rough, the used books business is here to stay in Downtown Lancaster. They exist to promote good literature, good conversation, and one of the most obvious forms of recycling. It would surely be a benefit to all if we local residents would stop by these establishments next time we think of driving to the nearest big-box.

LETTER; Why didn't High let everyone know?

2009-03-26T16:00:00.002-04:00

"At the LCCCA Finance Committee meeting this past Monday evening, there was a discussion about moving the LCCCA offices a few weeks after the hotel and convention center opened for business on April 21. It is obvious that at least 36 hours before this announcement the LCCCA leadership had no idea this delay was coming.

"At the LCCCA PR, Marketing, and Hospitality committee meeting on Thursday, March 19, Josh Nowak of Interstate Hotels and Resorts presented his usual report, with no mention of the possibility of a delay. It is possible that IHR didn't know about this delay in advance, either.

"There is a video on Lancaster Online of Tom Smithgall from High stating that 'substantial completion' should still occur in mid-April, as previously scheduled. The original plan was for the facility to open a week after 'substantial completion', now it will take a month. What changed?

"I wonder how long it has been since general contractor High knew that more than a week would be needed to wrap up the project. I have trouble believing that an experienced contractor like High would not have knownmonths ago that this extra time would be needed. Why didn't High let everyone know that this could happen?

"Now the hotel and convention center will be opening with a damaged reputation of its own creation; not the fault of the LCCCA or of IHR, but by the very same corporation which has already profited the most from thisproject."

Amnesty offered for return of stolen circulation box

2009-03-26T11:40:00.004-04:00

At the suggestion of a reader, amnesty will be given if the stolen NewsLanc circulation box is replaced by the end of the week on the SW corner of Marietta Avenue and School Lane from which it was stolen.

Excessive zeal or hubris?

2009-03-26T07:34:00.003-04:00

The postponement of the opening of the Convention Center and Marriott Hotel is regretable, especially since events have to be cancelled.

Getting thousands of things done simultaneously and all necessary approvals from officials and Marriott is a formidable task. Yet schedulilnlg an extra 60 days for sitting empty as a precaution would have lost revenue and idled workers.

NewsLanc does not envy the the contractors, Penn Square Partners and the Convention Center Authority the task of meeting a tight deadline. After all, prudence has always been missing from the Project.

$1000 reward offered concerning theft of newspaper circulation box

2009-03-25T13:34:00.001-04:00

The red NewsLanc newsletter circulation box at the South West corner of Marietta Avenue and School Lane was stolen on Wednesday morning and its contents strewn across the lawn.

Newspaper circulation boxes are permitted on public ground and right-of-ways as freedom of speech under the U. S. Constitution.

NewsLanc is offering a thousand dollars reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction on felony charges of those illegally removing the box.

EDITORIAL: Lehman should listen before deciding

2009-03-25T11:06:00.000-04:00

We are pleased that Commissioner Craig Lehman will be attending board meetings for the various libraries to learn more about their special circumstances and ideas.

But we are disappointed that, at his first stop, Lehman rejected out of hand the idea of library consolidation into an authority on the assumption that the various libraries would not go along.

A leader won't hear ideas and learn much by stating preconceived notions at the outset.

Commissioner Lehman Listens to City Library Concerns

2009-03-25T10:54:00.001-04:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

Yesterday County Commissioner Craig Lehman attended a meeting of the Board of Lancaster Public Library (Duke St). This was the first in his tour of all the county libraries, which will continue into the summer.

Lehman explained, “I thought it was a good time to get out and visit with the different libraries to really get a sense of what you all are facing. My instincts tell me that, since every library in Lancaster County is unique, you’re probably all facing different stuff.”

Tuesday’s visit yielded a lively and substantive discussion between the Commissioner and the City Library’s leadership.

During the meeting, Board Memeber John Havrilla described the problems encountered by the library: “…We are an urban library, an inner-city library, as opposed to a rural or suburban library, and to some degree, we have our own set of needs that are unique…”

Board President John McGrann asserted that these unique needs are not being matched with appropriate funding. Based on a rough analysis of County Library System funding, the City library has seen a 35% funding decrease between 2006 and 2008, while the rest of the County libraries experienced a funding increase of around 40%.

The Board attributed much of the funding problem to an inadequate formula employed by the Library system, which is driven by factors such as circulation, collections, local financial effort, and a share that is distributed generally to all local libraries. The formula, however, does not account for the needs of the City library, where books are often used in-house and do not as easily influence circulation numbers. Also, the current formula does not sufficiently recognize the City library’s unique use of public computers.

Treasurer Karen Haley Field recommended serious consideration for a restructuring of the Library System. The current organizational structure is a “Federated” system, in which each library has its own board which then sends one representative to the County-level board. Field recommended the implementation of a consolidated system where each member library in the County would be treated like a business branch. In this system, all government funds could go into “one pot” which could then be distributed by expert leadership with an eye toward the individual needs of each member library.

Commissioner Lehman did not agree with the notion of reorganizing the Library system, but recognized the need for changes:

“I think it’s a nice theoretical idea, I just don’t believe that it’s a very practical solution here in Lancaster County. I think part of what makes each library unique is that fact that they are connected to their local communities, and I think the best we can hope to do is figure out how to keep our Federated system and make it work the best it can…. I think our challenge here is, how do you collectively come together to make what we have work the best that we can?”

Bill introduced to allow newspapers to become nonprofits

2009-03-25T07:21:00.004-04:00

A report from Reuters appearing at NEWSMAX.COM states that U. S. Senator Benjamin Cardin has introduced a bill "allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks."

According to Cardin, "This may not be the optimal choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains but it should be an option for many newspapers's that are struggling to stay afloat."

Presumably contributions to such a non-profit would provide a tax credit against incomes from other sources. Given the Steinman family's history of philanthropy and the rapid deterioration of the financial viability of newspapers throughout the country, such a option may someday prove useful, especially given their other investments.

Nevertheless, even nonprofits need to meet payrolls! Local news websites due to their lower costs, usually offshoots of the newspapers, may benefit more from being nonprofits than the print media.

City at violators' service...for $250

2009-03-24T22:36:00.003-04:00

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Director of Administrative Services Patrick Hopkins reported to the Council regarding the Administrative Ticketing system now in place to enforce the City’s updated Property Maintenance Code.

According to Hopkins, the ultimate goal of the new system to improve neighborhood quality of life, to improve the efficiency of City inspectors through technology, and to reduce court time through alternative enforcement of related problems.

The new system, Hopkins explained, works in a manner similar to vehicle-related ticketing. When a violation is recognized by an inspector, the site will be captured by digitally timed-stamped photographs and the property owner is issued a $25 ticket.

If the violation qualifies as “non-abatement,” the fine must be paid, but there will be no subsequent inspection. Trash-can or recycling violations are examples of this category. If the violation qualifies as “abatement,” the City will revisit the property after a specified period of time to confirm that the violation has been corrected. If not, the City will hire a contractor to correct the violation and bill the property owner for the work (approximately $250.00)."

Under the new system, over 400 property violations have been dealt with, with a total of only 10 appeals.

$575,000 for land preservation

2009-03-24T12:43:00.000-04:00

At today’s County Commissioners’ Planning Session, James Cowhey, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Planning Commission, discussed a land preservation resolution to be adopted at tomorrow’s public meeting. Under the pending resolution, $525,000 would be granted to the Lancaster County Conservancy “through the 2009 Natural Lands Preservation Fund to acquire and preserve … natural areas” in Lancaster County. The list of lands to acquire is topped by the New Holland Watershed tract, according to Cowhey.

Carrying over land preservation funding from 2008, this resolution represents an effort to put the County’s new Greenscapes Plan into action before officially lining up funding for the plan. One of Greenscapes’ core values is the preservation of “Green Infrastructure,” the network of nearby ecosystems that both tangibly and intangibly contribute to quality of life in Lancaster County. Tomorrow’s resolution would serve to preserve a few tracts of such Green Infrastructure.

Although a step toward preservation, the resolution was considered meager by some. John May, a Manor Township Supervisor and a member of the Lancaster County Conservancy Land Preservation Committee, addressed the Commissioners, expressing his concern that as much funding as reasonably possible be allocated toward the protection of natural spaces: “If there was ever an issue that you wouldn’t get an argument on from County residents, it would be land preservation….I know that you would need a fine pencil to do this, but I’m here to ask if you could a little better than $525,000.”

EDITORIAL: Another loss for SD of L athletics

2009-03-24T09:49:00.003-04:00

The Intelligencer Journal reports the resignation of Scott Feldman as head football coach at McCaskey High School.

According to the report, Feldman implied what NewsLanc reported over a year ago when he said he was unable to secure what he felt was the needed cooperation from the McCaskey High administration.

"I saw this coming two-and-a-half years ago," said Feldman. "But I don't think anybody believed it would happen. Last year, they saw it could happen. We're going to have to put in the hard work like everybody else.”

Although Feldman was critical of school administration for not giving him sufficient time and resources to work with football players throughout the year and to help oversee their academic progress, the real fault lies higher up with the offices of the School Superintendent.

In the winter of 2007, NewsLanc broke the story of how Assistant Superintendent Drew Miles had ignored the System’s athletic and physical fitness programs as it slipped into dysfunction, not even requiring the detailed report from the Athletic Director that had been prepared annually, describing each teams results and explaining plans for the future.

In addition, NewsLanc published the sad win / loss results of most of the McCaskey teams in competition and called for the replacement of Allen McCloud as athletic director whom we deemed unqualified and unsuited for the position.

With the departure of McCloud soon thereafter, NewsLanc urged incoming School Superintendant Pedro Rivera and also the School Board to conduct a thorough search and to allot sufficent funds to engage an experienced athletic director, preferably from outside the SD of L. NewsLanc even passed along a recommendation of one outstanding candidate from the region.

Instead Rivera and the Board chose to jump a SD of L wrestling coach and dean of the Lafayette elementary school into arguably its second most challenging administrative and leadership position.

When NewsLanc interviewed the newly appointed Jon Mitchell, it was apparent that, although he may have been material for an assistant athletic director, prematurely putting him into the lead position was both foolish and a disservice.

Being a successful athlete or even a coach does not make someone a leader and executive. That only comes with time and experience, assuming latent ability. And even if one knows what to do, it is very difficult to alter peer relationships long established.

NewsLanc has repeatedly pointed out that the main problem with many of the McCaskey teams is lack of knowledge on the part of coaches on how to run drills, train skills, and conduct active and vigorous practices. We have recommended the services of the local OneOnOne Soccer organization to assist the soccer coaches and identified outside funding for the purpose. Nothing has occurred.

Athletics are an important part of education and play a major role in providing exercise, building character and helping to retain students in school until graduation.

Given the large size of McCaskey's student body, given proper coaching, there is no good reaon why the school cannot be fully competitive.

It appears the School District of Lancaster’s athletic program will remain in a rut until and unless Mitchell and Rivera learn the hard way how to turn things around, and that will start by training the trainers --- the coaches --- on how to be prepare their teams.

The current situation is unfair to the students, to the community, and does not reflect favorably on Rivera or the School Board. It is time for the public to raise hell!

Critics give warm welcome to film produced by Lancastrians

2009-03-23T21:02:00.006-04:00

Former Lancastrian and NewsLanc's "Santa Monica" movie reviewer Dan Cohen and publisher Robert Field teamed up to help produce the motion picture "Perestroika" that previewed before an audience of 700 at a New York City benefit last week and opened in Los Angeles over the week end to near rave reviews.

The following are excerpts from the four reviews to date:

LA Weekly: "GO: PERESTROIKA On the evidence of his new movie, Slava Tsukerman, who made the 1982 cult movie Liquid Sky, would make a brilliantly entertaining dinner guest. The Russian writer-director, who thrives on confusion, has emptied the contents of his very busy head and heart into this crowded, talky but immensely likable movie about almost everything in a rapidly changing, uncertain post perestroika world."

Los Angeles Times: "In this highly personal film, Tsukerman bristles with insights and ideas, pondering even whether it's God's plan that man should destroy all life -- yet manages to work his way rigorously toward a note of spirituality. ‘Perestroika’ asks, with a philosophical shrug of the shoulders: Why not try to be optimistic?"

Variety: "An REF Prods. presentation. Produced by Nina V. Kerova, Slava Tsukerman. Executive producer, Robert Field. Co-producer, Dan Cohen. Directed, written by Slava Tsukerman.

With: Sam Robards, F. Murray Abraham, Oksana Stashenko, Ally Sheedy, Jicky Schnee, Maria Andreyeva, Andrey Sergeyev.

Soviet emigre Slava Tsukerman has spent much of his career crafting docus detailing the lesser-known stories of the former USSR, yet he's best known as the renegade director behind 1982's hallucinatory cyberpunk freak-out 'Liquid Sky.' With "Perestroika," he fuses both halves of his filmmaking persona, turning the semi-autobiographical story of a returning Russian refugee into a deeply strange, breezily existential cocktail of Milan Kundera and Federico Fellini. he film, which opened March 20 in Los Angeles, is unwieldy, overstuffed and at times hopelessly clunky, yet it's also touchingly funny, visually arresting and somehow a consistent joy to watch."

FilmCritic.com: 4 stars out of 5. "Deeply personal, fiercely political, whimsical and unpredictable in style, and direct in voice, writer-director Slava Tsukerman's Perestroika resonates across personal, national, global, and even cosmic levels, all at once….Most striking about Perestroika, though, is its hard-to-categorize style. Tsukerman smashes together a smorgasbord of video and archival Soviet footage; on-location sequences with scenes using experimental rear projection and false perspectives; digitally processed imagery; sequences intercutting the low-budget psychedelic present-time with pristine sepias of the past, and so on, in a delirious approximation of Sasha's emotional and psychological life."

Field said that seventeen years passed between when the screenplay was written and the movie was filmed in Moscow in 2007. He credited Cohen, an F & M graduate and now a film writer and director in his own right, with making a major artistic contribution to the final editing of the movie.

The movie opens in New York City on April 17th at the Cinema Village.

A trailer, full reviews and other materials can be viewed at http://www.perestroikathemovie.com/.

What Ernst and Young study actually said about CC Project

2009-03-23T15:55:00.000-04:00

The sixth in a series

A Feasibility Study predicts the financial results of a proposed project, so the author’s credibility over the years depends upon outcomes and, if their methodology strays from professional standards, the firm may be actionable when its findings prove excessively wide of the mark.

In contrast, a Market Study simply describes what is happening with projects throughout the nation and regionally, makes assumptions based upon industry wide experience, comments on the local market place, but makes no prediction of financial viability.

In short, authors of market studies have no skin in the game! Thus the Ernst and Young Study of July 19, 1999 runs to 134 pages and is an excellent primer for someone interested in the state of hotels and convention centers nationally and regionally, but only makes brief comments about the nature of the local market and contains at least one glaring omission.

The study is predicated upon a 294 room hotel and a 61,000 square feet conference facility and shared common areas, less than one third of the 250,662 square feet that was actually built. It paints a rather negative picture of prospects for even a small Convention Center.

To make clear that this is only a Market Study and not a Feasibility Report, it states in bold print: "It is important to note that this does not take into account the estimated costs associated with the development of each Scenario, the financial feasibility, or the anticipated returns."

It "… summarizes projected demand at the Center, based on assumptions regarding the market" but does not include the most important comparable, the struggling downtown Brunswick (former Hilton) hotel. Instead it only provides market information for three suburban hotels: Lancaster Host Resort, Best Western Eden Resort and Willow Valley Resort.

(The market for a downtown hotel is distinct from the market for suburban hotels since the latter are closer to tourist attractions, commerce, industry, and the highway system. Note its comment "based on assumptions regarding the market." We can only assume Ernst and Young was encouraged not to include the pivotal information concerning the struggling Brunswick.)

In addition, the report recommends "tennis court’s and/or racquetball court(s)" and "preferred tee-times at nearby golf course(s)." It goes on to explain: "According to the IACC, a fitness club, swimming pool, and tennis courts are the most common recreational facilities offered at conference centers in 1997."

