Posted on 05/20/2002 3:28:47 AM PDT by calvin sun
Casting outside its borders for a recreational complex is legal but bad policy.
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It takes a sense of history to understand the uproar now surrounding the city of Coatesville.
Napoleon Bonaparte and Lyndon Johnson come to my mind. Both were successful at home before dooming themselves in ill-fated foreign ventures.
Coatesville, by comparison, has done much within its borders to stem its postindustrial decay. It sold its water authority for a handsome profit, and has used the money to cut taxes. It worked with the Chester County Housing Authority to raze a public housing slum, and is busy with redevelopment projects that will bring hundreds of homes and apartments to the old industrial city.
Now, though, its escapade into neighboring townships to take property for a 210-acre recreational complex brings to mind Napoleon in Russia or Johnson in Vietnam.
At the center of the dispute is Coatesville's taking of 42 acres from the Saha family in neighboring Valley Township. To measure the intensity of this protracted battle, consider these events in recent weeks:
The family's son was charged with making terroristic threats on a councilman during a Coatesville City Council meeting.
A fire discovered on the Saha property May 12 has been declared an arson.
The city's two-page advertisement/promotion in a local newspaper was decried as "objectionable misdirection and misrepresentation" by Chester County Court Judge William P. Mahon. He's the same judge who ruled in January that the Saha condemnation was a proper exercise of the city's eminent domain powers.
Though I understand the public outrage over the taking of this property, I can't question the legality of Coatesville's action, either in its taking the property or in its moving outside its borders to do so.
But so what if Coatesville has a right to do this? It's just bad policy.
How many other municipalities in Pennsylvania - especially poor towns of 10,838 people - are building and managing a $60 million recreation complex? Coatesville is not aware of any.
Where is the market for an 18-hole golf course in a county that already has 13 public courses? Will the revenues from it and the proposed roller and ice-skating rinks, bowling center, hotel and a multiplex movie center justify the costs? Coatesville officials say that the market research says they will. Then why haven't private developers, always quick to seize the opportunity, pounced on the idea?
Is it the purpose of local government to run what normally is left to private enterprise? Indeed, Coatesville saw the wisdom in getting out of the water business, so why is it now taking the big dive into the highly speculative recreation market?
Finally, will this venture's success justify the damage it has done to the neighboring communities, where several families have sold property to Coatesville? Normally, citizens who are angry at public officials can express their feelings at the ballot box. Affected landowners in Valley Township and West Caln, however, have no such option.
The city's actions of late have only heightened hostility. In its recent two-page newspaper ad, it announced its plan to condemn the entire 48-acre Saha property, including the homestead. That would violate its long-term vow that it would take no one's home for the recreation complex.
Then at its meeting last Monday, the council sought to block any public discussion on the new condemnation plan because Mahon had issued a gag order and the council had taken the item off the agenda. Ultimately, the public was allowed to vent on the issue - but not until the end of the meeting.
When Coatesville won its condemnation ruling in January, it lost on a seemingly minor point: that before it could take a portion of the property, it would have to submit a proper subdivision plan for the overall tract. But rather than filing that plan with Valley Township with the force of a court order behind it, it chose instead to appeal that portion of the order. And since then, it has been unable to reach any agreement with the Sahas on what shape their remaining property should take after the condemnation.
Coatesville's behavior has even led Mahon to publicly question the correctness of his ruling that the city "acted reasonably and with proper motives."
That won't cause him to rewrite his opinion. But it should jolt Coatesville into looking at what it has wrought: an angry adversary in court for the long haul, angry neighbors and a judge whose patience is wearing thin.
Meanwhile, it wants us to believe that this is going to be a successful business venture. I prefer to be skeptical about that.
It's sad to see what's happening to Coatesville (I grew up in Wagontown). Unfortunately, the citizens are going to suffer because of the embezzlement and ill-management of the CASD.
Sounds like the entire City of Coatesville needs to figure out what their priorities are...
Good question. City governments do NOT belong in the golf business, it hurts private enterprise and favors big government over small business ventures. Often, golf courses are not built because land costs are too high in favorable locations. City governments building a golf course can overcome this because once the course is built, no taxes are owed and maintenance costs can be pooled with other city services (ex. use of city equipment, manpower for special projects, etc.). It's a racket and all citizens should make their voices heard about their city getting involved in any type of recreation, but especially the golf business.
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