At the Monument in Valley Forge

At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday, April 26th a presentation was held during which I (on behalf of the township and the entire Board of Supervisors) accepted one of those very, very large checks in the amount of $88,060 from Valley Forge Casino Resort to the Upper Merion Township Foundation.  This check (a picture of which can be seen below) is part of one of the two distinct, direct and annual revenue streams that Upper Merion will receive from Valley Forge Casino Resort.

Let’s refer to the first steam as the “general fund stream” as the township will have authority to spend this money the way we wish – or to not spend it.  This revenue stream was established by the state law which provided the authority for the slot parlor to open in Upper Merion and it mandates that Upper Merion receive 2% of the take from the slot machines.  Subsequently, a second law was enacted which expanded the number of slot machines and added table games, thereby turning the slot parlor to a casino.   This second law mandates that the township receive 1% from the table games.   Several years ago it was projected that the township would receive $1.2-$1.6 million dollars per year from gaming.  The good news is that this projection was prior to the addition of table games.  The bad news is that this projection was made before the economy turned sour.

The second revenue stream is one that I’ll call the “community fund.”  A few years ago the township negotiated a separate agreement with the slot parlor to provide the township with $75,000 per year to be used to help those in need in the community.  When the law changed and the slot parlor became a casino, the township renegotiated some of the terms of the agreement and the $75,000 per year became $142,500 per year.  The big $88,060 check discussed above is a portion of this $142,500.    Furthermore, the $142,500 will be adjusted annually for inflation and should the casino receive permission to add more table games or slot machines, the $142,500 will grow in proportion to the increase.  The “community fund” revenue stream has understandably already generated a great deal of interest with our local organizations and residents.  However a significant amount of work must still be done to determine the application procedures, the eligibility requirements and the structure and the membership of the committee that will allocate these funds, though the agreement with the casino calls for them to have representation on the committee.

Regardless of how you may feel about gambling in Upper Merion, the casino revenue will provide funding for the township as well as helping Upper Merion based organizations and residents.   However adding a projected $1.2-$1.6 million annually does not mean that we’re swimming in loot.  Nor is it a license to recklessly spend.  While I’m sure that all of the Supervisors (including myself) have ideas as to where we would like to see this revenue go, the township has future obligations we need to meet.   This Board of Supervisors will be extremely judicious with these funds and equally as prudent in establishing proper procedures and eligibility requirements for those applying for money from the community fund.

Additional Business:  On Thursday, May 24^th, the Board of Supervisors will hear from the 5 architectural firms who are the finalists to convert the building formerly known as Gold’s Gym/The Factory into a community/cultural center.  This meeting will be held at the township building in the board room and is open to the public.

Additional Business, Part 2:  We expect to hire our next township manager in the very near future.  Right after we make this hire, I will send an email letting you know who we’ve chosen.

Additional Business, Part 3:  Would you like to read short, almost daily updates on what’s going on in Upper Merion?  By liking my facebook page you can do just that.

Next article:  The Tricentennial

If you’d like to receive this article directly by email or would like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com.

Sincerely,

Greg

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For my previous topics, please scroll up the page and look under “recent posts” on the right hand side or access my former articles through the calendar.

Earlier this year the township closed on the purchase of the property located at 431 West Valley Forge Road which is widely known as The Factory/Gold’s Gym and is adjacent to Upper Merion Swim and Tennis.   As you may know, over the past few years there has been an ongoing conversation about the future of this structure.  But what isn’t as noticeable when driving past 431 West Valley Forge Road is that there is a very large wooded area behind both this building and Upper Merion Swim and Tennis.  This satellite image shows the overall size and depth of the woods as well as neighboring structures, features and streets.

Late last year on my Facebook page I floated the idea of turning the woods behind 431 West Valley Forge Road and Upper Merion Swim and Tennis into a mini-McKaig like nature preserve with trails.  After receiving several positive responses, in my 2012 preview I wrote a bit more extensively about organizing a clean-up of the woods in the late winter or early spring, possibly coinciding with Earth Day.

Creating a mini-McKaig like nature center in this location would provide many benefits.   We would have a new quiet park in the middle of the township.  Trails in the park would provide exercise opportunities for our residents.   Should the building at 431 West Valley Forge Road be converted into a community/cultural center or if the senior center is transitioned to that location, the woods could by the future occupants of this building for group hiking, or as a picnic location or a variety of other activities.  The proximity of the woods with the middle school and the high school could result in an outside the classroom learning experience in hydrology, biology, ecology, geology or other sciences.  If you’re one of the lucky residents who owns a house near the woods, you may receive a financial benefit as there is some evidence that close proximity to trails or parks can increase the value of a house.