The report lists "Factors Assessed as Competitive Weaknesses: (1) Air access; (2) Cultural, arts and entertainment attractions; (3) Population (4) industry concentration; (5) Historical demand for lodging/meeting facilities; (6) Market image for meetings/conventions/trade and consumer shows; (7) Other quality-of-life issues."

"Competitive Strengths" were limited to:

"(1)Perceived cost savings associated with booking and attending an event in Lancaster versus other locations in Pennsylvania (including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Hershey)."

"(2)The Center’s advantage with respect to including an attached, upscale full-service hotel (estimated to be of sufficient size to capture a portion of lodging demand generated by large shows and conventions), is offset by a lack of hotels within walking distance of the Center (other than the Brunswick Hotel) to capture spillover demand."

According to Ron Harper of FifthEstate.com, the Ernst and Young study was not made available to the public until twenty hours before the County Commissioners voted to establish a 5% hotel room tax, 3.9% to directly subsidize the Conference Enter and 1.1% to promote tourism.

What CC market studies actually revealed

2009-03-21T13:09:00.007-04:00

Fifth in a series

Now that reporter Jim Sneddon’s research has established the wasteful and highly questionable expenditures of millions of dollars of Convention Center Authority funds, NewsLanc will now examine the history of the Convention Center Project and report upon the sponsors' disingenuous representations, falsehoods, and connivances over the almost decade long evolution of the project.

Marketing Studies

In sequence, studies were as follows:

1) The LDR Plan – 1998.

2) The Pinnacle Advisory Group study of 1998

3) Ernst and Young Report of 1999.

4) PricewaterhouseCoopers study of 2000.

5) PricewaterhouseCoopes update of 2002. (Subsequently withdrawn.)

6) C. H. Johnson study of 2003.

7) The PKF Feasibility Study of 2006 funded by the County Commissioners and boycotted by the sponsors and the Convention Center Authority.

It is NewsLanc’s contention that the reports were at times concealed, made public at the very last minute prior to pivotal votes, observations ignored or misrepresented, and alarms disregarded by the Convention Center Authority and Sponsors.

LDR Plan of 1998.

It suggests: “Build on the visual impact of the 'New Lancaster Square West' to create an opportunity site on Lancaster Square East for a small, state-of-the-art conference center of approximately 40,000 – 50,000 square feet. Work with the new owners of the Hotel Brunswick to assure the hotel’s linkage with the conference center, and that its redevelopment includes not only interior renovation, but an external, architectural enhancement of the building façade – an entirely new image. All of this will create a major ‘people place’ for Lancaster and establish the city as an important visitor destination.”

Of paramount importance, it recommends a conference center of 40,000 – 50,000 square feet. Instead, the Convention Center consists of 183,917 square feet plus 66,745 square feet of shared space with the adjoining Marriott .

All studies prior to the PKF were predicated on the assumption of a "small to median size" conference center. Later, PricewaterhouseCoopers would withdraw its studies citing the growth in scale of the envisioned project.

Note the location is not the Watt & Shand bulding but rather adjoining the Brunswick Hotel.

Ample space was available in unused and underused portions of the Brunswick, the adjoining vacant theater and empty shops, plus the opportunity to expand the existing public facilities to accomodate a small to medium size conference center. NewsLanc estimates the the Brunswick could have been restored to its orginal splendor and the alterations and additions accomplished for under $40 million dollars, a fraction of the almost $200 million ultimately invested in the Convention Center / Hotel project.

The Pinnacle Advisory Group study of 1998:

This study apparently was withheld from the public, even though the Lancaster Newspapers Inc. and the City of Lancaster reportedly were sponsors and public money helped pay for the study. NewsLanc has filed a "Right To Know" request with the City. We anticipate the report was very negative.

Until the 2006 PKF report (the first true "feasibility" study), reports were predicated upon a small to median size conference center. In 2006, PricewaterhouseCoopers would withdraw its two studies citing as a reason the growth in scale of the envisioned project.

(To be continued)

Ayers Visit Draws Protest and Counter-Protest

2009-03-19T23:56:00.005-04:00

Around 6:30pm Thursday night, a smattering of signs were held by both those protesting the visit of speaker Bill Ayers and those protesting such protest. Although generally benign, the scene was tense: The anti- as well as the pro-Ayers crowds occupied the same short stretch of sidewalk in front Millersville University’s Student Memorial Center.

The protests, on either end, remained calm and civil, and Ayers’ speech proceeded without notable interruption.

A sense of principled urgency was projected by protesters on either side of the spectrum. For those opposing Ayers’ visit, this was a matter of integrity for the University. Mike, whose sign read, “next year let’s invite Osama,” explained his position: “I disagree with the college that I graduated from hosting a former terrorist as a keynote speaker for something they could have found someone else to do.”

For those who supported Millersville’s hosting of Ayers, this was a matter of first amendment rights. Matt, whose sign read, “MU = Education not IGNORANCE,” explained what brought him out: “I’m out here to support freedom of speech, I’m here to support Bill Ayers. I’m not here to support anything he has done in his past, but I think we need to move on and recognize him for the Urban Education developments that he has made….”

Lancaster's Radio Centro attracts International Latino Stars

2009-03-19T13:58:00.005-04:00

Radio Centro (91.3 WLCH) first entered the local airwaves on September 14, 1987. Station Manager Enid Vasquez-Pereira was there on that Monday morning, and today she easily recalls the small beginnings: “It was a little studio. You’d walk into the production studio and then walk into the on-air studio, so there were a lot of interruptions.” It was a Now the station occupies a generous first-floor space for their lively headquarters at 30 N Ann St.

Radio Centro (RC) is a Spanish public broadcasting station serving Hispanic and Latino listeners in Lancaster and beyond. Being an NPR-affiliated broadcaster, the station offers a blend of educational and cultural programming, some of which is produced by larger national studios, such as Radio Bilingue's Linea Abierta (airing Monday through Friday at 3:00pm). Much of RC’s educational programming, however, is homegrown, produced right here at the Downtown Lancaster studio.

Music plays an important role in RC’s programming. And, although most of the music is Spanish-language, there exists a wide range of ethnic genres. As Lancaster has grown in its diversity of Hispanic nationalities, Vasquez-Pereira explained, RC has sought to provide specialized blocks of programming catered to various styles—from Cuban to Dominican. Occasionally, up-and-coming artists have visited RC from New York City or other urban centers to talk on the air. According to Vasquez-Pereira, “we have had some who are now international stars,” such as Andy Andy and Aventura.

Aside from providing Spanish-speakers with valuable news and information, one of RC’s greatest accomplishments is preserving Hispanic and Latino culture by connecting older and younger generations.

Vasquez-Pereira explained the dynamic: “We do have some programs that the older individuals might appreciate. This is music that you won’t hear elsewhere—like the old trio songs that my parents used to love….Then you have individuals like myself that appreciate listening to it because it reminds me of my parents.” Also, “with the radio station, I hear [the younger generation] using their Spanish a little bit more, and even appreciating their Spanish music a lot more than they used to.”

Radio Centro broadcasts from Downtown Lancaster and reaches as far as York. In the future, the station hopes to expand its coverage, and continue cultivating Hispanic and Latino culture in Lancaster City and beyond.

The month of March is a crucial time for Radio Centro in raising support for their operations as a public broadcasting station. For more information about Radio Centro and how you can support their programming, visit www.wlchradio.org.

Specter says he won't switch parties

2009-03-18T12:49:00.002-04:00

A March 17 posting at www.TheHill.com , "[Senator Arlen] Specter won't rule out run as an independent" goes on to say "Sen. Arlen Specter said Tuesday that he will not run for reelection in 2010 as a Democrat, but might run as an Independent....

"'I’m staying a Republican because I think I have a more important role to play there,' he said. 'I think the United States very desperately needs a two-party system. … And I’m afraid that we’re becoming a one-party system, with Republicans becoming just a regional party.'”

$5,000 interest free loan for city home buyers

2009-03-18T12:17:00.002-04:00

At today’s County Commissioners’ Meeting, the Countywide Redevelopment Authority was authorized to amend its contract with the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership (LHOP), allowing the provision of $300,000 in LHOP assistance funds to City homebuyers.

Under the new arrangement, LHOP funds can now be accessed for homes within the City limits.

Previously, if the County’s portion of Federal homebuyer assistance funding was not fully expended within the County itself, the remaining funds could not be applied within the City. According to Matthew Sternberg, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority, “That did create the situation where there was funding available on the County side that could not be used for qualified residents on the City side, even in situations where those residents may have originated from the County.”

LHOP lends as much $5,000 interest-free to first-time homebuyers of low to moderate income. Before qualifying for these funds, individuals are walked through a 10-hour Homebuyer Education course to discuss all of the financial obligations associated with home-ownership.

Essentially, this amendment was introduced because “activity in the City, while slowed by the recession, outpaces the County” (Resolution No. 11 of 2009). Commissioner Craig Lehman commended this amendment, stating, “For me, this a very thoughtful approach in basically trying to address demand.” LHOP expects the monthly disbursal of two to three loans in the County versus five to six loans in the City.

For more information regarding LHOP, visit their homepage at www.lhop.org. (Please note that the site is not yet updated regarding the inclusion of City homebuyers.)

Lest we forget. A past cry for criminal investigation

2009-03-17T20:17:00.004-04:00

Editor's note on letter reproduced below: In 2006, the three members of the Convention Center Authority wrote to the district attorney and asked his assistance in obtaining access to information concerning what conmprised over $7 million in invoices from the law firm of Stevens and Lee. Ted Darcus, Chair, gave ongoing litigation as the reason for withholding the information. With litigation ended for several months, NewsLanc has asked the Authority for access to the billing information under the State's Right To Know law. The Authority has failed to deliver the documents even after a 30 day extension to which it was entitled and has requseted another 30 days to decide what it will do.

September 12, 2006

Hon. Donald R. Totaro
County of Lancaster
Office of the District Attorney
50 N. Duke Street
Lancaster, PA 17608

Subject: Suspicious expenditures by Lancaster County Convention Center Authority

Dear Mr. Totaro:

The undersigned -- Deb Hall, Jack Craver, and Laura Douglas -- serve on the sevenperson LCCCA board and have been blocked by Chairman C. Ted Darcus and Executive Director David W. Hixson in performing our oversight responsibilities.

Our specific concern here is that we have become aware that almost $7 million in legal fees have been paid to the law firm of Stevens & Lee over several years on the basis of over two-hundred invoices with no additional information attached than "For professional services rendered on behalf of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority."

On June 7, 2006 I wrote on the behalf of the three of us to Chairman Darcus requesting that the process of validating payment to the law firm be placed on the agenda for discussion at the June 8 meeting.

The matter did not appear on the agenda for the June 8 meeting. Mr. Darcus commented that the request had not been submitted in, what he considered a timely manner. At that meeting I, therefore, requested, publicly, that the item be placed on the agenda for July’s meeting. Mr. Darcus, however, suggested that I could move that the item be added right then to the current meeting. I did so. Then, at Chairman Darcus's urging, though without any further explanation, the Board voted not to place the matter on that evening’s agenda. Nor was it added to the agenda of the June 13, 2006 special meeting.

On June 27, 2006, I once again wrote on behalf of the three of us to Chairman Darcus and again requested the matter be placed on the agenda for the July 13, 2006 meeting. Despite the ample notice, especially since the meeting was rescheduled for July 27, 2006, I received no response and the matter was not placed on that agenda nor on the August 14, 2006 (postponed from August 10) agenda.

Under any circumstance the expenditures of so much taxpayer money should be cause for
careful scrutiny. The recent controversy pertaining to Stevens & Lee’s billings to the County for the Conestoga View Nursing Home underscores our concern. It is clearly in the public interest that our Board discuss whether the Stevens & Lee invoices are being properly verified in a normal business manner.

The LCCCA has spent almost $19 million dollars of taxpayers' money to date. The refusal to permit even a discussion of how the money has been paid raises serious questions about the propriety of those expenditures.

I want to emphasize that, at this juncture, the issue is the unwillingness of Chairman Darcus to permit a discussion of the matter, not whether the current procedures are correct. Since Chairman Darcus and the other board members cannot possibly know what questions and constructive suggestions we may have based upon information so far at our disposal, there can be no possible justification for, but only suspicions about, the gagging of our legitimate requests.

Therefore, we ask that you expand any investigation of billings by Stevens & Lee pertaining to Conestoga View to billings of Stevens & Lee pertaining to the LCCCA and, if no investigation is currently taking place, that you initiate one.

Sincerely,
_________________________ ____________________ ___________________
Debra A. Hall Jack Craver Laura Douglas

Copy: Tom Corbett
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
16th Floor
Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Cc: C. Ted Darcus
Joe Morales
Willie Borden
D. M. Schwanger
David Hixson
John Espenshade

Enc. Email: Deb Hall to Ted Darcus, et al. 6/7/06 Accounting Audit of Legal Services
Email: Deb Hall to Ted Darcus, et al. 6/21/06 Requests for itemized invoices
Email: Deb Hall to Ted Darcus, et al. 6/28/06 Agenda Request

Surplus funds not being used to replace electronic voting machines

2009-03-17T19:44:00.001-04:00

At today’s Planning Session, the County Commissioners approved an amendment to Lancaster's agreement with the PA Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation regarding the disbursement of funds from the existing Help American Vote Act (HAVA). The Federal grants were originally slated to last through 2009; however, with the US Congressional Elections approaching in 2010, the County has moved to extend the agreement to June 30, 2011 to employ $34,031 of unused HAVA funds.

Mary Stehman, Chief Clerk of the Registration and Elections Department, explained the remaining funds would be applied toward HAVA-designated services such as polling place accessibility; training of election officials, poll-workers, and election volunteers; and educating voters concerning voting procedures, voting rights, and voting technology.

When asked by NewsLanc whether any of these funds may be used to replace a number of electronic voting machines without verifiable paper trails that were bought used by the former commissioners , Stehman said that the remaining $34,031 is not earmarked for such expenditures. Stehmen noted that such considerations are not yet mandated by law, and would have to be addressed “down the road.”

Cork Factory Hotel to open soon downtown

2009-03-17T16:10:00.001-04:00

According to magazine web site Small Market Meetings: "The 70-room Cork Factory Hotel is scheduled to open this summer in downtownLancaster in a converted industrial building. The Cork Factory will have4,000 square feet of meeting space, and is part of a resurgenence that includes the new Lancaster County Convention Center and the Marriott Lancaster at Penn Square."

Another LCCCA questionable expenditure

2009-03-17T15:49:00.007-04:00

Sixth in a series by Jim Sneddon

During this NewsLanc investigation, a review of thousands of documents often revealed things happening behind the scenes that were never made public.

There were times when set dollar amount contracts also grew. One was with as E4 Exchange of Lancaster.

The company was hired in conjunction with a Consortium established in the summer of 2004 by the Pennsylvania Dutch Country Visitors Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Company of Lancaster County and the Authority.

When Tom Baldrige, director of The Chamber, contacted David Hixson, LCCCA Executive Director, about hiring E4 and sharing the costs 50-50, Hixson agreed. The Letter of Agreement from Lois Dostalik, President and CEO of E4, was signed by Beckett and Hixson. The fee for the 12-month engagement was $48,000, meaning the Authority was responsible for $24,000.

By the time the year was over, however, the Authority had been billed, and paid, $69,696.

E4 was to design Consortium meetings and provide facilitation assistance. It was to “Design the Project Management Plans.” This included the four Consortium members, but “in addition we will develop a written list of detailed responsibilities for the Mayor and the County Commissioners,” Dostalik wrote.

Communications were important according to the Agreement. The contract language spelled it out: “This includes ensuring that key messages are shared at the right time, using the appropriate communication style.”

Apparently communication with the Authority board was not important. The agreement was never brought to the board for approval. No board member ever raised a question about why they were paying E4 during the monthly “Pay the Bills” votes at the Authority meetings.

