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Matt called me for a blog entry too but I was on the other line and I’m just slower than Brian anyway
For local politics watchers, this last week has kept a lot of eyes busy.
Monday: Council’s monthly round of Committees meetings, highlighted by Mike Speck (D-East)’s Police and Personnel Committee’s interviews of four candidates for the Planning Commission seat vacated by Mike Hott. (And that exchange between Senley and Messina. Seemed to leave both more than a little irked.)
Those interviews were scheduled and expected. What was neither was the cordial and cordially insistent visit to Council at public participation time of a clutch of downtown’s heaviest hitters. Even if you were among those who had thought that downtown parking is “an inconvenience, not a problem,” you would now be among those who only formerly thought that. That is to say, the heavy hitters swung heavy bats, and hit the parking realities square and true: a public home run.
Wednesday: Regional planners: will transferable development rights be a thing? Or will it play as an undue burden on Phoenixville developers?
Thursday: Borough planners. Entertaining a new proposal for 801 Montgomery Avenue. Omigod, it’s back.
Watch this space for more. NEWS REPORTED EVEN AS IT BREAKS….
Posted by
G.E. “Skip” Lawrence
Monday: Council’s monthly round of Committees meetings, highlighted by Mike Speck (D-East)’s Police and Personnel Committee’s interviews of four candidates for the Planning Commission seat vacated by Mike Hott. (And that exchange between Senley and Messina. Seemed to leave both more than a little irked.)
Those interviews were scheduled and expected. What was neither was the cordial and cordially insistent visit to Council at public participation time of a clutch of downtown’s heaviest hitters. Even if you were among those who had thought that downtown parking is “an inconvenience, not a problem,” you would now be among those who only formerly thought that. That is to say, the heavy hitters swung heavy bats, and hit the parking realities square and true: a public home run.
Wednesday: Regional planners: will transferable development rights be a thing? Or will it play as an undue burden on Phoenixville developers?
Thursday: Borough planners. Entertaining a new proposal for 801 Montgomery Avenue. Omigod, it’s back.
Watch this space for more. NEWS REPORTED EVEN AS IT BREAKS….
Posted by
G.E. “Skip” Lawrence
posted by The Phoenix Files at
3:09 PM
21 Comments:
I thought it was very interesting that the downtown business owners did not offer to set up a Business Improvement District or any other entity that would enable them to raise the money for the parking garage that they seem to want so badly.
Instead, these very successful business owners asked the Borough, (ie, the Borough taxpayers) to pay for the parking for their customers so that these business owners can make even more money.
Stop whining -- if you want s solution so badly, find a way to pay for it yourselves.
Hey anon 3:22
There is not enough assessed value to have a BID...one mil would raise 14,000 dollars. this is why we need a reassessment.
these folks were not whining they were stating the truth. understand the issue before you make silly comments like you just posted...
The silly comments are from those who want everything given to them.
The downtown should fund their own parking lots or garages. Barry, you seem to find money, how about finding some money for that?
Again...know what your talking about...if you have a parking department you will fund it out of a general fund expenditures. if you have an authority you will have user fees fund the parking. the parking money will be segregated to fund parking...fair way to do it.
this should be done borough wide. user fees should support the services and not general tax revenue. when they passed the garbage collection thing they added the 211k overhead in. what i call the onerous government overhead which includes borough administration. i think at one point there was a question about why it takes 100k to send out the bills for garbage but the overhead was added in as i understand it.
if start to parcel out the services and have user fees pay for them you will shrink the size of general government. to be honest with you it is not that hard to understand. all this hocus pocus about keeping it as a department is good if you want more personnel in the borough to create additional overhead.
we are 1000 spaces down as of 3 years ago...these folks came at my request because of the nonsense that we have a parking inconvenience...if you are ever gonna revitalize you need a parking garage.
there was a time when we did not need it...because we were kind of a dumpy downtown...that changed...we are not all the way there yet but we are getting there, we need the resolve to move to the next step. calling people greedy and writing nonsensical attacks is stupid and counter productive.
Uh-huh -- now we're back to "user fees" -- if we're down so many spaces, how would a Parking Authority raise the funds for the parking garage?
If there are so few parking places downtown, then putting in meters isn't going to raise those funds. So, the "user fees" are suddenly going to become "parking permits" for residents and their visitors to park in front of their houses -- an "option" Mr. Cassidy has widely told those who live in the Historic District was "necessary and part of the evolution of revitalizion."
Mr. Cassidy keeps telling Council that his talks with PPG are "successful" yet when it comes to using part of the PPG property as a parking lot, he's "hit a brick wall."