Shortly after I sent the aforementioned email, I was contacted by an Eagle Scout Candidate who wanted to turn this idea into his Eagle Scout Project.   The candidate proceeded to examine the woods and discovered that not only does it contain a significant amount of trash but also an invasive vine which needs to be removed.    He worked with his troop leaders and drafted a plan, discussed it with the township, assembled an initial group of volunteers and reached out to local businesses and officials for supplies and assistance.  Ultimately, 3 days were selected for the cleanup.  They are:

1. Saturday, April 14 from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.;
2. Sunday, April 22 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and;
3. Saturday, April 28 from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Cleanup volunteers will receive lunch on the 14^th and 28^th and drinks and cleanup supplies will be provided on all days.

It will take time and effort for these woods to reach its full potential as a mini-McKaig like nature preserve.  However if you’d like to help make this happen sooner rather than later by participating in the cleanup, please let us know through the Facebook event page or by sending me an email.  Even a few hours can make a difference as the faster we can proceed to completely turn around this long neglected property, the faster our residents can receive all the benefits this site could offer.

Additional Business:  Speaking of 431 West Valley Forge Road, the township received 18 responses from architectural firms to the Community Center RFP/RFQ.  The 18 responses has been culled to 5 finalists who will make their presentations before the Board of Supervisors in a public workshop meeting sometime in the near future.

Additional Business, Part 2:  Election day is Tuesday, April 24^th.  The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  There are contested races on both sides of the aisle.  Please don’t forget to vote. 

Next article:  The Casino Revenue

If you’d like to receive this article directly by email or would like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com.

Sincerely,

Greg

During the past 20 years the popularity of individual and alternative sports have dramatically increased.  This is best evidenced by the success of the annual X Games which airs on ABC and ESPN and one of the most popular sports in the X Games is skateboarding.  The world’s most famous skateboarder, Tony Hawk has a videogame named after him and has appeared on The Simpsons.   This national trend is readily apparent in Upper Merion as if you walk, bike or drive around the township on a dry day after school hours or on the weekend and you look around at paved structures, there is a good possibility that you’re going to see kids on skateboards.  In recognition of this a committee of residents has been working to build a skateboard park in Upper Merion Township.

Admittedly many skateboarders have embraced the alternative nature of skateboarding by deemphasizing personal safety.   This has meant skateboarding without wearing knee-pads, elbow-pads and most importantly helmets, as well as skateboarding in unsafe locations.   A permanent skateboard park located at the township building will provide broad security and prevent vandalism as that is also where the police station is located.  Furthermore there will be a fence surrounding the park to prevent off-hour usage and a clear message will be sent that if the skateboarders don’t wear helmets, access to the pad will be revoked until the skateboarders learn that personal safety comes first.   Moreover, by providing a skateboard park with appropriate apparatuses, it will keep the kids from congregating in parking lots as well as away from moving vehicles and businesses that might not want them there.

Constructing the skateboard park isn’t cheap – the estimated costs is approximately $150,000, which is a daunting task particularly since the committee is dedicated to obtaining the necessary funding without touching the township’s general (operating) budget.  To this end, they’ve held a variety of different fundraisers.  Last year, the committee held an event called the Battle of the Bands.  In the coming weeks there will be poker tournament and a 5K run and information on both can be found on their website.  The upfront cost for the construction and supplies necessary to build the park will be the bulk of the total expense for the park as unlike sports fields, there is far less long-term maintenance that needs to be provided.

In the past, skateboarders may have owned a bad rap but they’ve never been bad kids.  They’re just kids who are interested in a different type of sport.  Upper Merion Township and Upper Merion Area School District have a lot of ball fields and these fields offer kids and adults a chance to play team sports.   But a criticism that has been raised on multiple occasions is that Upper Merion has not done enough to provide opportunities for those who are interested in individual sports – be it trails for biking, jogging or walking or a place for skateboarding.   A skateboard park built with private donations and in a convenient, safe location would in part redress this situation by providing many kids in the township who are not interested in some of our or the school district’s standard athletic programs with another, increasingly mainstream option.

Additional Business:  A screening committee has been appointed by the Board of Supervisors to narrow down the applications for our new township manager to a few finalists.  The 5 person screening committee consists of 3 non-elected residents as well as Chairperson Erika Spott and the Vice Chairperson (yours truly).  The ultimate choice as to who will be appointed as our new township manager will be made by the entire Board of Supervisors and only the Board of Supervisors.

Additional Business, Part 2:  The Casino is expected to open on March 31^st.  The Wegman’s is scheduled to open on May 6^th.

Next article:  Woods Cleanup and Volunteerism

If you’d like to receive this article directly by email or would like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com.

Sincerely,

Greg

Over the last few years many of our residents have wondered why the school district is having greater financial problems than the township.   One answer I’ve heard others give is that the township made some very good decisions to meet the financial challenges that we’re facing.  This answer makes the Supervisors look good – something which I obviously don’t mind.  But this answer doesn’t paint the full picture.