The first invoice for $15,934.20, dated Dec. 29, 2004, was almost quadruple the monthly figure quoted in the agreement. Included in the invoice was a note reminding that the Authority had agreed to 50% of the costs. The invoice added that “as these services are not included in the August 26 Letter of Agreement, it is understood an addendum will be issued no later than April 2005 to reimburse the original project.”

There is no record of Hixson bringing “an addendum” to the Authority for approval. No copies of an addendum were included in this investigation’s right to know request for copies of all contracts.

The Consortium didn’t last long.

By July 2005 the “plug had been pulled.” In an e-mail to Hixson, Baldrige wrote that the Chamber paid a $3,600 retainer fee to E4 Exchange. It also paid $11,100 to be placed into escrow by E4 to cover the first three monthly costs as per the contract. Baldrige noted, however, that only $3,720.68 in expenses was actually billed, but he wanted his 50%.

“In trying to close out the effort, I was wondering if you would still be willing to cover the 50% of the expense as per our original agreement? That would amount to $1,860.34.”

Hixson agreed and told Baldrige the payment would be on the July “Pay the Bills.” According to the records. the check was approved by the Authority board.

What is unclear, however, is whether the full $69,696 was paid only by the Authority, with nothing coming from the Chamber. The Authority was billed that amount and the board approved checks totaling that full amount. There is no evidence, in reviewing the Authority’s account statements from Sovereign, that there were any deposits from the Chamber indicating a reimbursement for its 50% share.

Unused school facilities may be taxed next year

2009-03-17T14:59:00.002-04:00

At today’s County Commissioners’ Planning Session, the Commissioners granted a $1,800.91 tax exoneration for three properties owned, but not actively used, by Manheim Township School District (MTSD). A tax exoneration is essentially a de-facto exemption that must be specially granted for a property that does not formally qualify for tax-exempt status.

As explained by Dee Dee McGuire, Lancaster County’s Director of Property Assessment, a property must be utilized for actual school purposes to maintain a tax-exemption. The properties at 15, 49, and 313 Valley Road, however, are not currently occupied in any such manner: “For lack of a better term, they purchased [the properties] and they’re sitting on them, waiting to decide how to use them,” said McGuire.

Currently, these three facilities sit vacant on parcels adjacent to Manheim Township High School. According to McGuire, the District has no concrete plans in motion to put these buildings to use. MTSD had requested exonerations for two of these buildings in recent years, the longest running of which has been exonerated since 2005.

Before granting this year’s request, the Commissioners expressed their desire to see these School-owned properties put to legitimate use. Commissioner Craig Lehman gently asserted, “Maybe next year we won’t say yes” if a plan for the properties is not developed.

Local news and comment web sites

2009-03-15T20:57:00.002-04:00

Courtesy http://lookingatlancaster.blogspot.com/

Since you are reading this, you are already aware that the Internet offers the opportunity for individuals and groups to publish and widely distribute local news and commentary in ways that would have been impossible only a few years ago. LookingAtLancaster.com is only one out of a number of sites that offer alternatives to the mainstream media. With few exceptions, these are a labor of love, created and maintained not for profit but out of a concern for our community.

These independent news and opinion sites often publish information that is neglected or ignored by the local newspapers and television stations. Occasionally, independent sites have broken important stories long before the print or broadcast media. At other times, when the mainstream media has intentionally distorted the "news" in a way to serve their own interests, alternative news sites have been the only way for the public to get the facts, often obtained directly from the sources and parties involved.

Below is a brief description of a few of the most popular independent Web sites and alternative news sources which have made an impact on Lancaster. There are other sites online which discuss local issues; some of these are independent, others represent specific groups or organizations. This article does not include online forums, where people have the opportunity to discuss the issues of the day; that topic is deserving of an article of its own.

NewsLanc.com clearly stands out as a real alternative to the mainstream media. Managed and funded by Robert Field, a locally based apartment and hotel developer , NewsLanc.com has a full-time reporter dedicated to local issues, in addition to contributions from volunteers. NewsLanc.com has broken a number of stories, most notably about the public library. This site has also been publishing an in-depth investigative series about the hotel and convention center project; these articles have publicly revealed the misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars, an issue which has been intentionally neglected by the mainstream local media. NewsLanc.com has the potential of becoming serious competition to the local newspapers.

LIP News (www.lipnews1.com) is an alternative news and opinion site operated by Becky Holzinger. LIP News has revealed a great deal of information about issues neglected by the mainstream local media, most recently concerning the Roseboro/Funk murder case in Denver, as well as the abuse of a female minority suspect by male officers in New Holland. Becky Holzinger's commentary can be controversial, but it is always well worth reading.

Unfortunately, a number of once-prominent local sites are no longer being updated on a regular basis.

Lancaster First (LancasterFirst.org) began life as the online voice of the Lancaster First ad-hoc community group. LancasterFirst.org became a news site in its own right, breaking a number of stories about the hotel and convention center project in downtown Lancaster. This site is no longer updated on a regular basis, but recently has posted several significant additions. LancasterFirst.org will continue to be maintained as an archive of potentially valuable information for the foreseeable future; for example, this site is the ONLY place where the agreements and other documents governing the hotel and convention center project are available online.

Lanco Yokels (lancoyokels.blogspot.com) USED to be a source for the some of the most astute commentary about Lancaster County which was available anywhere. Unfortunately, its author apparently suffered from burn-out, and only a placeholder for the site remains. Some of still hold out hope that Lanco Yokels will return some day.

The granddaddy of all the local alternative news sites, and the one which has had the greatest impact, is 5thEstate.com. No longer being updated, the site is being maintained as an archive. 5thEstate.com was a labor of love by local activist Ron Harper Jr., who for seven years single-handedly took on the Lancaster establishment. 5thEstate.com has had a tremendous impact on Lancaster: one state representative, several district justices, and a number of constables were forced to resign as a result of articles which appeared there. A school superintendent was revealed to have misused his authority for his own personal gain, for which he later served time in prison, because of information first made public on 5thEstate.com. Other revelations posted on 5thEstate.com resulted in dramatic changes in how the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority conducts its business in public. Even the local newspapers have improved their reporting after being scooped repeatedly by 5thEstate.com.

Unfortunately, 5thEstate.com eventually became too much for one person to handle by themselves. Ron Harper Jr. took on a partner, and together they founded the Lancaster Post (LancasterPost.com). For six months, both online and in a print edition, the Lancaster Post provided an outstanding weekly news and commentary alternative to the mainstream media. But when financing became an issue, the Lancaster Post ceased publishing, and the partners went their separate ways. LancasterPost.com is still online, and all of its editions are still available for download. There is no word if or when LancasterPost.com will resume publishing.

The Internet provides more opportunities for individuals and groups to reach others than at any other time in history. For example, LookingAtLancaster.com is hosted on Blogger, a free blogging service from Google (the search engine masters). The domain LookingAtLancaster.com is forwarded to lookingatlancaster.blogspot.com, where its articles actually reside. Anyone can open a Blogger account for free, and start posting almost immediately. Blogger is easy to use, easy to customize, and requires little knowledge about the Internet to use. Who knows: it is entirely possible that someone reading this article will start a site that eventually becomes a major influence within Lancaster County.

EDITORIAL: TheTruth Is Out!

2009-03-14T08:18:00.007-04:00

"We were hoping to get more funding than we did in 2008," Rosser-Hogben said. "And with the economy doing a downturn, the board felt — and I fully supported — that it just wasn't the time to continue on with it."

Those are the startling words of retiring Director of the Lancaster Public Library (Duke Street) as published in the March 13 Intelligencer Journal.

Rosser-Hogben acknowledges she helped bring about the last minute switch of board members from unanimous support for remodeling and expanding the library to the last minute aborting the project despite financial arrangement with the State and encouragement and assistance from the mayor and other governmental officials.

The money for the renovation was almost certainly available. The expectation of later funding for the 18,000 square foot expansion was excellent because a federal recovery bill with funds for "shovel ready" public projects was on the horizon.

But remodeling a library while it remains in operation is a huge undertaking for a director, requiring tremendous effort, leadership and long hours. Rosser-Hogben could have stepped aside and made way for someone eager and perhaps experienced to do the job. There was ample time to find a qualified successor.

Rosser-Hogben was unsuccessful in generating a successful fund raising program, a task foreign to her experience and skills. Nor was she receptive to advice from pros. Most of the major non-governmental funds received in recent years have been from the book sales, ably led by former library president Pat Ditzler, a source on the board, and bequests from parties virtually unknown and unsolicited.

Perhaps her failures in that area brought about an irrational sense of panic. But leading members of the Lancaster community and a a professional fund raiser to be engaged for the campaign would have been heading up the effort.

Rosser-Hogben's last minute influence over inexperienced board members not only led to a rejection of a million dollars (plus another $500,000 if needed) of funding for the project and over four hundred thousands spent on plans, but brought a halt to over a hundred thousand dollars a year of contribution from a board source that, among other things, had funded essential repairs and the expansion of the public computers by 50%.

Furthermore, the library's feasibility study (another $30,000) indicated twice the financial support from the community that was required to close the gap ($1,300,000 at the most and only $800,00 if need be) for renovating and remodeling, and this was before asking the County Commissioners for a cent!

It was understandable that Rosser-Hogben would not care to take on the burden of managing the library through a period of major renovation during operations. She had indicated in the past a desire to resign. She had an entire year to help make the transition to a director perhaps experienced in renovations and fund raising.

Is our publisher bitter that Rosser-Hogben withdrew her support of the project at the last minute? Absolutely. Thirteen hundred people a day are deprived of a remodeled central library and the expansion which the community so needs.

NewsLanc wishes Rosser-Hogben well in her future career and thanks her for accomplishments in some areas, and her knowledgeable assistance in planning for the renovated and expanded facilities.

But we are glad to see her move on.

CC: A $32,000 'ounce of precaution'!

2009-03-13T10:23:00.004-04:00

At Thursday's Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA) Board Meeting, the Capital Budget was strategically increased by $32,040.00 to obtain a third-party assessment of the Hotel and Convention Center’s critical life safety systems (Fire Protection, Fire Alarm, and Smoke Exhaust among others.)

As Kevin Molloy, Executive Director of the LCCCA, explained, "We have contractors who are finishing these systems. They are not ready to be turned on right now; and simultaneously, we want someone to review this … [and] say 'we're ready.'" The goal is to avoid wasted time and expense in the form of system glitches down the road.

The third party engineers review plans, inspect installations, and are present when the systems are initially put into operations. The firm chosen is especially experienced with the higher than normal standards required by the Marriott Corporation.

Molloy recounted a consulting session held with a highly-experienced developer. After initially recommending a third-party assessment, the developer had told Molloy, "This is your insurance policy. Because if you don't turn it on, some of those challenges can take a week, two weeks, a month, or a couple of months, and you wouldn’t want it."

When an element of the life safety systems malfunctions during the formal inspection by authorities, a delay in making repairs and obtaining another inspection can prevent the entire project from starting business for days and even weeks, thus costing tens of thousands of dollars and possibly forcing last minute cancellations.

Vice Chair Laura Douglas commented that such precautions will also be valuable in maintaining repeat visitors to the center: "It's the critical path to having a second chance of getting business; because if you blow it the first time out, then they’ll never come back."

It's not just the $200 million

2009-03-12T22:18:00.007-04:00

Walking around the block before attending Thursday's special Convention Center Board meeting, an observer experienced first hand the barrenness of the first block of South Queen Street.

Most of the west side of the block is fronted by the unbroken wall and windows of the Lancaster Newspapers building. A few shops make up the rest. The east side is the Convention Center, extending from King Street downhill to Vine Street.

Even if the center lives up to the hopes of its sponsors, there will be no activities at least half of the days of the year, perhaps two-thirds. So a "no man’s land" will exist between Penn Square, the very heart of downtown, and the southern part of the city. It is unlikely that even hotel guests will want to venture onto the block.

Had the proposed alternative mixed use plan prevailed of a high rise condominium with offices, boutiques and cafes, the sidewalks would brim with people, even into the late hours of the evening, and on weekends until the early morning hours.

Such an active block would have spread downtown commerce and gentrification to the Seventh Ward.

The observer, experienced in developing communities, grieved over the missed opportunity as he continued to the LCCCA meeting.

Prince Street Cafe major downtown draw

2009-03-12T19:38:00.007-04:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

In late 2005, Keith and Crystal Weaver; Dave and Carol Witmer; Kevin and Valentina Weaver; and Ed and Joan McManness all put their heads together: "We all had a very common vision," Crystal Weaver explains, "and that was to provide a place where people could come hang out and not feel like they just needed to move along…. We wanted a place that was well-done, that felt like someone had put some time, energy, and quality into it."

Ever since the Prince Street Cafe's opening in August of 2006, this vision has been tremendously successful. People often ask Weaver if business has dropped in the current recession, but the fact is the Café just experienced its busiest winter yet: "It's been on the incline ever since we moved in. I don’t think we’ve leveled off. I keep thinking, 'By now the hype should be over and it should level off…' But things haven’t slowed down yet."

Another early purpose for the Cafe was to bring more people Downtown, "for people outside the city to come in and start to feel comfortable in the city and feel safe in it." Weaver, who was raised on a farm in Centerville, said that most of the people she grew up with were afraid to come Downtown. Today, Weaver estimates that her Lancaster City business receives more than half of its traffic from people outside city limits.

According to Marshall Snively, Deputy Director of the James Street Improvement District (which includes the Downtown Investment District), the city has collected a younger, more "hip" crowd in recent years. The pattern cannot be directly traced to the arrival of the Prince Street Café, but the Café's success is certainly emblematic of the trend.

For Lancaster's city-goers and city-dwellers, the Prince Street Cafe provides a winning combination of quality and affordability. It isn't the quintessential "Ritz," but it isn't a hole-in-the-wall, either. Although the concept of affordable quality appears obvious enough, Weaver believes this is something that the city could use more of: "I think there’s a need for a place that is mid-range—nice, but not really expensive."

It took eight owners and a great idea to start up Lancaster City's Prince Street Cafe—a business that now stands as a parable to how a strong vision can go a long way when enough people put their heads and wallets together. And, after all, isn't that what cities are all about?

The Café is located at 15 N. Prince St and is open from 6:30am to 11pm on Monday through Thursday, and perpetually from 6:30am Friday to 3:30pm Sunday.

Lancaster Public Library (Duke Street) director resigns

2009-03-12T12:20:00.006-04:00

NewsLanc has confirmed the resignation of Debra Rosser-Hogben the Executive Director of the Lancaster Public Library (Duke Street), which is not to be confused with the Library System.

John McGrann, President of the Board, confirmed that Rosser-Hogben's last date will be April 3rd. He said that the board is currently in the process of determining what their next steps will be, and it is too premature to comment on plans for a new executive director.

Rosser-Hogben had made a significant contribution to the planning for the aborted remodeling and expansion of the Duke Street facility, although not necessarily an advocate for proceeding at this time. Of course, the decision lay with the Board.

An able administrator, Rosser-Hogben had little background or success in overseeing fund raising. Weight may be given to finding a candidate with strength in that area in selecting a successor.

Earlier this year Karen Haley Field stepped down as president when the board rejected plans to move ahead with the remodeling project. She remains on the board as treasurer.

Subsequently, representatives of Lancaster General Hospital and Fulton Bank became board members, strengthening the boards experience and ties to the community.

Library System Administrator seeks League support

2009-03-11T23:16:00.002-04:00

In a letter to The League of Women Voters, Susan Hauer, Administrator Library System of Lancaster County, disclosed:

"The 2006 per capita expenditure for library services from County funding is the lowest of the surrounding Counties. Lancaster/$4.89; York/$5.66; Berks/$8.08; Bucks/$8.67; Adams/$10.35; Cumberland/$13.40; Chester/$14.33; Dauphin/$15.72."

She describes how "The media has been filled recently with stories of increased library customers and funding cuts from all levels of government and private donors."

She then challenges the mind set of the current Board of County Commissioners by claiming that "...they have no mandate to support library services in the County. That is untrue due to a 1997 County Resolution and unfair to a democratic society that demands free public library services in return for their hard earned taxes. "

Hauer requests that "the League continue to follow and support the Library System and member Libraries in our efforts to attract appropriate funding for Library Services in Lancaster County" and "encourage candidates who are seeking public office to include appropriate funding for libraries as part of their platform."

