Thursday, September 25, 2014
Hand to hand and back again
Yesterday at River Park, two young men seemed inordinately fond of a small object, to the point that they passed it back and forth and even toked on it a few times. What in heaven's name could it be?
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
More on the "Oversight" at S. 13th Street
About half a dozen residents gathered at Monday night's Meeting of the Whole to question why a large structure was approved for construction at 631 South Thirteenth Street. One of the residents told council that [due to the structure's size] the owner should have applied for a variance before the start of construction and that this was not done. The structure is a large, four-bay garage.
Borough Manager Sam Sulkosky characterized the decision to allow construction as an oversight and said the matter will be addressed with the person responsible. He said the proper procedure would have been to seek approval from the zoning board and the planning commission.
Reportedly, a "stop work" order is in effect to halt further construction (although notification had not been posted on the property as of today).
Officials said that if the owner applies to the zoning hearing board by October 8, neighbors may testify at the October 29 meeting and become a party to the issue, allowing them the right to appeal the board's decision, if they so choose. Sulkosky said that if the owner does not apply for a variance by the deadline, the borough could have the structure taken down. Residents at the meeting were urged to call the borough office after October 8 to find out if a hearing will take place. Notification of a hearing would also be posted on the front lawn of the 13th Street property.
Sulkosky said the structure meets part of the zoning requirements in terms of square footage of the entire property. He added that the structure will be used for the property owner's personal vehicles. (A resident at the meeting told this reporter that the property owner intends to use the structure for storing heavy construction vehicles and equipment.)
Another resident told council that the owner does not plan on living at the property but instead intends to rent it out as a multi-family dwelling.
Below are the two zoning permits that appear in the front window of the house on the property. There is no notification of a "stop work" order posted.
Zoning permit from August 7 to "Demo Existing Garage - Construct New Garage"
Note that the dimensions are 72' x 40' which is 2880 square feet.
Zoning permit from July 16 to "Install Fence - 6' - Rear [hidden] - 2' from Prop. Line"
Here is some additional information on the property:
From "Deeds Recorded May 12 to May 15" LancasterOnline:
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Underground Railroad to be topic of Millersville history talk
Hazel Deming, former teacher and history buff, will discuss The Underground Railroad during the Millersville Area Historical Society meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct.11, in Millersville's Municipal Center, 100 Municipal Drive.
Random Thoughts
I felt a little like Rip Van Winkle this morning. I went to bed in the summer and woke up in the fall. There were a lot of stray thoughts in my head, what might be termed the detritus of dreams.
I suggest that the borough council retire the catchphrases "kicking the can down the road" and "day of reckoning." I've heard both of them used at the last few council meetings. "Day of reckoning" is particularly melodramatic - almost biblical - as if God is about to rain his wrath upon us for a few bad political decisions. At last night's meeting, each expression was used about half a dozen times by various councillors - to the point of hilarity. Council, please strike these phrases from your repertoire. They are empty cliches. Chanting mantras is not the same as seeking positive solutions. Using catchphrases is a way of avoiding issues, of removing ourselves from the reality of a situation.
Of course, trendy catchphrases are the order of the day, even on a larger scale. "Boots on the ground," for example, is a recent favorite of political pundits. The phrase demeans and diminishes the service and sacrifice of our military personnel, because it commodifies and dehumanizes them. If we're willing to commit personnel, we should call them what they are: soldiers, troops, warriors, human beings. And we're all too anxious to commit troops. Now there is talk of sending more soldiers to the Middle East. In the meantime, we simply drop bombs while pundits tell us it's the right thing for all involved.
Speaking of pundits, can Lancaster Newspapers get through an article on local politics without quoting G. Terry Madonna, the self-appointed authority on all things political? Doctor G. Terry runs the F&M poll and is routinely trotted out for show and tell, giving us the latest polling on dignitaries and politicos trying to hold on to their careers.
Last Friday, lots of folks turned out for the bridge light ceremony - including dignitaries. Supporters of the project got due public credit for their efforts. It was a great photo op for local officials trying to hold on. Some critics complained about the scheduling - 3 o'clock on a Friday afternoon - because the bridge had to be shut down at a time of heavy traffic, and most working people and school children were unable to attend. I was told by someone "in the know" that the event was scheduled to accommodate the dignitaries. How unfortunate that they couldn't have come on a Sunday. How unfortunate that students couldn't have been dismissed early to attend the ceremony. What a missed opportunity to teach young people about our heritage and possibly spark a love of local history. Education is not always about books and classrooms.
Unfortunately for the dignitaries, local media practically ignored the event (except for the posting on this blog, slight WGAL coverage, and an anemic writeup in Lancaster Newspapers.)
Earlier in the day, those two military jets had flown over again, the ones we see daily; A-10 Warthogs out of Syracuse, NY. They loop to Maryland and back to patrol the skies and to allow pilots to get their hours in. They flew over the bridge - the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
In this time of impending war, it would be prudent to remember that they're flown by pilots - human beings - not "boots in the sky" or any other mere catchphrase, and that they are sent to war by those chasing photo ops and political influence.
Wires down at South 4th
Shortly before 3 o'clock this afternoon, a train on the line from Sahd Salvage pulled down cable wires on South Fourth Street, near Mill. Cable service in the immediate area - as well as phone service to a local business - was knocked out.
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