"Open Spaces" vote in Nov

[Exbiker]

I also question the validity of the comparison you make re: single family housing requires more school expenses. It does not necessarily follow that any property sold will automatically be sold to families with children or even families with children that will access and use the government schools. Once gov declare property off limits to development, the gov must pay to perpetually maintain that property. It will bring no revenue to the community from that point forward.

I obviously can't predict the future but if you analyze the past then you can see the trend in what happened in the past with the number of new housing and the numbers of increased enrollment.
In many cases land is preserved cheaply by purchasing the development rights but the landowner still owns the land with those rights being extinguished in perpetuity.
Other open space land is just left forest forever. Some open space has groups that help such as the some turkey hunting federation that improved the turkey habitat and breeding grounds for wild turkey or our partnership with the fish club and the pristine McMichaels Creek.

[Dredly]

What concerns me the most is the comment that "we already have a ton of land, we need to connect it and improve infrastructure".

I'm ALL for paying 30.00 a year into an account to block additional development and open more land for public usage. I'm completely AGAINST paying 1.00 a year to build new roads and parking lots

[Exbiker]

What concerns me the most is the comment that "we already have a ton of land, we need to connect it and improve infrastructure".

I'm ALL for paying 30.00 a year into an account to block additional development and open more land for public usage. I'm completely AGAINST paying 1.00 a year to build new roads and parking lots

I agree. I would vote yes for open space but not county run infrastructure and roads. They need to be separate and we don't need park and rides or the county picking road and infrastructure projects. Let PennDot and the townships control that.
Connecting open space is good but needs to be a stand alone commitment to suppress development.

[Sandcut]

Something about this just makes me itchy. I would wait to form an opinion until they release more information on what their plans are to link the purchase of open space and economic develpment.

In my experience, acquisition of open space and projects that promote economic "development" are typically incongruous. The only thing that I can think that may somehow tie the two together under the guise of "infrastructure" would be some form of trail system. Although you typically don't here of trails referred to as infrastructure.

[rovert97]

I'm still waiting to hunt on the old echo farm hunt clubs land that the open space commision bought.

[Arrdy]

Other open space land is just left forest forever. Some open space has groups that help such as the some turkey hunting federation that improved the turkey habitat and breeding grounds for wild turkey or our partnership with the fish club and the pristine McMichaels Creek.

The upgrading of the creek to exceptional cold water fishery, had nothing to do with our past commisioners or supervisors who voted against it, but was state decreeded. I remember the disagreement well.

One thing about the fishing club and the creek a lot of people don't know, the fishing assoc. had a 99 year lease on the lands bordering the creek for a depth of 10 feet. The lease was about to expire when the township stepped in, which I'm glad they did. The creek is one of the main reasons I bought my house. It's home to such a wide variety of wild life, in spite of the development around it and needs to be protected. I've even seen an osprey fishing this section of the creek.

I'm all for open space, but I want to know how it's to be used. Don't forget, gambling was supposed to lower our property taxes, and the NCC bond is supposed to be paid by gambling (but no guarantee it will). We're also now finding out all those new schools we built (and are still paying for) are now 'suffering' from decreased enrollment and we have more teachers then we need, but can't get rid of.

We can't depend on Harrisburg to bail us out .... and we can't trust our commisioners to do what we want.

[Exbiker]

The upgrading of the creek to exceptional cold water fishery, had nothing to do with our past commisioners or supervisors who voted against it, but was state decreeded. I remember the disagreement well.

The problem with upgrading the creek was the protected area around it broadened and would have hurt land owners and the ability yo use some of their property. It also would have changed some of the storm water rules of the surrounding areas.

The open space agreement partnership with the club is why now Jackson and Chestnuthill residents can get a fishing pass a couple times a year.

[Exbiker]

Hey Arrdy are you a member of the Chestnuthill Township Historical Society? Check it out.