Chaotic funding of county libraries

2009-03-11T11:10:00.002-04:00

Until recently, Manheim Township was served by under 2000 square foot rented facility on Granite Run and was a branch of the Lancaster Public Library , which has its main facility on Duke Street in the City of Lancaster. At the Monday Township commissioners meeting, $7.6 million was budgeted for a 20,000 square foot new library with a 9,000 square foot basement, about half the size of the downtown facility.

For 2009, Manheim Townshp has budgeted $8 per capita ($269,475) towards library operations.

In comparison, the City of Lancaster has budgeted $1.77 per capita ($100,000).

Another branch of the Lancaster Public Library (LPL) is located in Mountville and serves Mountville - $5 per capita, and East Hempfield Township – only $1.12 per capita.

In total, the average appropriation from LPL's service area embracing fourteen municipalities and serving 187,788 county residents is only $1.56 per capita. For the entire county, all 60 municipalities, the per capita appropriation for library services for LPL's three branches and the other regional libraries is only $2.88 per capita.

Manheim Township can afford to build and support a library and is to be commended for its solid support of public education.

However, the City can only afford meager annual assistance and nothing towards remodeling and expansion of the Duke Street facility.

The funds that would have enabled the remodeling and expansion at LNP's Duke Street branch had been promised by the state and local benefactors, although some county contribution was anticipated. (Millions of dollars of promised earmarked state funding were redirected at the last minute to offset cost overruns for the Convention Center Project.)

The above suggests all the more reason for a county wide Library Authority and a small county real estate tax, perhaps a quarter of a mill. These two reforms, conforming the administration and funding of countywide libraries with how successful library systems operate elsewhere, would assure that all children and adults throughout the county improvement and recreation.

Lancaster Square demolition behind schedule

2009-03-11T08:09:00.002-04:00

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Rick Gray reported that the Lancaster Square demolition project is two weeks behind schedule.

He said certain problems in the original structure were discovered that will require the installation of supports. This could result in around $80,000 worth of additional work.

Lancaster Catholic in Regional Finals

2009-03-11T06:53:00.000-04:00

For the Regional Mock Trial competition, Lancaster Catholic defeated York Catholic on Tuesday in what a local observer described as a "clear victory."

Strong on arguments, York faltered on technicalities, failed to object even once, and stumbled over cross examination of a witness.

Lancaster Catholic, which squeaked by McCaskey on a split decision for the county championship, now moves on to the Regional Finals on March 18th in Harrisburg. If they win, they proceed to the statewide competition.

Castration by consent when all else fails

2009-03-10T23:06:00.005-04:00

Given the considerable interest by the New Era and a portion of the Lancaster population concerning sexual predators, we offer the following excerpt from the March 9 New York Times without taking any position:

"The Czech Republic has allowed at least 94 prisoners over the past decade to be surgically castrated. It is the only country in Europe that uses the procedure for sex offenders. Czech psychiatrists supervising the treatment — a one-hour operation that involves removal of the tissue that produces testosterone — insist that it is the most foolproof way to tame sexual urges in dangerous predators suffering from extreme sexual disorders. "

City grants SACA $200,000 for River Plaza planning

2009-03-10T22:31:00.004-04:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

Lancaster’s Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) was granted a $200,000 boost from the City tonight for their proposed Conestoga River Plaza on a 5.7 acre riverside tract near the intersection of Chesapeake and South Duke St., adjoining the Lancaster County Park.

The grant will be used towards a six-month design and engineering phase for the commercial, residential, and environmental aspects of the prospective project.

Carlos Graupera, SACA’s Executive Director, expressed to the Council that this planning phase would aim to gather good ideas and reject unfeasible ones: "It will try to rule out all those things that will not work—that are not feasible—in the vision." Graupera also mentioned that the development process will involve an opportunity for neighborhood residents to share their ideas and concerns for the project.

After completion of the design and engineering phase, the plan will be submitted to the State for environmental clearance. The site, upon which presently stands the abandoned Miguel’s Nightclub, was once used as a landfill and an auto-parts dump; however, Graupera indicated that early analysis has shown that the site should be safe for development.

The Conestoga River Plaza proposes to include a bank, a community grocery store, retail stores, a full service restaurant, gallery and performance space, and townhouses along the river.

According to SACA’s website, the Plaza is intended to "begin a process of economic development in the southeast quadrant of the city of Lancaster that will create new investment, create jobs, and stimulate this long neglected quadrant of the city to become a vibrant part of the Lancaster community with its own unique cultural and ethnic flavor."

The John F. Steinman Foundation allowed for the site to be put under an option agreement. Funding from the Foundation allowed also for the Phase I and II environmental studies to occur.

The Community First Fund, the High Group, and the City of Lancaster were all part of the financing package that allowed for settlement to proceed.

More information about SACA’s plan for the Conestoga River Plaza can be found at
http://sacapa.org/econDev.html

SACA serves growing Latino community

2009-03-10T15:18:00.000-04:00

Over one third of Lancaster’s population is Latino, a diverse Spanish-speaking group of cultures and nationalities. The stated mission of the Lancaster’s Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) is “to foster and facilitate the cultural, social, civic and economic development of the Latino Community of the City and County of Lancaster through the provision of human services, employment and training, and behavioral health services.”

According to Allison Weber, SACA’s Director of Community Relations & Education, Latinos have been drawn from nearby metropolitan areas: “Once you have a burgeoning culture here, we get the services: We have a lot of good Latino restaurants, we have employers who hire a lot of Latino people, for this size community we have a lot of non-profit agencies. So it just may be that things are more accessible.”

The avenues through which SACA pursues its mission are as creative and diverse as the community it serves.

The headquarter at 545 Pershing Avenue on the Southeast End of the Lancaster City houses the largest senior center in Lancaster County, and provides breakfast and lunch to senior citizens and the homeless. On a chilly Thursday morning, around 9am, the center is already bustling with activity. Dozens of visitors socialize in the high-ceilinged atrium while, beyond a wide set of glass doors, a large group of senior citizens enjoy breakfast in the cafeteria.

Other services provided by SACA include:

- WLCH Radio Centro (91.3 FM), broadcasting Spanish educational and culture programming 18 hours a day
- Employment Desk, connecting workers with prospective employers
Career Development & Training, and Adult Education
- YouthBuild, a “leadership development program for young adults that provides educational (GED) classes, construction training, volunteer service opportunities, case management, career preparation, individual support, and graduate follow-up”
- HIV/AIDS & HepC Services
- Behavioral HEALTH Services, including
- Nuestra Clínica Behavioral Health Services
- Mental Health & Drug and Alcohol
- Outpatient Programs
- Adolescent Counseling and Therapeutic Services

In the near future, SACA hopes to begin broadcasting a new Spanish Public Television station in the Lancaster area. The organization has already obtained the necessary licenses and much of the necessary equipment. Grant funding stands as the only significant hurdle to bringing Spanish educational programming to the airwaves in Central PA.

To learn more about Lancaster’s Spanish American Civic Association, visit
www.sacapa.org.

Recession impacts apartment complexes

2009-03-09T16:11:00.001-04:00

In the past year, most major apartment complexes in Lancaster County have experienced a moderate rise in vacancies.

To attract prospective tenants, some especially hard hit local apartment complexes are offering several weeks of free rent and have minimized security deposits. One is providing up to $500 in free prizes at an upcoming open house.

Other complexes have reduced the amount of annual rental increases or eliminated them altogether.

Typically, when the housing market slumps, the rental market jumps; but this widespread recession—with its under-valued real estate, scarcity of jobs, and stifling effect upon consumer buying habits—has not left American apartment complexes unscathed.

Between September and December, national occupancy rates dropped 0.7%, not much in comparison with the rise of unsold home, but yet significant.

Some apartment renters are moving out to take advantage of lower house prices. On the other hand, “empty nesters” who would like to move into an apartment are unwilling to sell their homes at today’s prices.

One apartment owner opined that a certain amount of “doubling up” is taking place, thus shrinking both the house and apartment markets.

Convention Center Revenue: A Guessing Game

2009-03-08T21:08:00.003-04:00

Courtesy of http://www.lookingatlancaster.blogspot.com/

Any project that involves cash flow needs to have a business plan. This includes the taxpayer-financed convention center project in downtown Lancaster.Unfortunately, the few convention center revenue projections released to the public seem to be a part of some kind of guessing game.

One of the first "pro-forma" projections available was a in a presentation to the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority board on February 22, 2006. The projection of first full-year revenue was estimated to be $1,272,799.

The only estimate of convention center revenue to be widely distributed was published in the Lancaster New Era on Thursday, June 14, 2007, page A4. It projected the first full year of operation would generate $1,577,000 in gross revenue.

The first revenue projection available to the public from Interstate Hotels and Resorts, the joint manager of both the hotel and convention center, was created on November 6, 2007. At this point, IHR was using a "stub" year for 2009, from the opening of the convention center until the end of the calendar year; this estimate was $971,636 for nine months - roughly in line with the February 2006 projection.

Late in 2008, IHR switched to a fiscal year, to align their operational budget with the long-established fiscal year used by the LCCCA. In November of 2008, IHR released a projected operating budget for Fiscal Year 2010 (April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010). This document included figures from a "pro-forma" dated February of 2008; at that time, convention center revenue for the first full year of operation was estimated to be $1,149,267. But as of November of 2008, the anticipated first year's gross income was down to $957,840.

At the LCCCA Public Relations, Marketing & Hospitality Committee meeting held on Thursday, February 19, 2009, IHR presented its latest estimates of operational income for the convention center. At that time, the total projected revenue of the first full year of operation for the convention center was down to $514,935, or less than a third of the amount published in the local newspapers in June of 2007 (only twenty months earlier). The February 2007 IHR presentation also included the amount of revenue booked to date.

As of the date of this presentation, IHR had commitments for five trade shows, matching its latest goals, and eight consumer shows, out of an updated goal of eleven. It is highly unlikely that a significant number of large events will be added at this late date. Where bookings have fallen short of goals is in "other" events, which could be anything from a wedding reception to a conference; so far, only eleven have been booked, out of a goal of 52. It is possible that more of these types of events will be booked, but the goal appears unreachable.

Consequently, the total amount of revenue contracted to date is estimated to be only $235,886, or only 15% of the amount published in the newspaper during June of 2007.

If revenue from the "hotel tax" would have continued at the rate estimated in late 2007, there should have been enough money left after construction bond payments to balance the budget. However, "hotel tax" revenue during 2008 fell nearly 5% below the previous year's receipts through November, the last month currently available. (It is worth noting that both September and November had revenue shortfalls of more than 25% over the previous year.) Figures for 2009 are not yet available, but as the recession has deepened, the dramatic decrease in "hotel tax" income during late 2008 is likely to continue.

To make matters worse for the LCCCA, market rates have at times been outside of the range allotted in the construction bond sale's interest rate "swap". This has already cost the LCCCA tens of thousands of dollars beyond its budget for bond payments.

What does this mean for Lancaster County taxpayers? It is entirely possible that the LCCCA will not collect enough money from the "hotel tax" and convention center revenue combined to cover its bond payments and operational costs. This means that a tax increase of some kind will be inevitable, whether in the "hotel tax" (which is limited by State law) or in Lancaster County property taxes, perhaps as soon as next year (2010).

EDITORIAL: A depressing self fulfilling prophesy

2009-03-06T16:07:00.002-05:00

(Please excuse us for getting off subject.)

Will somebody explain to us the following: Unemployment has grown by 4% over the past six months. Gross Domestic Product has fallen by 6.2%. Yet auto sales are off a whopping 37% in February. Why would a disproportionate percentage of the 92% employed people, presumably earning at least 93.8% as much as in the past, stop buying cars?

The answer would seem to be fear. But fear of what? Losing their jobs? Few can imagine the unemployment rate at its worse becoming more than 10%. And most people have reason to feel secure in their employment.

We attribute the auto sale drop off to unprecedented jawboning from September onwards by government officials about how bad the economy was going to become. Talk about self fulfilling prophesies!

When the history is written of what triggered the deep recession or, perish the thought, even depression of 2009 / 2010, historians will likely see the housing and credit crisis as the trigger but the fear mongering of the Bush and then Obama governments as the accelerant.

Downtown merchants paying price now for future improvements

2009-03-05T18:04:00.003-05:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

In the coming months, Downtown Lancaster will gain a spruced-up image due to the streetscape improvements currently underway; but for now, certain center city businesses are paying the price.

In the early '90s, Tony's Fashions, offering clothing, jewelry, and accessories at 14 S. Queen St, was patronized largely by shoppers from the Bon-Ton across the street. But ever since the department store closed its doors in 1995, business has been slow, according to Tony Luciano, the store’s owner.

Since mid-January of this year, Luciano's block has fallen unusually slow, due to construction for Downtown streetscape and sidewalk improvements. February is usually one of the busier months, but this year, with sidewalks ripped out and traffic bottlenecked along the block, Luciano did not experience the typical surge: "People can't get in or out…. My business is about more than half down."

Next door to Tony's is a Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. Today, the entire patch of sidewalk before the front entrance is being reset, leaving the business without an obvious point of entry. Costumers are being channeled through the Tony's entrance next door and then through an interior side door connecting the two storefronts. As with Tony's Fashions, this Jackson Hewitt has faced decreasing business over the past month, and with tax season in full swing, this is supposed to be the busiest time of year.

According to an engineer at the City’s Department of Public Works, concrete sidewalks and two-lane traffic should be in place within the next two weeks. However, the entirety of the streetscape improvements—including new lights, trees, and inlaid brick—will not be complete for another eight to twelve weeks.

Luciano is unsure as to whether the improvements will benefit his business in the long run. "To tell you the truth," Luciano cautiously stated, "I don’t know how much it’s going to help." Luciano sees more potential in the opening of the Convention Center, which he hopes may bring traffic from visitors and employees. Having survived 14 years across from an abandoned building, any activity is greatly welcome.

Commissioners approve flexible care for Mental Health

2009-03-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

At Wednesday's public meeting, the County Commissioners approved a collection of agreements and amendments on behalf of the Lancaster County Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Early Intervention Program. Of the eight total changes, the most notable shift in funding was an additional $497,150 for the administration of Person or Family Directed Supports.

Person/Family-Directed Supports (PFDS) are a channel through which individuals whose care qualifies for Mental Health assistance have access to flexible funding. Through this program, families or individuals are allowed to employ a close friend or a member of their religious affiliation for respite services through this program.

In the words of James Laughman, Executive Director of the Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Early Intervention Program, "This is just shifting funding to where the needs are."

CC Consultant paid $407,000 plus vague expenses

2009-03-04T17:14:00.003-05:00

Part Four of the LCCCA investigation series by Jim Sneddon

The hiring of Robert C. Hazard III by the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority was, at best, a footnote in a far more significant meeting.

The bulk of the lengthy meeting was consumed by concern that Penn Square Partners was going to drop out of the project. They had found an $8 million shortfall in what they were able to invest in the new Convention Center project. The word was that if the Authority couldn’t find another $8 million Penn Square Partners were going to pull out.

That dire news may have been good news, however, for Hazard. The Authority never again discussed the issue in public. Whatever happened to solve it was done out of the public's eye.

Continue

Urgent health care without the wait and expense

2009-03-04T15:47:00.007-05:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

Since February of last year, Urgent Care Center Lancaster has been providing emergency health care services at a fraction of the typical hospital Emergency Room (ER) costs. On average, visitors spend 40 minutes at the Urgent Care Center (UCC), as opposed to sometimes hours spent waiting in the ER — or perhaps even the string of days spent waiting for an appointment with a family doctor.

The costs are roughly comparable to doctor appointments.

'Urgent Care' facilities exist all across the nation to handle non-life-threatening emergencies without the congested waiting rooms and bloated bills of the ER. In Lancaster County, however, there is only one such facility.