A more complete answer is that while Upper Merion Township has made some very good and tough decisions, the Upper Merion Area School District faces a different and more challenging financial atmosphere than the township.   This stems from the dramatic differences in the township’s and the school district’s revenue sources, as shown by the following chart:

As you can see, Upper Merion Area School District receives approximately 84% of their revenue from real estate taxes as compared to 17.9% for the township.  Another way to think about this is to analyze where your real estate tax dollars go.  For every dollar the township gets from your real estate taxes, the district now gets about 8 dollars.   Even the county receives a greater percentage of your real estate taxes than the township.

As you know, the Great Recession has hammered real estate values and as such, many property holders have filed for and received reassessments, thereby lowering the amount they pay in real estate taxes as well as receiving a refund for already paid taxes all the way back to the filing date.   The end result of the 1:8 ratio is that for every dollar the township loses in funding or must refund, the district loses about eight dollars.   Furthermore, since the overwhelming bulk of the school district’s revenue comes from real estate taxes, it has no way to recoup this revenue drain.  In fact, the problem is exacerbated as state educational expenditures – the district’s secondary funding source – was slashed by Governor Corbett.

Contrast our township’s revenue stream from that of our school district.  It is much more diverse.   The township does not rely nearly as heavily on real estate taxes so despite the township also losing revenue from real estate reassessments, funds from this sector makes up a much smaller percentage of our overall budget.  Upper Merion’s largest revenue source comes from Act 511 taxes which are taxes paid by our businesses.   Contrary to rumors, on the whole our retail sector is doing rather well at the moment and revenue from this sector has actually increased.   The school district receives very little money from Act 511 taxes.  But what exemplifies the difference in diversity between the township’s and the school district’s revenue streams is that our third largest revenue source makes up a greater percentage of our revenue than the district’s secondary source does theirs.

Moreover, Upper Merion Township will have our coffers bolstered by the casino as state law mandates that the township receives 2% of the income from slots and 1% from table games.  This has been projected to provide well in excess of $1,000,000 per year.  We’re also going to receive about another $140,000 a year as a result of an agreement between the casino and the township.  The school district will not receive a penny from the casino.

None of this should be taken to mean that the township is swimming in loot.  We’re not.  We’ve made some tough choices and we may need to make more in the future.   But the school district has made even tougher ones, particularly the teachers who agreed to break their own contract, thereby giving up negotiated raises and accepting to be furloughed one day a year.  The district continues to debate outsourcing bus drivers.  I’ve learned to hate the phrase, “concentric circles.”

Criticism by the public of tax increases or decreases and spending increases or decreases by a school district, a township or any other government body is always fair game.   However a truly fair comparison between any two entities should always take into account the differences in revenue streams.

Additional Business:  On Monday, February 13^th at 12 p.m. in Freedom Hall at the Township Building and again at 7 p.m., the Upper Merion’s Environmental Advisory Council and Economic and Community Development Committee will host EnergyWorks.  Admission is free so come hear how an energy audit for your home or business could save you money while preserving the environment.

Additional Business, Part 2:  At the February 16^th Board of Supervisors meeting, we will be voting on whether we want to expand the Zoning Hearing Board (“ZHB”) from 3 members to 5 members.  This is a key vote in support of better government as an expanded ZHB will allow for a greater diversity of voices while simultaneously reducing the influence of any one member.

Next article:  The Skate Park

If you’d like to receive this article directly by email or would like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com. 

Sincerely,

Greg

Welcome to 2012.  I hope everyone is having a great new year!

Most of my articles focus on one topic but as it’s the new year and Upper Merion Township has a new Board of Supervisors, I want to give you a bit of a 2012 preview as well as insight on some of the issues I’m thinking about:

• I strongly suspect that in the extremely near future the township will close on The Factory/Gold’s Gym property, which will lead to the hiring of a firm to draft a renovation plan.  The board will almost certainly explore some unique public-private partnerships;

• The township owns the woods behind The Factory/Gold’s Gym but it is filled with litter.  These woods are in the center of a residential neighborhood and across the street from the middle school and high school.  I’d really like to turn that area into a mini-McKaig nature center with several pathways through the property.  One of the first steps would be to organize a clean-up of that area in the late winter or early spring, possibly coinciding with Earth Day.  Any volunteers?;

• The Board of Supervisors is seriously considering expanding the Zoning Hearing Board (“ZHB”) from 3 members to 5 members.   One of the benefits of this move would be to mitigate the importance of any one member;

