Rant alert!
I am increasingly frustrated by the attitude of the other members of this group toward Pottstown. Mr. Kirkland, Mr. Weand, Mr. Rhoads and Mr. Toroney are right to be concerned that Pottstown will garner what it needs from this group with the present attitude towards to borough.
As goes Pottstown, so goes Greater Pottstown. As goes Philadelphia, so goes the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area that we are all a part of. People’s “who cares attitude” towards Pottstown and Philadelphia are myopic. If the center decays the people on the “outside” will be left scrambling for many services they take for granted or do not want in “their neighborhood”. You will ultimately pay for it in increased taxes! Failure is expensive folks!
If the Pottstown School District becomes unsustainable, do not think a merger will not happen. Take the Woodland Hills School District in Allegheny County. It was a federally mandated merger of districts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland_Hills_School_District
If Pottstown borough becomes unsustainable it would be an economic disaster for the entire area. Pottstown is still the hub.
Case in point, Reading, PA. Reading is now under Act 47 and is officially a distressed city. The city of Reading is a huge drain on the Berks County budget. Scroll down and check out the Rebuilding Reading: Why It’s Vital To The Region comments here http://www.berksprogress.org/berkssummit.html It could happen here too folks!
Limerick and West Pottsgrove Townships are both struggling to handle their recent development because they lack the infrastructure to manage massive development projects. Pottstown has the necessary systems in place.
It reminds me of the Aesop’s fable about the boy and the filberts.
A boy put his hand into a jar of filberts and grasped as many as his fist could possibly hold. But when he tried to pull it out again, he found he couldn’t do so, for the neck of the jar was too small to allow of the passage of so large a handful. Unwilling to lose his nuts but unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears.
A bystander, who saw where the trouble lay, said to him, “Come, my boy, don’t be so greedy. Be content with half the amount, and you’ll be able to get your hand out without difficulty.”
All we see are dollar $ign$ and do not think about the ramifications until after the fact. Then we cry “We don’t have enough police.” whaaaaaaaaaaaa
Adding a Sonic in West Pottsgrove Township is just silly. They are struggling to handle the increased need for police because of Upland Square. Limerick is the same way. They can not handle all the calls from the Philadelphia Premium Outlets but they want to add another huge shopping center right next to the outlets. Ummmm okay, in the words of Dr. Phil “And how’s that workin’ for ya?” Nobody anticipated the strain on resources and staff from these huge mega shopping centers in these bedroom communities? Get real!
It is time to wise up. Thinking that none of this will effect me because I do not live in Pottstown Borough or Pottstown School District will come back to bite a lot of people in the wallet! Mark my words!
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