Two years ago, Dennis T. Penny Jr. experienced a minor bicycle accident, requiring six stitches and a tetanus shot. When Penny received the $2,500 bill, he was certain that something in the local health care system needed to change. That's why, last year, Penny opened up UCC Lancaster, now jointly owned by himself, Dr. Mark Cohen, and Dr. John Ginder.

In the first months of operation, UCC Lancaster was seeing but four patients each day; now they are seeing close to fifteen. In Penny's mind, this growth has been all about spreading the word. At first, the majority of patients were out-of-town visitors well-acquainted with Urgent Care services: "They don’t go to the ER. They come to the Urgent Care centers," Penny notes.

As more local residents learn that there is a cheaper and more convenient alternative to the ER, UCC Lancaster expects to grow busier. If growth is consistent, Penny is hoping to open three or four more centers in Central PA within the next year.

The UCC opens its doors to those with minor emergencies who cannot be quickly served by their family doctor. For the uninsured, the center offers reasonable pricing with a simple flat rate and the possibility of payment plans, when necessary. The center provides most of the services offered by the ER, with the exception of X-Rays—although, plans are in the works to obtain the necessary equipment.

When asked if the Center would someday be open 24 / 7, Penny responded that the busiest period for Urgent Care facilities are in the evening hours, not at night.

Urgent Care Center Lancaster is located at 1821 Oregon Pike, behind Susquehanna Bank and next to McDonald’s. Service is available from 12-8pm on weekdays and 10am-6pm during the weekend. The center plans to expand its hours in the near future.

Additional information or scheduling of an appointment are available at their web site.

www.UrgentCareLancaster.com.

Facts re Bill Ayers's past

2009-03-03T00:41:00.002-05:00

By Cliff B. Lewis

With Bill Ayers slated to speak at Millersville on March 19, the media has again fallen abuzz for the former Vietnam-era radical. At least in Lancaster, it has. And again, as was the case with the national media coverage last fall, there remain two critical facts regarding Ayers that have been absent from public discussion.

Ayers was a founding member of the Weather Underground, a politically Leftist organization that focused the majority of its efforts on ending the Vietnam War. There was a potent sense of urgency among those involved, as Ayer’s elaborated in a 2004 interview: "Two thousand people a day were being murdered in Vietnam in a terrorist war, an official terrorist war… This was what was going on in our names. So we tried to resist it, tried to fight it…. And every day we didn’t stop the war, two thousand people would be killed."

The Weather Underground was a group of impassioned activists, opposed to a massive war, and propelled by the sheer magnitude of that which they sought to resist.

There are two clarifying points that are often neglected in the public debate regarding Ayers’ past:

1. The Weather Underground, at its most militant, never targeted civilians. In the first year of the group’s existence, some unexecuted plans had involved casualties, but even these campaigns were directed only at Government or military agents.

2. Nearly all of the organization’s bombings were executed at vacant Government facilities. After three members died in an accidental blast in 1970, the group prioritized their strategy and became committed to avoiding all human casualties of any kind and in any sector. As Ayers’ described it, "We were very careful … to be sure we weren't going to hurt anybody, and we never did hurt anybody. Whenever we put a bomb in a public space, we had figured out all kinds of ways to put checks and balances on the thing and also to get people away from it, and we were remarkably successful."

These facts need not sway one's opinion regarding whether or not Ayers' actions were abominable, nor need they affect one’s opinion regarding whether Ayers should be invited to speak at Millersville this month. These facts, however, are useful in maintaining an equitable and balanced perspective, free of generality and foregone conclusion.

How Smithgall gambled and lost millions for City

2009-03-02T10:12:00.005-05:00

NewsLanc sent the following inquiry to Patrick S. Hopkins,Business Administrator, City of Lancaster

"The Feb. 25th New Era article tells how five year ago the City 'entered into a deal with Wachovia Bank to refinance a series of municipal bonds, essentially replacing one set of bonds for another.' The idea was to lower the average debt service in order, in part to free up bonding capacity for other financing.

The article goes on to say that, as a result, the City may lose $2.9 million as a result of 'the bond insurer who was part of the deal had its credit rating downgraded.'

Who was that "bond insurer?" Was it Wachovia?"

Hopkins replied as follows:

Hopkins replied as follows:

"The New Era article didn't make the swaption issue quite as clear as it could have. The issue is complicated so I created the attached Q&A for the presentation I made to the City Council Finance Committee last week.

Suffice it to say that the $632,500 the City received from Wachovia for this swaption in 2004 has turned out to be a terrible deal for the City because of current market conditions. Mayor Smithgall probably said it best when he was quoted in the New Era article saying,"When you do a swaption, you bet on the future." Knowing that, the Smithgall Administration executed this swaption and used the proceeds from this and two other swaps executed at the same time to balance the 2004 General Fund operating budget (not to "pay off some debt early" as the New Era article stated).

On the list of three options presented in the Q&A, our recommendation was Option #3. Our goal is to wait out the bad market and then issue long-term fixed rate bonds and terminate the swap in the process.

This Q&A should answer your questions on the Wachovia swaption, but let me know if you have other questions.

Patricks S. Hopkins Q&A

The poison of "mitigated speech"

2009-03-01T08:32:00.003-05:00

March 1 "Straight talk in tough times" by Sunday News guest columnist Bill Adams demonstrates how much more cogent a columnist can be when he or she has read and reports on a good book. Adams discusses how "Malcolm Gladwell ..in "Outliers; The Story of Success" describes "...mitigated speech, which is any attempt to downplay or sugarcoat the meaning of what is being said."

To rise near to the top of the business and political world and to generate successful outcomes (we emphasize the second part!), one has to have the courage to speak one's mind, even when what you say will not be welcomed and may result in rejection and even exile, at least temporarily. (Great examples were Winston Churchill and a generation later Martin Luther King.)

The Bible teaches us to remove the "stumbling block" from before others. Yet it never ceases to amaze how valid suggestions meant to be helpful are often taken as affronts and ignored, to the great detriment of the recipient.

The willingness to speak one's mind on the one hand and the willingness to benefit from advice on the other are often the difference between successful leaders and the general population. At times being "nice" can be counterproductive and even unfair.

NYC newspaper to charge for Web content

2009-02-28T12:25:00.006-05:00

According to Agence France Presse, "New York newspaper Newsday plans to start charging users of its Web site, a top executive of the company that owns the daily said Thursday."

This is an approach that has proven successful for the Wall Street Journal but was tried for some services by the New York Times a couple of years ago and later discontinued.

One of the top 15 newspapers in the country, Newsday has a strong base on Long Island and also serves the greater New York metropolitan area, competing with the Times and the Post.

Publishers from throughout the country will be monitoring Newsday's -new approach carefully because its success or failure will be an important indication of options for the struggling print medium. The bankruptcies within recent days of the two Philadelphia newspaper and Denver's Rocky Mountain News are signs of the considerable financial pressures that virtually all newspapers face today, Lancaster included.

As recently commented upon at NewsLanc, the success in charging for Web site content by the Wall Street Journal is attributed to the exceptionally high value readers place on its economic and financial coverage. Whether Newsday's local coverage of Long Island will be in sufficient demand to generate revenues is problematic but a fascinating experiment.

LETTER: LNP Conspires With Project Partners

2009-02-27T21:56:00.003-05:00

Editor's note: The following comes from a representative of TRRAAC.

"Lancaster Newspapers refuses to report that the project partners are responsible for submitting false statements to the state government in their attempt to obtain millions of dollars to cleanup the LCSWMA dump in Manheim Township. This week, both Lancaster Intelligencer and Lancaster New Era reported on developments with the proposed relocation of the Dillerville Rail Yard. Both reporters were informed that an application submitted to the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) falsely represented that the project had already "committed" and 'awarded' $ 1 million from Department of Environmental Protection. However, neither story noted this significant fact.

"TRRAAC's investigation has confirmed the DCED application was submitted by EDC Finance in December. As recently as February 11, 2009, DEP wrote to Keith Orris of F&M and informed him the DEP application was only in process. This is evidence that the DCED application falsely represented to DCED that DEP had awarded and committed $ 1 million toward the cleanup of the dump.

"LNP is one of the largest contributors - to the tune of $50,000 annually - to the Economic Development Council of Lancaster County. EDC Finance is described on its web site as a division of the Economic Development Council of Lancaster County. Board members of EDC Finance include Larry Downing, president of Manheim Township Board of Commissioners; Michael Davis of Barley Snyder, the attorney who is representing F&M College and convinced Manheim Township that federal law preempted local floodplain ordinance; and a partner at Hartman Underhill & Brubaker, the law firm representing LCSWMA (the beneficiary of the state grant to pay the tipping fees to relocate the waste). The Board of Economic Development Council of Lancaster County includes Tom Beeman of Lancaster General Hospital, John Buckwalter of LNP, a partner at Barley Snyder, and Keith Orris of F&M College.

"It is interesting to note that TRRAAC has discovered an e-mail dated August 19, 2008 where the head of DEP's Brownfields Action Team wrote to Kathy Horvath, the DEP official responsible for reviewing the proposed cleanup plan and public involvement plan, about a conversation she had with Keith Orris of F&M. The e-mail notes that Jill Gaito, the DEP Deputy Secretary responsible for the Growing Greener grant program, had agreed that 'we would use [Growing Greener II] funds for remediation work at the Norfolk Southern project. Keith will send a scope of work so that we can start the paperwork.'

"So, while DEP was reviewing the cleanup plan and public involvement plan, apparently somebody high up at DEP decided the project would be funded before it was ever approved. Is it any wonder that DEP rubber stamped the plan on October 3?"

EDITORIAL; Bitter sweet news. An end of the Robber Barons?

2009-02-27T09:39:00.007-05:00

News reports that the "Rail yard move is under way" bring mixed feelings.

Yes, enabling the expansion of Franklin and Marshall College and connection of road patterns in North West Lancaster are very desirable things.

But the underhanded, undemocratic manner in which the dump site was chosen should concern citizens not only because of the abridgement of the rights of the neighbors, not only because F & M and General Hospital should know better, but also because tens of millions of tax payers' money to relocate a benign asbestos ladened dump may have been saved if a more suitable location indeed exists.

We at NewsLanc are hoping this episode bring an end to an era dominated by the self serving dealing of S. Dale High of The High Group (The Convention Center Project) and , on behalf of F & M, by college President John Fry, (the Norfolk Southern railyard project.)

In both cases these community leaders dragged along unwitting accomplices who should have known better. Fulton Bank was sand bagged with the Convention Center Project and stopped funding the partnership and separated itself as quickly as possible after sordid facts were brought to its attention. Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. was involved because the misguided Steinman heirs sought to help downtown, and mediocre executives unwisely collaborated with what High for the prospect of owning the Marriott for only a token investment.

Worse, the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. trashed journalistic standards and used its power to further its financial interests in Penn Square Partners and to destroy the public careers of two decent officials.

All that the future rail yard neighborhood was asking was that an impartial expert examine alternate locations and confirm that the dump site was preferable, all things considered.

All the former County Commissioners and convention center critics were seeking was a professional feasibility study and abidance with its conclusions.

NewsLanc hopes and believes that the future will be better. Dale High and John Fry have been unmasked for what they really represent. No longer will Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. be able to mis-lead with impunity.

NewsLanc is small but growing; we are tough minded and well funded. Like George Soros, we believe that an informed public over time will make better decisions. We pledge to stay the course!

Current LCCCA committed to transparency

2009-02-26T22:47:00.003-05:00

At the Feb. 26th monthly public Lancaster County Convention Center Authority meeting, a modest public request was honored by the Board.

Randolph Carney, a city resident, noted that, according to the LCCCA website, the project current value stands at $174.4 million. However, Carney observed, the actual project cost has fluctuated over the course of the past year. Being that "well over fifty percent" of the cost of the hotel and convention center is comprised of tax-payer dollars, Carney asserted that it is the duty of the LCCCA to present the public with accurate and accessible figures. Carney later told NewsLanc that "The convention center, of course, is 100% taxpayer dollars."

Chairman Art Morris acknowledged that the numbers posted on the website have not been updated since last year's audit. Secretary Kevin Fry committed to doing all he can to ensure that the data provided online is appropriately updated.

Mock trial final a cliff hanger

2009-02-26T22:19:00.002-05:00

Last year's runner up for the county championship Catholic High was once again locked in battle with 2008 winner McCaskey High before four jury members in a court room presided over by County Judge Jeffrey D. Wright.

After evaluating the impressive presentations by both teams, the jury split 2 to 2 between McCaskey, representing the Plaintiff, and Catholic High, for the Defendant.

As a tie breaker, points awarded to attorneys and witnesses through out the contest were added up. Again the teams were dead even.

Finally, a third tie-breaking criteria was applied, and Lancaster Catholic won by the narrowest of margins.

For the victors, regional contests lie ahead and aspirations of reaching the state finals.

For the losers....there's next year.

Building Character: Pulsates spirit of adaption and reuse

2009-02-25T19:38:00.003-05:00

(First report by Cliff B. Lewis on the Downtown cultural scene)

The 300 block of North Queen Street may well be the cradle of a cultural Renaissance in Downtown Lancaster. And the glowing center of this gestating movement would have to be Building Character.

Tucked away from the west side of Queen, Building Character's exposed brick walls and bare rafters have come to shelter a colorful arrangement of local music, art, clothing, and film. The now city-wide tradition of Music Fridays (on the third week of each month) first pulsed through these very walls to the tune of the Faux Minx, Lancaster's hardest-working jazz-funk quintet. And, from the looks of things, this is only the beginning of Building Character's impact on Lancaster's local culture.

Before April 2007, Building Character was a drab and silent warehouse. Had it not been for the efforts of local preservationists, this 19th century structure, designed by the same architect as Penn Square's Greist building, would have been flattened into a parking lot. Instead, the building served as a small-time storage facility until less than two years ago, when Tony Nies and Marty Hulse conceived the idea for a Downtown-based market for antique architectural salvage material.

Not long after its initial opening, the facility became a fresh venue for emerging Lancaster musicians—apparently a hot commodity at the moment: "The Chameleon," Nies explained, "kind of lost the [status of being] known as the local, raw, underground space for up and coming local artists. Now they're booking David Archuleta." Two years ago, when folk artist and former "Vigilante of Love” Bill Malone visited Lancaster, he performed at the Chameleon. This Saturday, February 28, Malone will perform at Building Character.

Building Character bears a stark and stylish atmosphere, setting a new local standard for the adaptive reuse of historic industrial structures. Indeed, its entire eclectic block is defined by a spirit of adaptation and reuse—from clothing, to windows, to vintage cigarette lighters. As Nies puts it, "Almost everything in the block reuses in some way….That's one of the things that the block stands for."

Building Character is located at 342 North Queen, Warehouse B. Building Character houses a diverse array of cultural events, all of which are listed on their Event Calendar.

Will Philadelphia become a one newspaper city?

2009-02-25T16:39:00.001-05:00

According to the Feb. 25th Philadelphia Daily News, one of the main issues between creditors and management is whether to continue to publish the Daily News in addition to the Inquirer or allow Philadelphia to become a one newspaper city.

According to the article, Brian Tierney, publisher of both newspapers, declared "We've been able to save $75 million in costs in Philadelphia by working with people and treating people with respect... As long as I'm running the place, the Daily News will never be closed and we'll never rescind our contracts."

CORRECTION to Veri & Jamanis concert time

2009-02-25T15:59:00.002-05:00

Veri and Jamanis are scheduled to perform the full Gershwin program at Weil Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall) on March 26th at 8pm, not at 12:15am as was previously reported during a moment of our publisher's mental lapse!

Commissioners Adopt "Greenscapes" Plan

2009-02-25T15:41:00.005-05:00

by Cliff B. Lewis

"Greenscapes" was formally adopted today as a new element in the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan. The Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the initiative after a public presentation by Michael Domin, Principal Planner for the Lancaster County Planning Commission.

Prior to the final vote, County Commissioner Craig Lehman asserted that Greenscapes has everything to do with Lancaster's economic development, in as much as young American families will be more likely lay down their roots in an area with preserved and accessible natural "amenities." And ultimately, Lehman noted, this initiative serves to ensure that "the Lancaster County we love will remain 100, 200, 300 years from now."