Let's see some movement with PPG that will benefit the residents of this town as well as the business owners -- get permission to put down gravel and use PPG property for parking -- then spend the time finding the funding for a parking garage that does not involve the Phoenixville resdient/taxpayer.
These are successful business owners who have their own "hired gun" in Mr. Cassidy -- let's see them put some investment into their own dreams, rather than asking the Phoenixville resident not only to patronize their businesses, but to subsidize them to become even more succesful.
Barry, how about answering the anonymous question...
Barry, you seem to find money, how about finding some money for that?
user fees for a parking garage. you keep asking the same stupid question in a different way...get a life...please get a life.
the community development corporation represents the 3 target areas.
Are you being deliberately obtuse or just gaming? None of this revitalization ever reduced our taxes or benefited us in any other financial way. Find another way to fund buying land to build a garage for the benefit of the downtown, or let them finance it themselves.
I guess the appreciation of your housing values is not enough. The man took a downtown that families were afraid to shop in and made it the gem of Chester County. Barry Cassidy is an icon in the world of downtown revitalization, a true leader and an astute politico. He has a keen mind and the heart of a lion, willing to wage conflict on behalf of the poor, weak and underserved. Imaginative, creative and well liked throughout the community as evidenced by his picture in the window of his office, providing strength and hope by sharing his smile with thousands daily as they pass by his office. He was correct in his basic premise that the community should treasure the existing arts community.
He freed the town from the political hack that was the borough manger. To write anything bad about Barry Cassidy and then try to hide behind it by making it an anonymous post is insulting to everyone involved, including the hack!
The man was not hired to reduce your taxes; he was hired to revitalize the downtown. Perhaps your house value doubling since the time he has performed his magic is not enough for you. Perhaps you do not own a home or you are not a long term resident. I do not live in the Borough and I have realized appreciation in my housing values as a result of the work of that great man.
In any event your argument lacks basic consistency and really makes little or no sense. A foolish argument by someone who does not have enough integrity to sign his own name.
Mr. Anonymous-(A-foolish-argument-by-someone-who-does-not-have-enough-integrity-to-sign-his-own-name.)-Big Dick Johnson, let Barry carry his own water.
Check your blog because Barry loved your message.
"About Me Member since March 2008
Big Dick Johnson
Phoenixville, PA, United States
I am an long time resident of the Phoenixville area"
No more free handouts to the downtown from Phoenixville taxpayers. Fund your own garage. Since you're not a borough taxpayer (are you a businessman? hmmm) what's your interest in the argument?
dick johnson is barry cassidy's boyfriend.
My understanding was that the Borough land behind Family Dollar was to be used for the parking garage -- so the cost is for building the garage, not for the property, which is being donated by the Borough.
This still begs the question -- if Cassidy can't find grants for the parking garage, how will it be funded? in these comments, he says "user fees" in one comment, then changes his mind in another.
I believe that the busines owners, not the Borough taxpayer/residents should pay for the parking garage, as it will benefit them. However, what any of us "believes" doesn't really matter -- what does matter is the answer to the question: How is this parking garage to be funded?
A straight answer to this question would be appreciated.
Who was uncomfortable to walk downtown before this boy came here?{The ones who didnt live here?}I DONT GET THAT ONE???And how in the heck did he get rid of the boro manager? I really dont get that one????TELL THE TRUTH NOW.Dick, or is it Dick.If this wasnt foreal this would be a joke?? DICK?yES DID HE REALLY DO A LOT FOR ??? ,,, MMMM who???
Oooo. Sounds like a bad boy. I'm new in town so I don't understand the parking issues (my car needs to be serviced so I can't drive anyway), but does anyone know if the ex-boro manager is married? Anyone?
The ex-borough manager is married.
Someone just forgot to tell him that Eva was waiting at home...
How about Mr. Messina? Is he married? I went for a walk in town today and someone pointed him out to me. I thought his hair was very interesting. I really like it.
dolores, first of all if you did indeed see mr Messina downtown you should have taken a picture as with most members of council they do not know where the downtown is. secondly if you like his hair so much it can be purchased at big martys, they sell, they sell carpets cheap. I also believe that while not married there is a love interest other than power and back room deals. good luck in your search for a real man
Oh...Mr. Messina wears a toupee? OK, so that's why my new lawyer slyly referred to him as "Rugman" when I went to make my Will the other day. It's a great little hair piece. I would have never known. I find everyone in this town is so tight-lipped. It is refreshing to finally find a forum where I can have my questions answered so kindly and forthrightly. Thank you.
Some think downtown is Phoenixvvile..WELL ITS NOT. Why do you think Phoenixville is only about downtown?
did they really withold the money from the boyscouts? you have got to be kidding me!
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