Monday, November 19, 2012

What changes do you want to see in Elizabethtown?

As I've said before, I think Elizabethtown is on the verge of a renaissance. But the way some people react, you'd think the next generation will barely have a desolate wasteland. Frankly, the reactions to the state of Elizabethtown get tiresome. We've heard them all, haven't we?

There are too many pizza places. How many hair salons does this town need? You should look at Mount Joy and replicate that here. There's nothing downtown.

I'm tired of naysayers and negativity. And I get frustrated hearing people saying, "I'd like to see some changes in Elizabethtown." The problem is, the statement ends there and is less than helpful. My response: Great. Now tell me what those changes are.

So right here, let's share some ideas. Use the comments and let's start a dialog about the kinds of changes you would like to see in Elizabethtown. And I'm not asking for things like, "Elizabethtown should have a (fill in the blank)." That's great if you think that, but what are you going to do to make it happen?

So let's hear it, folks! What changes do you want to see in Elizabethtown?

17 comments:

  1. NOTE: A community member whom I know emailed me to say he was having trouble posting a comment and sent along his comment. I am posting it here on his behalf. -- JEFF


    Elizabethtown needs a community place that is independent of any single business. This would most likely be a community space/center located in the downtown. It would be a place where people are free to come and go, sit a while, meet friends, and (perhaps) go to another destination downtown. The space would not be event driven; rather just a space encouraging free and casual movement. Etown-ers would just pop in and out and meet others both by design and by serendipity.

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  2. Isn't the Elizabethtown Public Library such a space?

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  3. Maybe hold a town meeting that everyone could come and talk about it. This way you could get some input what people would like to see. I also think a community place would be good.

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    1. Thanks, Anna. That's not a bad idea about having a meeting. To Dan's point above, what's your reaction to the library's already being a community place?

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  4. Jeff I think the Library is a great place. I think that would also get more people downtown. I often wonder how many people even know anymore what is downtown. One event that I love to take my Grandchildren to is on New years eve. I like to walk them through downtown so they know what is there and get to know the town. There are so many things going on that day and we all enjoy it and we often see freinds there that we may have not seen all year. I like that it is early so they can go out and enjoy it. They look forward to that every year. I also think the lunch series during the summer is good also but so many parents work during the afternoon and can not go. I would love to see them mix it up and do dinners in the evenings so more parents could go. I know both my grandchildrens parents work and they could not take there children however I was able to. My son has wished he was able to go and I have heard several people say it would be nice if once in awhile it was done in the evening so they could go. Even if maybe it was not a dinner maybe some kind of ice cream event. I love this town and would love to see more social events for everyone to be able to go.

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    1. Thanks, Anna. Those are some great ideas. This past summer was the first that I had the chance to do the downtown lunch series because I'd been working in Harrisburg and Lancaster. It would be great to have some other kind of event that would get people downtown in the evenings. Second Friday is doing that, but maybe there would be something else.

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  5. Trucks, Trucks, Trucks, Trucks and Motorcycles. The hatchery, white oak, mars, the only thing I hear when sitting in the square is trucks and the occasional motorcycle with no muffler.

    Banning trucks from the square and giving them an alternate route would be my suggestion.

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    1. Robert I understand that can be a nuisance but even if they were rerouted you would still have the same problem because it seems to be the only way to do that would be through residential areas and they would not like it either if anything it would be worse. I also think we should be glad we have all these businesses in our town. They bring employment and also pay a good bit in taxes to help improve the town. I also know that a lot of the businesses you mention also do a lot for the community. I was personally involved with a fundraiser for children and each one of the business you mentioned help out. I was amazed at how many businesses donated for the event. As to the motorcycles I understand how you feel about that because where I live is close to the legion and when they leave there and go up Hanover Street they like to fly up the street and rev up the motorcycle and it has woken me and grandchildren up late at night. Not to mention I personally do not like motorcycles because I feel they are dangerous. I wish there was an answer to your concerns but I just don’t see it. I also love Elizabethtown and think it is one of the greatest towns in Pa to live in and raise your children. As to changes In Elizabethtown I think that we need more people to get involved so that they know what we want. I really think we need to have some town meetings so that we can hear what the people want. I would love to see how important it is to the community.

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    2. I agree with Anna. The "problem" is Mars and White Oak Mills are smack in the center of the area, and they have a significant amount of truck traffic. That's a good problem to have since they pay taxes. Elizabethtown is lucky to have large industrial property owners -- not all boroughs do.

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  6. I attended the Elizabethtown parade this evening with my children and grandchildren. What a wonderful turnout. I think this was one of the biggest parades I have seen in a long time. I also was inpressed with the changes in where they started and ended and having it on Saturday. I thought it was much better this way. So glad to see such a big turnout. I think I had read somewere that the borough took over the event this year. If they did they did a "GREAT" job and hope next year is just as good. What a wonderful evening watching all the children seeing Santa arrive!!

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  7. Thank you for the kind words, Anna. You are correct -- the borough took over responsibility for the parade this year. We made the changes to help improve traffic flow to get around the parade and the parade itself. Overall, I thought it was great. I've already passed along your comments to the borough staff, who deserve the credit for pulling off another great parade.

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  8. how about some where where kids could go.. like a place with video games, pinball, things of that nature. a little cafe that they could afford to buy the food.

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  9. Anonymous

    1. Police Log on the Boro's website or FB that is up-dated daily or at least weekly to keep residents informed of criminal and police activities.

    2. Build the MT-Joy street bridge for the good of the entire boro.

    Jeff, Thanks for your time in keeping us informed as much as you do.

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  10. How about historic preservation? There are not borough codes to ensure rehabs retain the building's original exterior design. Covering brick homes with vinyl siding is ridiculous and detracts from the beauty of the old buildings in E-town. Plus, why is there such a drive to modernize the borough? What's wrong with retaining small shops, historic streets/buildings, and keep a small town feel? Mt Joy, while larger, does this quite well. You should look at them for a model. Furthermore, the traffic through town is unbearable and is only getting worse. Plus, nearly no one obeys the posted speed limits, trucks fly through hitting their "jake brakes", motorcycles scream down market with open exhausts...all the while the borough police do nothing to at least decrease it.

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    1. Your comment about historic preservation is a good one and something that, at the very least, we can discuss and explore. I think there might be more to it than just adopting an ordinance.

      I don't know what you mean by "a drive to modernize the borough." The downtown has small shops, and I don't think we'll ever get away from a "small town feel" -- especially downtown.

      Traffic is always an issue, and we haven't found a silver-bullet solution. We are working on some things that could potentially alleviate the problem, but it's not like they can happen overnight. Rest assured, though, that Borough Council is trying to find good solutions for traffic. I will pass your information about enforcement to the appropriate people so at least they are aware that there are some feelings about disobeying speed limits and whatnot.

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Because of ongoing spam passed off as comments, I have instituted a policy of moderating all comments. I will receive an e-mail when you comment and will review to ensure they are appropriate. For the record, this is not an effort to censor anyone except spammers hawking offensive websites and inappropriate and unrelated content. I pledge to post all comments, regardless of whether they are critical of me and my writing or not.