As defined in the official document, Greenscapes will exist to define "a vision, goals and objectives, strategies, and tools to preserve, conserve, restore, and enhance natural resources through the establishment of a countywide, integrated green infrastructure system." It should be noted from the outset that this plan does not initially institute any 'hard' legislation to plant trees, protect developable land, or 'green' our existing infrastructure. Rather, "Greenscapes" serves to set a clear vision for local growth.

The term "green infrastructure," in itself, projects a focused vision for our local community.

Distinct from the 'gray' infrastructure of transportation, plumbing, and energy lines, green infrastructure consists of the rivers, fields, and forests that serve to "protect, enhance, and restore the natural functions and services of an ecosystem." The Greenscapes initiative emphasizes the economic and social 'services' provided our surrounding eco-system and places these services on par with those provided by our roads, pipes, and telephone lines.

The plan will pursue its four goals of Preservation, Conservation, Restoration, and Recreation through several "action initiatives," including

• A Lancaster County Green Infrastructure (GI) website,
• Local GI-related events,
• Municipal GI plans,
• A GI overlay zoning district,
• County GI funding program,
• Completion of the Countywide Regional Park and Greenway Trail System,
• A local GI summit,
• A local GI coalition,
• And the formation of Environmental Advisory Councils.

Several local community members took the floor to commend the planning and approval of Greenscapes. Ralph Goodno, President of the Lancaster County Conservancy, praised this natural preservation initiative for living up to the County's past accomplishments in preserving its agricultural land.

A document detailing the complete vision of "Greenscapes" is available at www.co.lancaster.pa.us .

Veri and Jamanis in Budapest

2009-02-25T00:15:00.011-05:00

For admirers of the Lancaster piano duo, artistic founders of the Pennsylvania Music Academy (PAM), and for those who simply enjoy good music and travel, visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWwu_mj6YpQ .

Veri's former Lancaster piano student, now Budapest resident, and current East European real estate developer Richard Field 'filmed' the couple with "a hand held high definition HDCCD video camera and a cheap tripod" as they went sight seeing in Budapest and during their concert. He then edited their sight seeing and concertizing into a very educational and entertaining short video.

The concert sound track is actually from Veri's original two piano transcription of "An American in Paris" that Veri and Jamanis recorded and released in 1997 to mark Gershwin's 100th birthday, which explains its high reproduction quality.

Veri and Jamanis are scheduled to perform the full Gershwin program at Weil Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall) on March 26th at 8:00 pm.

Green Infrastructure Plan to be Presented Tomorrow

2009-02-24T12:12:00.003-05:00

by Cliff B. Lewis

A new Green Infrastructure Element in the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan will be presented tommorow for final affirmation at the Lancaster County Commissioners' weekly meeting.

The new initiative, known as Greenscapes, will serve as a replacement and expansion upon a similar Lancaster open space plan from 1992. Greenscapes will provide the county with guidance from a variety of avenues — from planning to public events — with the purpose of promoting environmentally considerate growth in Lancaster County.

Tomorrow's meeting will be held at 150 N Queen, in Room 701, beginning at 9:15 am. The event is open to the public and will feature a formal presentation of Greenscapes, including a visual presentation of the plan’s priorities and components.

All who value the clean and responsible growth of Lancaster County should be encouraged to lend their presence and voice to this meeting.

For more information regarding the Lancaster County Commissioners, visit
www.co.lancaster.pa.us/lanco.

Cliff Lewis joins NewsLanc staff

2009-02-23T16:43:00.005-05:00

NewsLanc welcomes Cliff Lewis as a reporter and feature writer.

He is a 2008 graduate of Millersville University, majoring in English with a minor in History.

Cliff is also a local musician, a coffee aficionado, and a card-carrying Downtown Lancastrian. He and his wife currently reside on West Orange Street.

Until accepting his new position, Cliff was employed as a technical writer. Cliff learned of the opening from announcements on the NewsLanc web site. He responded to the challenge!

Is F&M's application for a rail freight assistance grant a travesty?

2009-02-23T08:55:00.002-05:00

John Fry, President of Franklin and Marshall College, is consumate at framing matters in a self serving manner. Small wonder he is the product of business schools rather than academia as were the college's prior leaders.

The matter is deemed newsworthy because it raises the issue of why a joint effort by F & M, General Hospital and the Norfolk Southern railway was set forth as an F & M application as though F & M indeed was in the railroad business. Also many representations seem questionable.

The following is condensed from a submittal by a representative of TRRAAC. The article can be viewed in its entirety at www.trraac.com)

On March 15, 2007, PennDOT entered into a Capital Project Grant Agreement with F&M College ("Agreement"). The Agreement is for the period October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2008 and provides the state's 70% share of the $ 1,000,000 estimated cost for the "engineering of a construction project to relocate Norfolk Southern's Dillerville Yard." The funding appears to have been originated in the 2005 Capital Budget. TRRAAC has obtained a copy of F&M College 's application and the Agreement.

The application was submitted by F&M College , but the copy provided by PennDOT in response to TRRAAC's Right to Know request, is not signed or dated.

As with the application for $ 9.3 million submitted to PennDOT last year, there is "troubling" information in this document. For example, the applicant is F&M College , a self-described railroad user seeking funds related to construction of a rail yard. (PennDOT officials told TRRAAC in a meeting in January 2009 that F&M is not eligible to receive grants under the Rail Freight Assistance Grant program.)

"F&M then lists the revenue and expenses of its "railroad or business operation" for 2004, 2005 and 2006. For 2005, revenues were $ 85,795,874.00 and expenses were $ 83,230,129.00.

In the section asking about current litigation, F&M identifies its litigation and does not disclose, for example, Norfolk Southern was facing corporate criminal charges for a derailment in northwest Pennsylvania .

Why didn't the state require disclosure of Norfolk Southern's litigation and safety record before awarding this grant?

The F&M application is stamped "THIS PROJECT IS CURRENTLY CONFIDENTIAL".

In response to whether the property is owned or leased, F&M responds the property is "owned." Of course, they do not disclose the property is owned by LCSWMA and not the railroad.

Newspaper bankruptcies strike close to home

2009-02-23T08:29:00.004-05:00

According to the Feb. 23rd issue of The New York Times, the filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection by the Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. is in large part the result of paying too high a price, $562 million, in 2006 for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.

It quotes Brian Tierney, Publisher of the Inquirer, as stating: "Philadelphia Newspapers' goal is to bring its debt in line with the reality of current economic conditions."

An Associated Press article published in the Intelligencer Journal quotes Tierney as saying "In the last two years, we experienced the rare trifecta of a dramatic decline in revenue, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and a debt structure out of line with current economic realities."

NewsLanc scoffs at Tierney's assertion that "This restructuring is focused solely on our debt, not our operations."

When NewsLanc brought information to the attention of the Inquirer from the first stage of its investigation of the roots of the Convention Center Project, it was told the matter would have merited investigation in the past but was out of the question given the current skeletal news staff due to financial constraints.

The Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. probably does not have a problem of heavy debt since earlier generations of competent management created a thriving enterprise. Yet it too suffers from a loss of revenue due to the current recession and migration of advertisers and customers to the Internet. The editions get thinner and thinner. It is more intent on not "making waves" than ferreting out wrong doings... which in past cases would require a mirror!

The combination of the Intell and New Era on a daily basis in the manner that they are jointly published Saturdays and holidays would seem to be the next logical step. So the question is how long will Publisher Jack Buckwalter fiddle while the Steinman fortune burns?

Real Estate boon of 1920s led to crash of 1929

2009-02-23T00:28:00.005-05:00

Editor's note: The author, Polly Cleveland, PhD, shared the following with NewsLanc's publisher. It is posted at www.georgiststudies.org. We published it because it provides a different perspective on the national economic crisis.

Economists conventionally attribute the Great Depression to blunders by the then-new Federal Reserve Bank. According to this story, promoted by Milton Friedman and the Chicago School, after the stock market crash of 1929, the Fed kept interest rates too high, strangling the economy. This story made most economists confident that it couldn't happen again.

But there's a different story: the story of the great 1920's real estate bubble. It began with cars.

Starting in 1899, the auto industry took off exponentially, dipped for two years during World War I, then took off exponentially again during the 1920's. Production reached a peak of over 4 million vehicles in 1929, before collapsing. It did not again pass 4 million until 1949!

The auto suddenly opened up vast suburban and rural areas to housing. Developers--legitimate and bogus--leapt at the opportunity. Banks jumped in too, creating so-called "shoestring mortgages"--effectively allowing property purchases on margin. Within a few years, tens of thousands of acres around major cities had been subdivided and sold.

In rural areas, developers bought up farms, dug a pond, built a "club house" and sold cheap "vacation" lots. As reported in Homer Hoyt's classic One Hundred Years of Land Values in Chicago, from 1918 to 1926 Chicago population increased 35% and land values rose 150%, or about 12% a year.

In 1926, land values stagnated, then fell. After 1929, home construction collapsed, and--paralleling the auto industry--did not again pass the 1926 level until 1950. Around Detroit, over 95% of recorded lots were vacant as of 1938. Nationally, there were an estimated 20 to 30 million vacant lots, compared to about 30 million occupied housing units. According to economic historian Alex Field, the barren subdivisions ringing the cities hindered the recovery of construction: Missing titles of defaulted owners and poor physical layout created de facto brownfields.

The real estate bubble helped set off and then worsen the Depression. Collapsing land values left people suddenly much poorer, so they cut spending. They also defaulted on mortgages, sticking the banks with "toxic" assets: liens on near-worthless property. The struggling banks in turn cut off lending even to good customers. Bank runs--panicky depositors withdrawing cash--further crippled the banking system. Between drops in spending and lending, businesses failed, unemployment soared, and prices fell.

Thus a radical innovation of the early 1900's--the automobile--set off destructive real estate bubble in the 1920's. Another radical innovation took hold in the late 1990's: "securitization", that is, the aggregation of consumer debts, especially mortgages, into marketable packages known as "collateralized debt obligations" or "CDO's." CDO's set off another giant real estate bubble by making houses "affordable" to poorer Americans. The collapse of the CDO bubble stuck banks once again with "toxic" real estate.

Fortunately, economists--and markets--now recognize that to limit damage, we must force banks to write down the garbage quickly. But write-downs will reveal that some big banks' liabilities exceed their assets, requiring drastic remedies, including restructuring, breakup, and possibly temporary nationalization. Unfortunately, so far our new Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, either lacks the nerve or the authorization. Unless he acts soon, we face another "lost decade" like the 1930's.

A modest suggestion to save chlildren's lives

2009-02-22T23:52:00.001-05:00

NewsLanc inquired of the Lancaster Police Department concerning the recent lack of a well trained school crossing guard, if one is there at all, on Walnut Street in proximity to the Sacred Heart School and Reynolds Middle School. We received the following response from Officer M .Branner:

" ... I am in the process of attempting to make changes in the School Crossing Guard program, while this program has been in affect for over fifty years.,, We have great difficulty in finding and hiring qualified people to maintain approximately 30 intersections. In past years crossing guards received salary and benefits, now they are paid $13.47 but receive no benefits.

They only work one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. During the summer they are expected to be available for special events.

I am working with our insurance carrier and training division to get more training for these employees...."

NewsLanc responded:

"May we suggest that a very viable solution to the traffic guard problem at all grammar, middle and high schools would be the purchase and distribution of the stand up portable signs in the middle of the cross paths with the message "State law - yield for pedestrians within cross walks."

We have seen such signs downtown and in front of the Country Day School.

All this requires is for someone to arrive early at the school to place the sign and someone to collect it once school begins and again to place and correct at school closing time.

The portable stand up signs are more effective than untrained and inexperienced adult guards. Drivers are alerted and warned. No confusion results."

What City Are We In Today?

2009-02-22T15:30:00.002-05:00

Excerpts below reproduced courtesy of
http://LookingAtLancaster.blogspot.com/

One of the most often used reasons given as to why the downtown Lancaster, PA taxpayer-financed hotel and convention center project will be successful is because of how unique the facility will be. The combined structure includes the façade of the once-historic Watt & Shand building (which before demolition was listed on the National Register of Historic Places), as well as the remaining portions of Thaddeus Stevens' home, the Kleiss Saloon, two buildings once owned by Stevens' confidante Lydia Hamilton Smith, and the Montgomery House.

Visitors to the convention center who enter through the Vine Street entrance will be able to see the unearthed cistern behind Stevens' home that MIGHT have hidden runaway slaves, as well as a part of the future underground museum. Hotel guests will enter through the Watt & Shand façade. The Montgomery House is being renovated into high-end hospitality suites, and will be off limit to the vast majority of visitors.

Once inside the hotel and convention center, what makes the facility unique?

Unfortunately, not much.

The hotel lobby and restaurant have a street-level view of downtown Lancaster. Unfortunately, both the first half-block of E. King St. and the first block of S. Queen St. primarily contain generic contemporary structures that could be in any city. Neither the hotel ballroom nor the convention center ballroom have windows that provide a view; only the hallways outside the hotel ballroom include windows in the Watt & Shand façade. There is no view of Lancaster from inside the convention center, other than in a small portion of the "prefunction" areas. And even the lowest hotel room (on the sixth floor) is too high to provide anything but a distant overview of downtown Lancaster.

In all fairness, four of the convention center small meeting rooms will have a view of Penn Square and/or the first block of E. King St., as will eight of the hotel's small meeting rooms. But the large glass windows in the hotel restaurant open into a courtyard surrounded by concrete walls, where the hotel tower stairways exit onto E. King Street.

The virtual tour of the convention center, being used to sell the hotel and convention center to potential clients, shows a facility that could literally be located anywhere. (You can see the virtual tour on the Interstate Hotels and Resorts web site, www.lancasterconventioncenter.com/vrtour.asp.) There is nothing inside this facility to differentiate it from any other hotel and convention center located anywhere else in the developed world.

There was one small way that the hotel and convention center MIGHT have made guests feel like they were really in Lancaster, and that is through artworks. Had the hotel rooms and hallways included art or photographs depicting Lancaster, it might have enticed visitors to go exploring beyond the hotel and convention center walls.

Unfortunately, the contract between Interstate Hotels and Resorts and the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority dictate that all art displayed in all parts of the "shared space" be supplied by a division of Interstate Hotels and Resorts. Penn Square Partners has also selected IHR to provide art for all of their meeting and hotel rooms. Rest rooms throughout the entire facility will display "institutional art", generic pictures purchased by the square inch. All that is left for the LCCCA to display art are the main convention hall, the prefunction areas, several hallways, and the corridor between the Penn Square (formerly King St.) parking garage and the convention center.

A committee was formed, led by representatives from IHR, to review and purchase artwork for the spaces available to the convention center authority. Unfortunately, questions about direction led to significant delays. A formal Request For Proposals to purchase art for the convention center was not published in the Legal Notices section of the Lancaster Newspapers until Thursday, February 19, 2009, with bids due no later than 5:00 PM on March 2, 2009. This means that potential bidders only have just over ten days to make a formal proposal, and for all intents and purposes prevents original artwork from being created specifically for the convention center. This also only allows just over 50 days until the convention center opens for business for the committee to review all proposals, select the finalists, present the artwork to the LCCCA board for approval, and mount the artwork in its final position.

REQUEST FOR ART TO DISPLAY IN THE CONVENTION CENTER

2009-02-22T11:17:00.001-05:00

The following notice has been recently published at www.lccca.org:

The Lancaster County Convention Center Authority requests proposals for works of art to be installed in the new Lancaster County Convention Center; situated in downtown Lancaster. The Lancaster County Convention Center features over 70,000 square feet of flexible meeting space; anchored by the 46,000 sq. ft. Freedom Hall. The facility includes two grand ballrooms and twelve meeting and boardrooms. The facility is integrates with the luxurious Lancaster Marriott Hotel. An Artwork Advisory Committee (AAC) has been selected to pre-qualify, review and recommend art projects to be displayed permanently and by exhibition in the public spaces of the Lancaster County Convention Center to the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Proposals will be considered for artwork, including but not limited to paintings, photographs, textiles, and electronic media. There are no restrictions as to content, but artwork that connects to Lancaster County and the City of Lancaster’s rich heritage will be preferred.
If selected, it is agreed that the artwork acquired for the Lancaster County Convention Center will become the property of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority. All copyright of the image, although a work for hire, will be shared by the Authority and the artist, each to use as they see fit. The schedule for delivery is contingent upon the Authority’s project schedule and may be changed at any time.

All proposals should;

 Consider the site/location creatively.
 Respect existing structural and non-structural site elements, including wall treatments, floor
and ceiling finishes, light and shadow, etc.
 Be designed for durability and low-maintenance.
 Include a plan for lighting, incorporating natural daytime lighting and artificial light for
nighttime.
 Consider scale of the artwork.
 Delivery and installation deadlines must be met.
Request for Proposals (RFP) page 2

This opportunity for artwork installation will be for the specific areas listed below. Floor plans with locations are included within this document. Additional floor plans and art location photos are available on the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority website; www.lccca.com. Updated RFP information will also be posted on the site.

Area Location Qty Dimensions Budget (ea)
Vine Street Lobby Wall A 5 80'L x30'W x2.5'd $3,000.00
Vine Street Lobby Wall B 5 Image - 20" X 20" $1,000.00
Vine Street Lobby Wall C 1 Framed - 30" X 30" W $4,500.00
Queen St
– Pre-function Wall A 1 Image - 72" X 72"
Framed - 74" X 74" $12,500.00
Ballroom 'A' Level Wall A 3 48” X 48” $3,000.00
Ballroom 'A' Level Wall D 1 Image - 52" H X 42" W
Framed - 60" H X 50" W $4,500.00
Ballroom 'A' Level Wall E 1 Image - 60" H X 54" W
Framed - 64" H X 58" W $3,000.00
Ballroom 'A' Level Wall F 1 Image - 72" H X 108" W
Framed - 74" H X 112” W $16,000.00
Ballroom 'A' Level Wall G 1 Image - 72" H X 108" W
Framed - 74" H X 112” W $16,000.00
Ballroom 'B’ Level Wall A 3 48" H X 48"W $3,000.00
Ballroom 'B’ Level Wall B 3 Image - 14" H X 11" W
Framed 30" H X 27" W $600.00
Ballroom 'B’ Level Wall C 2 Image - 96" H X 60" W
Framed 98" H X 62" W $8,000.00
Meeting Room Levels
- foyer Wall A 3 48" H X 48" W $3,000.00

PROJECT BUDGET:
The maximum art budget amount for this phase of the project is inclusive of all costs for artists, materials, building modifications, and installation; budget is reflected in the chart above and is for any and all commissions for this project.

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY:
Any artist resident in Pennsylvania is eligible to submit a proposal.

SCHEDULE:
Proposals are due by March 2, 2009; 5:00 p.m. eastern standard time. The award will be announced by April 1st, 2009. Proposals which can result in delivery and installation of the artwork before April 18, 2009 will be preferred. Schedule is subject to change with or without notice.

Interested parties should visit www.lccca.com for additional information concerning submittals.

More from Charlie Rose re future of media

2009-02-21T07:53:00.004-05:00

Viewers interested in the future of the Internet and the print medium might want to visit www.CharlieRose.com and view "A conversation with entrepreneur and software engineer Marc Andreessen" which was broadcast on Feb. 19, 2009, part of a series.

Andreessen, co-founder of NetScape and several other highly successful web sites, boldly suggests that most newspapers should "shut down the presses now" and focus on the Internet! He maintains it is foolish to put 90% of their efforts into what will disappear in a few years and only 10% into what can endure and prove profitable.

Guests on earlier programs stated that few sites will be able to support themselves with advertisement and the profitable ones will provide special information and charge viewers. (For example, most articles on LancasterOnLine.com might be available only by subscription.)

Guests on the show maintain only the Wall Street Journal and a few other highly specialized publications will be able to continue a print edition and also profit from the sale of on-line subscriptions and from advertisements.

Challenge to New Era's integrity

2009-02-19T13:27:00.005-05:00

The following letter was forwarded to NewsLanc.com by a representative of TRRAAC:

"Jack [Brubaker] - why did Economic Development Company of Lancaster County (EDC) finance claim they had a commitment of $1 million from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) when DEP now denies any commitment?

"Three Manheim Township commissioners have now publicly come out against any further tax funding of the Dillerville project.
"Does the public have a right to know?

"Some people are saying the paper won't report these developments because of the Lancaster Newspapers' financial involvement with the EDC, whose staff filed the application with the Department of Community and Economic Development containing the false statements."

Lost opportunity

2009-02-19T09:59:00.004-05:00

American Libraries Online, Feb. 18: Stimulus package will fund libraries. The $787-billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (PDF file) signed by President Obama February 17 includes several economic-stimulus provisions that could directly benefit libraries.

Last November, Karen Haley Field, then president of the Lancaster Public Library (Duke Street), urged that the remodeling and expansion of the library be broken down into two phases: Remodeling funded by major state and private grants already on hand and other donations would move forward immediately; Expansion would follow within a year or two, likely spurred by anticipated federal funding for "shovel ready" projects.

They panicked and turned her down along with a million dollars in grants and despite over $400,000 in plans.

The worn and over crowded Duke Street Library, square foot wise one of the busiest in the country, remains a monument to board members' ignorance and folly.

LETTER: "Time for full disclosure"

2009-02-18T21:52:00.003-05:00

Editor's note: A representative of TRRAAC forwarded the following with the side notation that "The plot thickens." The spokesperson also questions why the Lancaster Newspapers have not reported on the "on the Manheim Twp Commissioners and the stormwater issue." According to the below, the Lancaster Newspapers Inc. are tangentially associated with the project.

TRRAAC recently posted on its web site an analysis of EDC Finance's application to DCED applying for $1 million from Growing Greener II funds to pay for the cleanup of the LCSWMA dump in Manheim Township where Norfolk Southern intends to locate a new rail yard. In that application, which is still pending, EDC Finance claimed that they already had an award of $ 1 million from DEP Growing Greener II funds committed as of December 2008. That appears to be either a false statement or is misleading. DEP confirmed yesterday that they have not awarded any money for this project. Perhaps someone whispered to one of the project partners that the Governor will ensure the money will be awarded?

In response to TRRAAC's Open Records Request, DEP produced a copy of the Growing Greener II application. The application was not signed or dated. The identity of the applicant is not known. However, the documents provided by DEP included a memo dated November 18, 2008 from Keith Orris of Franklin & Marshall College to Tom Mellott and Tracey Vernon (no titles) providing information to begin the application process for DEP Growing Greener II grant. The Orris memo claims the applicant will be EDC Finance Corporation, an affiliate of the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County. EDC Finance was also used as the conduit to apply for the DCED grant.

The Board of Directors of Economic Development Company of Lancaster County include Keith Orris of F&M, Tom Beeman of Lancaster General Hospital, and Jack Buckwalter of Lancaster Newspapers. Barley Snyder is identified as its law firm. Lancaster General Hospital contributes $50,000 annually, the largest sponsor and Lancaster Newspapers contributes between $25,000 and $49,999 annually. LCSWMA contributes between $15,000 and $24,999 annually. Barley Snyder law firm, Hartman Underhill law firm and F&M College each contribute between $3500 and $ 7499 annually.

EDC Finance Corporation is described on its web site as a private, non-profit economic development lender. The members of its Board of Directors include the president of the Manheim Township Board of Commissioners (the host township of the rail yard) and the law firms representing F&M College (Barley Snyder) and LCSWMA (Hartman Underhill & Brubaker)(the beneficiaries of EDC's lending). http://www.edcfinancecorp.com/About-Us/BoardofDirectors.php Hartman Underhill represents both the Board of Commissioners of Manheim Township and LCSWMA in TRRAAC's appeal of the cleanup plan.

In the DCED application, EDC Finance, in the "profile" section, states it has zero full time jobs in Pennsylvania and in the "project site location" states that the remodeling of the existing rail yard will create 1000 full time jobs but the new rail yard to be built will create zero full time jobs. That's right, zero! $ 1 million of your tax money to subsidize the bottom line of LCSWMA and create zero permanent jobs!

Compare those figures with the representations made by F&M College in its applications to PennDOT for $700,000 for engineering design services and $ 9.3 million in rail freight grant assistance, where F&M said "the former Dillerville Rail Yard site can potentially create 2000 permanent jobs" and "Norfolk Southern will retain and expand its employment from 60 to 71 over three years."

Time for full disclosure regarding the purported economic development impact of this $46 million project before any additional tax revenues are diverted. A majority of the Board of Commissioners of Manheim Township oppose any further tax funding of this project.

Perhaps the Office of Attorney General and its new grand jury should investigate these alleged false statements about DEP awarding $1 million and the role of certain members of the board of these economic development organizations possibly acting to benefit their enterprises.

Authority delays access to Stevens and Lee invoices for 30 days

2009-02-18T11:06:00.003-05:00

Over the course of planning the Convention Center, the law firm of Stevens and Lee was paid over $7 million dollars by the Authority, all on the basis of invoices that disclosed nothing other than "For professional services rendered."

Authority board members and critics have long sought and been denied the usual information that accompany legal invoices, to wit: Dates and times worked, rate per hour, person performing the work, and a very brief description of the purpose (as little as a few words.)

Ted Darcus, then Authority Chairman, evoked ongoing litigation as a reason not to permit access to the requested normal information. Critics believed this to be disingenuous, since confidential information was unlikely to appear on invoices and, if it were, could be readily redacted.

All litigation came to an end during 2008. In January, 2009, NewsLanc filed a Right-to-Know request with the Authority requesting the long sought after information. Earlier this week NewsLanc received notification that the LCCCA was exercising its legal right to extend the deadline for response by 30 days.

Controversy is not new for the Reading law firm's activities in Lancaster County. Serious questions were raised concerning the amount of its invoices pertaining to the sale of Conestoga View. Also a member of Stevens and Lee was county solicitor and guided the former commissioners concerning compliance with the Sunshine Act.

NewsLanc concurs with board members and public critics that access to the records is indispensable to achieve the public’s lawful right and need for transparency.

Exhaustive research behind LCCCA series

2009-02-13T14:00:00.005-05:00

The following exchange between a viewer who closely monitored the evolution of the Convention Center Project and investigative reporter Jim Sneddon both sheds light on the forces driving the project and the depth of Sneddon's research.

The issue contended is at what point in time was the future sale of the Watt & Shand building from Penn Square Partners to Redevelopment Agency of the City of Lancaster (RACL) under consideration. (Later in the series, NewsLanc will address the propriety of the sale price.)

LETTER re LCCCA series:

From Sneddon's report: "A number of things were happening at this time. Significant progress had been made in 2004 to get the Convention Center moving toward construction. Among items that remained, however, was a revision of the contract between Penn Square Partners and the Authority because of the new role of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Lancaster as the owner of the land and new hotel. That was necessary in order to gain additional state funds and grants for the project."

RACL wasn't even mentioned as a potential owner of the Watt & Shand property until March 28, 2005. Title to the property was transferred on January 31, 2006.

The reason for RACL owning the property, building the hotel, and "leasing" it back to Penn Square Partners in exchange for payments on a $24 million bond over 20 years is because of S. Dale High's demand that the hotel not be obligated for paying ANY property taxes for at least 20 years. I have no evidence that the hotel received any additional state funds or grants because of RACL's ownership of the building.

RESPONSE by reporter Jim Sneddon:

While I stand in awe of and recognize [the letter writer's] expertise and long history with this project, I have to disagree with him. I do not write that these things happened, but they were "items that remained."

What has transpired repeatedly with these folks is that they hold non-public meetings and little discussion of those meetings occur in the public Authority meetings. And that discussion is often not until they have all of their ducks in a row, allowing the board to unanimously approve things with little or no discussion.

I cannot find the March 28, 2005 reference, but I can assure you that RACL discussions were happening far earlier than this date. Note that I write:
"Among items that remained, however, was a revision of the contract between Penn Square Partners and the Authority because of the new role of the RACL as the owner of the land and the new hotel. That was necessary in order to gain additional state funds and grants for the project."

First there are snippets of public references of Chris Cicconi of Stevens & Lee meeting for years with Penn Square Partners over various kinds of negotiations and agreements.

As early as the June 2, 2004 Authority meeting, Cicconi states:
"…that the main issues remaining, including additional state funding, the transfer of Watt & Shand to RACL … shared space costs and over runs, implementation of PSP financing plan, taxability of new public funds as well as others. …"

I believe there were ongoing meetings and negotiations about this during the summer, if not earlier. At the August 11, 2004 meeting we find:
Tom Smithgall states in his report that there were "lots of meetings held and more ongoing." They traveled to Atlanta for some of those meetings.
David Hixson states "...we continue to work on a business deal and structure for the convention center hotel project."

Then on August 27, 2004 Jones Lang LaSalle and Kauffman & Canoles are hired. Obviously there had to be significant prior discussion about this with Penn Square Partners because they initiated the discussion to hire these two firms and share the $30,000 cost. Why did they do this? I suspect Penn Square Partners [PSP] wanted to nail down some things before they went public with them.

Hixson states: "The thought process was to bring business advisors on board to help us to strengthen the mutual operations between the two parties and also some of the processes that we have associated with our partnership."

We do know from expense documents that the "secret" meetings with the consultants occurred between Sept. 1 and 4 and it appears they took place at Franklin and Marshall. There is nothing stated publicly about these meetings. The scheduled October 2004 meeting of the board did not occur. Then there was a report, given to someone, on Oct. 25, but as I wrote in my story there is no evidence of any "legal, public meeting" of the board.

We do find out, however, in the Nov. 11, 2004 meeting that there have been numerous meetings with PSP and others. Some of those meetings related to additional state funding grants through the newly passed ACT 23 and the need to find additional funding for the hotel side of the project.

Hixson states: "As for the $22 million funding gap, in mid-August, after the state budget was approved and after we had begun schematic designs, Sen. Armstrong convened a meeting in the Mayor's conference room and that meeting was attended by Sen. Armstrong, Rep. Sturla, Mayor Smithgall, the County Commissioners and representatives from the Governor’s office as well as representatives from both PSP and the Authority. Armstrong and Sturla encouraged the two owners to look at that process by utilizing a tool that was part of the Economic Stimulus Package approved last spring, and specifically it was SB 10 which now ACT 23." (Any discussion of ACT 23 funds would have had to focus on RACL owning the property and hotel.)

Armstrong then spoke of the other $12 million needed: "I can assure you that I have these commitments as of today … we have identified $6 million from the Governor and I have two commitments for $3 million each."

Then at the Dec. 16, 2004 meeting there is the first public mention of RACL being involved. Hixson tells the board: "Look at the critical partners that we have here. Up front I could call these the contractual partners, the Authority, PSP and now some of you will hear for the first time our proposal to include RACL in this project to make this project a reality. Under this structure the ownership of the hotel tower will lie with RACL and that includes the Watt & Shand. As required by ACT 23, RACL owns the building in title only." (Various other topics in relation to this are discussed.)

Then the board unanimously approves this motion:

"Authorize the Executive Director to negotiate modifications to the existing contracts with PSP and High Associates and enter into any new contracts required to implement the core deal structure …" ( I can assure you there have also been behind the scenes meetings and discussions before this ever became public before the Board.)

Nevin Cooley states at the same meeting: "In the spring of this year we came before the county commissioners and explained that we had a $22 million gap in our total funding plan and that we were going to be seeking additional state support in the form of grants. … this creative use of RACL allows our community to access $22 million of additional state funding. It took a lot of time and meetings to get to that point."

Some of the confusion between myself and [the letter writer] is that ACT 23 funds, which amount to state sales taxes collected at the hotel and personal income taxes by the employees are to be retuned in the form of "grants."

I hope this explains the background of my writing. As is the case with having to condense things that happened over several years, it is impossible to provide this kind of background in an article of approximately 1,000 words.

HARD TIMES COME TO POPULAR RESTAURANT

2009-02-12T08:21:00.002-05:00

A frequent patron was surprised to see only one other party at a popular ethnic restaurant which normally is half full even during weekdays and normally enjoys a large evening take out business.

By the time the first course arrived, he and his son were the only customers.

Exchanging information with the proprietor while settling the bill, he learned that business is off by 60% not only at this normally thriving establishment but also at similar restaurants. In exchange, the patron confided that three of his company's four hotels were doing only half the business of previous years and the other was off 20%.

Both agreed that they had never experienced such a sharp drop off in business. If indeed "misery loves company," that was about the only comfort they could offer one another.

$15,000 assignment evolves into $1.1 million plum

2009-02-11T18:40:00.006-05:00

Third in a Convention Center Authority series by James D. Sneddon

Virtually unknown to the public, in the summer of 2004, Penn Square Partners recommended to the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority that each agree to spend $15,000 to bring in a couple of high-powered, out-of-state consultants.

For Penn Square Partners it was an inexpensive investment. For the Authority, however, that $15,000 would eventually drain more than $1.1 million of tax dollars to another consultant over a 22-month period.

The chain of events began in August 2004 when the Authority board unanimously agreed to engage Jones Lang LaSalle of Washington, DC and Kaufman & Canoles of Norfolk, Vir. Jones Lang LaSalle is a real estate investment group and is involved with hotels world wide. Kauffman and Canoles is a law firm, specializing in many areas, including public-private partnerships.

David Hixson, the Authority Executive Director, told the board at the time:

"The thought process was to bring business advisors on board to help us to strengthen the mutual operations between the two partners and also some of the processes that we have associated with our partnership."

A number of things were happening at this time. Significant progress had been made in 2004 to get the Convention Center moving toward construction. Among items that remained, however, was a revision of the contract between Penn Square Partners and the Authority because of the new role of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Lancaster as the owner of the land and new hotel. That was necessary in order to gain additional state funds and grants for the project.

Beginning in the summer of 2004 and for months afterward, there were many discussions and meetings held outside of the public’s view. They led eventually to the first public mention of the Redevelopment Authority’s involvement in the project at the Dec. 16, 2004 meeting of the Authority.

Although meetings with the consultants apparently took place at F&M, very little information was made available to the public at that time, even though 2004 marked the beginning of an extensive, costly public relations campaign carried out by Kelly Michener of Lancaster.

Snippets of an extensive review of Authority records reveal the following:

• Herman Bulls and Alan Tantleff of Jones Lang LaSalle and Doug Smith from Kaufman & Canoles traveled to Lancaster from Sept. 01 to 04, according to expense reports filed for which they were reimbursed. They were to conduct interviews and then prepare a report.

• There is little evidence of participation in interviews on other consultant bills. Metro Vision billed $700 for a PSP/LCCCA history recap.

• Fairmount Capital Advisors, the financial consultant to the Authority, billed for 11 hours over this time frame. There is no description on his invoices for Thomas Beckett’s hours worked.

• Dan Logan of Growth Business Development has a vague "Community update meetings" on his bill for those dates, but no specific detail about meeting with any other consultants.

• According to Hixson’s expense statements, he had an "interview w/ Organizational Consultants at F & M." on Sept. 1.

• Then on Saturday, Oct. 25, again according to expense receipts, they returned to deliver that report. It isn't clear to whom it was presented. There was no Authority board meeting that day. Nor, according to its own minutes, did it have an executive session on that date. No mention of any meeting or report surfaces at the November board meeting. Kelly Michener, however, bills for four hours for a joint communications meeting with PSP on the 24th. There is nothing on the 25th, but Lori Hixon, an employee who handled a portion of the LCCCA account, worked most of the day Sunday on "core message development, special session talking points and joint meeting" according to the Kelly Michener bill.

Nothing further emerges from the two consultants except for final bills. Bulls, however, upped the Jones Lang LaSalle fee to $20,000 which was paid with no public questions asked.

Then, after several months had passed, Hixson felt compelled to add another consultant in the spring of 2005.

In March 2005, at $350 per hour, Bulls traveled to Lancaster. According to documented times on the expense records submitted, he was in Lancaster from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. That 4.5 hours cost the Authority $1,575. He also billed 5.5 hours for travel, an additional $1,925. There is no evidence of why he came to Lancaster. But this time Bulls was representing his own firm, the Bulls Advisory Group.

Another Bulls client, according to his company web site, was the University of Pennsylvania. And on April 5, Hixson traveled by train to Philadelphia where he met with Bulls for seven hours according to records. Hixson bought lunch at the Inn at Penn for $42.06. Bulls billed $195.75 for travel expenses.

At this meeting, Bulls began crafting a position that the Authority will fill with another member of the Bulls Advisory Group. Recommendations were made concerning a new strategy, structure, and systems and staffing plan for the Executive Director. It's not clear why Bulls was chosen to craft this, because he does not appear to have expertise in this area.

He does, however, have the man for the job. In June, the board approves a contract with Bulls that brings Maurice Walker on board at $300 an hour. Walker was Managing Director of Bulls Advisory Group.

His expertise was the commercial real estate and finance industries. Over an 18-year period Walker worked in the areas of development, technology, operations, investment asset management, compliance and business development/retention.

At the Convention Center Authority office his duties outlined in the original contract expanded before he started. And, they kept expanding. He took on the chief role for the project. Walker’s position expanded to reviewing all project consultants' roles and realigned responsibilities, taking on the roles of financial advisor, public relations and minority business administrator.

The contract, as with most the Authority approved, was open ended. It had a 36-month time frame, but no cap on how much would be billed.

Walker submitted bills that were far more detailed than any of the other consultants. While that was a major improvement over what the other consultants had been submitting, they reveal how Walker’s role kept expanding, overseeing projects and people that could have been done by the executive director.

It was an extensive examination of those billing details during this investigation that provided examples and raised questions if anyone at the Authority reviewed how many hours Walker was billing and how many hours he was actually working.

As with other consultants there appears to be little checking of his bills. He is paid for whatever he submits. Here are a few examples.

He bills twice for Sept. 21, 2005. The identical billing is listed consecutively. A mistake by Walker when he created his bill? Perhaps, but it should have been caught and flagged by someone at the Authority. That 14-hour double billing cost the Authority $4,200.

On one day Walker listed 17.75 hours worked from his office. He noted that he created budget drafts and distributed them to board members. Almost 18 hours worked is a lot for anyone on a single day. This day, however, was New Year's Eve. Dec. 31, 2005. That means he would have worked from 6:15 a.m. until the stroke of midnight, no breaks, no time off for lunch or dinner. What a dismal way to end the year.

Travel was included in the contract to be paid, but again, there were no stipulations or parameters. So for each four-hour round-trip from Bowie, Maryland to Lancaster and back again, Walker was paid $1,200. Walker also was paid mileage for use of his own car.

The authority also reimbursed Walker for meals, both while traveling and in Lancaster. Walker, in spite of being paid $300 an hour, often billed the Authority for very small amounts, such as $1.51 for breakfast on Nov. 29, 2005 for which he had no receipt. There were no receipts submitted on 26 different occasions between May 30 and December 31, 2005, but Walker was reimbursed for all of them. At other times the expenses don't match the time frames submitted, such as the $7.26 he billed for breakfast on Aug. 17, 2005, but the receipt from Greenfield Getty Mart shows the items were purchased at 9:32 p.m. the night before.

In October 2005, Walker submitted some substantial receipts for meals reimbursed by the Authority. He was reimbursed $233 for Carr’s, $103 for Molly’s Pub, $101 for the Belvidere Inn, $77 for Steakhouse, $64 for Lancaster Dispensing Co. and $55 for The Brassiere.

These few examples are enough to ask why more questions were not asked by someone at the Authority during Walker’s 22 months of consulting.

Finally, some $1,124,642.61 later, in April 2007, it all ended for Bulls Advisory Group when Interstate was given the reigns.

LETTER: $13 million rail yard relocation now $46 million

2009-02-11T16:25:00.005-05:00

NewsLanc received information from a TRRAAC spokes person which we have edited and posted below:

"Monday night a bunch of Manheim Township residents and members of TRRAAC spoke to the commissioners. Mike Yoder of the Intelligencer Journal was present and spoke to us afterwards, but no article has been published yet to my knowledge.

"The issues are a little complicated, but let me try and summarize briefly:

"1.EDC Finance Corporation (EDC) is the conduit applying for state grants to cleanup the dump. In an application to the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), EDC claims to have a $1 million 'commitment' from the Department of Environmental Protection(DEP). DEP has not responded to an Open Records request and it has been two weeks...

"2. We wrote to Manheim Township on January 26 asking them to step up and pay attention to the storm water issues associated with the excavation of the dump. That letter is posted on TRRACC's web site. There was no response from the township. That's why we showed up Monday to complain.

"The first part of the excavation is in the floodplain. East Hempfield never was notified. There was no review by Manheim Township engineers. Application submitted by Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority. None of it has been posted on F & M's web site.

"3. A Right to Know request to PENNDot revealed interesting documents. F & M obtained a $700,000 grant to do engineering design study. The contract required monthly progress reports. PENNDot said all they have is the application and award of the grant. They do not have the actual work product.

"That application contains a copy of the letter of intent between F & M and Norfolk Southern. Originally this was a $13 million project and the proposal was to cap the landfill. Now it is $46 million and excavate the landfill (so Lancaster County Waste Disposal can charge $3.5 million in tipping fees to relocate the waste from its old dump to Frey farm. * (Editor's note: Frey farm, not Fry farm.)

* Emphasis added

More long time community papers fail

2009-02-11T11:31:00.001-05:00

On Feb. 11, the Philadelphia Daily News reports the closing of a number of local community newspapers including the Germantown Courier and the Mt. Airy Times.

The future of print journalism and the Internet is one of the topics of the Charlie Rose Show this evening on Channel #13. Or view it later in the week at www.CharlieRose.com when the Feb. 11th program becomes available.

Is F & M's campus worth only ½ the cost of Convention Center Project?

2009-02-09T09:18:00.004-05:00

Information received from the City of Lancaster established the total tax assessment for the campus and all of the other taxable and non-taxable real estate owned by Franklin and Marshall College at $63,824,800.

Each year the State Board of Real Estate Tax Equalization provides and updated ratio of Assessments to Market Values for each county. For 2007, Lancaster’s ratio was 73.6%. Thus the theoretical Market Value for all of F & M’s holdings amounts to $63,824.800 / .736 = $86,718, 478.

If $86,718,478 truly represents the market value of all of F & M’s holdings, campus plus numerous satellite buildings, then the approximately $180 million Convention Center Project is worth twice as much.

Doesn’t this defy common sense? Can the convention center project really be worth twice as much as all of F & M’s real estate holdings? Not likely.

A drive around campus by an experience real estate developer and investor, NewsLanc’s publisher, suggested at least $120 million in market value, even after taking age into consideration. (It could be much more.) If the many off campus real estate holdings were included, the figure would likely be close to $130 million.

Why is the county assessment value out of line? Since much of F & M's holdings are not taxable, there has never been a need to precisely value them. Furthermore, setting values on campuses requires a lot of added work and expertise because the buildings tend to be for 'special use.'

Assuming that the assessment is only two-thirds of what it should be: The 33% payment in lieu of taxes instead of being $161,200 - $44,655 (for services in kind) = $116,545 might well be $241,800 - $44,655 (for services in kind) = $197,145.

Therefore, to indeed pay 33% in lieu of taxes, F & M owes the City an additional $80,600 annually!

F & M contributes 1/3 of exempt real estate taxes

2009-02-07T08:11:00.004-05:00

NewsLanc asked the City of Lancaster what Franklin and Marshall College was voluntarily paying towards real estate taxes that, if not exempt, would be levied on F & M's properties.

The response from Patrick S. Hopkins, Business Administrator, is 33% for the past year, provided the value of what F & M considers to be "services in kind" is taken into account. Below is an excerpt from Hopkin's response:

"Tax-exempt parcels owned by Franklin and Marshall College and their respective [county] assessments... The Mayor's request to all tax-exempt property owners in 2008 was to make a contribution of 33% of what their tax bill would be. For Franklin and Marshall College, this amount is $161,200. From this amount, we deducted the approx. $44,655 value that F&M places on the in-kind services it provides annually in maintenance services at Buchanan Park. The remainder, $116,545, is what F&M agreed to pay as their 2008 PILOT. F&M made this payment in October 2008."

Commissioners accept no credit for Solanco Trail resolution

2009-02-05T17:14:00.003-05:00

NewsLanc interviewed Commissioner Scott Martin concerning the good news in the Feb 5th New Era that "Entire Solanco rail line will open to public."

The former rail line easement and future hiking and biking trail extends 23 miles from east to west across the southern portion of the county.

Martin said that All three commissioners had committed on the campaign trail that "a rail trail would be nice but the people in that area and their elected officials had to arrange it."

He said that they made clear that they were not going to "iron fist" or "ram rod" or "big brother."

According to Martin, some were enthusiastic about the trail, some luke-warm, and some had reservations. "Over the course of time, after going through a process, inter municipal cooperation began to show."

The commissioner indicated there was no County point person involved. Martin insisted "We let them know that we were as a resource if they wanted it. They responded on their own and pulled it together."

Lancaster piano duo feted in Budapest

2009-02-05T16:11:00.002-05:00

Well known respected duo pianists and the heads of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, Michael Jamanis and wife Fran Veri kept a busy schedule on Monday and Tuesday, visiting faculty and students at the Zoltan Kodaly and Bela Bartok primary and secondary music schools. They were both very impressed with the dedication of the teachers and the enthusiasm of the students. At Zoltan Kodaly elementary they observed a group vocal lesson employing the theories of vocal instruction developed by the school's namesake, the 19th century Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly. Veri was so impressed with the way the young teacher conducted the lesson she wanted to "put her in her suitcase and take her back to Lancaster."

Monday evening the duo visited the Franz Liszt Academy where they heard the famous Hungarian virtuoso András Schiff perform solo piano works by Schubert and Mendelssohn in the main concert hall.

On Tuesday they were able to discuss music education at length with Brigitta Kovacs, the director of the Bela Bartok Secondary Music School, as well as observe a number of individual and group music lessons. The school was kind enough to allow the use of one of the two piano practice rooms Monday and Tuesday evenings.

Wednesday was the big concert at the Budapest Palace of the Arts, widely considered to be one of the world's great music venues. Two nine foot Steinway concert grands were awaiting Veri and Jamanis on stage when they arrived at 3 pm to rehearse before the evening concert.

The concert started at 7 pm and lasted just over an hour. The couple opened the concert with "Variations on I Got Rhythm". Jamanis then performed Rialto Ripples and the Three Preludes, all of which was enthusiastically received by the audience, most of whose members were hearing these pieces for the first time. The two then performed Veri's transcription of An American in Paris, a piece familiar to most members of the audience even though they were hearing it for the first time on two piano.

Veri followed with several excerpts from the Gershwin Songbook, including Lady Be Good, Stairwell to Paradise, and The Man I Love. Both closed with their signature performance of Gershwin's original two piano version of Rhapsody in Blue to enthusiastic applause which quickly morphed into thunderous synchronized clapping, the Hungarian way of demanding an encore.

After two curtain calls Veri & Jamanis obliged their grateful audience (which included numerous high ranking government officials as well as students and faculty from Budapest secondary music schools, as well as a number of prominent local and foreign businessmen and their wives) with a four hand performance of one of Brahm's Hungarian Dances, which won them an additional three curtain calls, at the end of which they were each presented with a magnificent bouquet of flowers by Richard Field, their former student.

After the concert the pianists joined some 200 guests at an elegant reception in the magnificent Glass Room overlooking the majestic Danube where their host offered a toast to Veri and Jamanis, the Pennsylvania School of Music, Zoltan Kodaly, and the prospect of a long term cooperation between the Pennsylvania Academy of Music and Budapest Secondary Music Schools.

Thursday morning Veri and Jamanis were off to Zagreb, Croatia, where they will teach a workshop followed by a short concert to faculty and students of the Zagreb College of Music.