• The Board of Supervisors and the School Board can disagree.  We sometimes face different challenges.  We sometimes speak to different audiences.   Most importantly, our revenue streams are structured differently.  So disagreement is fine but we can’t be disagreeable, especially if it harms our working relationship.  I expect that the communication and relationship between the two boards will improve and hopefully we will reestablish our twice-yearly joint televised meetings;

• There is going to be a significant amount of turnover in the administration and management of the township over the next few years.  One of the first changes will be the appointment of a new police chief as Ron Fonock retires this summer;

• In the next few months the casino and the Wegman’s will open.  The King of Prussia Mall is planning an expansion.  There has also been some movement towards further development on the former golf course.  All of these projects will hopefully result in a renewed, aggressive push to expand the Norristown High Speed Line (also known as the Rt. 100) into the center of King of Prussia;

• By all accounts, Upper Merion residents pay one of the lowest combined residential tax burdens in the 5 county area; I’ve argued that we have the lowest residential tax burden.  But there is a myth perpetuated by some competing interests that our business tax rates are much higher than our neighboring municipalities.  This falsehood has gained some traction and has impacted some of our commercial real estate interests.  Look for a serious public relations effort by the Business Improvement District and the township to dispel this notion;

• As the months go by, you are going to hear more and more about Upper Merion’s 300^th Anniversary and the variety of events which will celebrate the tri-centennial;

• Individual sports have become increasingly popular with kids over the last few years, particularly skateboarding.  In order to meet demand and provide our youth with additional recreation options, a group of residents has been working to build a skate park in Upper Merion and have held fundraisers in order to raise the funds necessary to accomplish this worthy project; and

• Many of our neighboring municipalities have adopted anti-discrimination ordinances.  It is time for Upper Merion to protect all of our residents from job and housing discrimination, though a county-wide ordinance may beat us to the punch.

Additional Business:  On Wednesday, January 11^th at 7 p.m., the township and the school district will hold their annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration at the Middle School.  The event is free and refreshments are provided.

Additional Business, Part 2:  Do you want to receive brief Upper Merion news updates several times a week?  I update my Facebook page several times a week with brief news snippets.  Just click this link to my Facebook page and then click like or you can follow me on Twitter @gregwaks.  You can find links to both through www.gregwaks.org on the right-hand side of the page.

Next article:  Differences in the funding sources of the school district and the township. 

If you’d like to receive these articles directly by email or would just like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com.

Sincerely,

Greg

Friends, Neighbors and Fellow Upper Merion Area Residents:

Every year the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors must hold a reorganization meeting.  This meeting occurs regardless of whether there are any new supervisors on the board.  In the past, these meetings have been extremely static.  But the upcoming reorganization meeting will be different as there will be at least 2 major changes.

At this moment, Ed McBride is still Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and Bill Jenaway is still Vice Chairman.  But since Carole Kenney and Greg Philips defeated Ed McBride and Scott Sibley in the recent election, come January 3^rd the Board will go from a 3-2 Republican majority to 4-1 Democratic majority with Bill Jenaway the only remaining Republican.  This means that it is safe to say that both the chair and vice chair will be Democrats for the first time in approximately 50 years.  As Erika Spott and myself are the two returning Democrats, it seems likely that we will probably fill the chair and vice chair positions.

Another major change is that there will be a new township solicitor.   Over the past few weeks, we reviewed applications from 9 law firms to serve as our appointed township solicitor and our Act 511 tax collecting counsel and we interviewed 5 of them.  From what I’ve been told, this will be the first time in many years that the township solicitor will be chosen after a full-fledged vetting and interview process.  Previously, it was well known in both township circles and the municipal legal community that the current solicitor was going to be reappointed.  In fact, in recent years no other attorneys were interviewed for the position or even applied.

Reviewing applications from multiple law firms and interviewing several of them is an extremely important change from recent boards as it allowed us to compare the various firm’s qualifications, strengths and weaknesses against each other.  Just as significantly it promotes a competitive bidding process and the attorneys we ultimately choose understand that if we are unsatisfied the township has many other places where we can take our business.   Along the same lines, we also interviewed 11 different engineering firms for the township’s 5 engineering portfolios.

2012 promises to be an exciting year for Upper Merion Township.  The new board will not waste precious time and there should be several substantial developments in January and February that will provide significant short-term and long-term benefits our community, aid our economy and improve governance.

It all starts with the reorganization meeting on Tuesday, January 3^rd at 7:30 p.m. in Freedom Hall.

Additional Business:  The current owner of the facility known as The Factory and formerly known as Gold’s Gym has accepted our offer to purchase the site.  Barring any surprises, I expect that we will go to closing in the near future.  I am very excited about what this facility might mean for the future of Upper Merion – after some improvements of course. 

Additional Business, Part 2:  Do you want to receive brief Upper Merion news updates several times a week?  Just click this link to my Facebook page and then click like or you can follow me on Twitter @gregwaks.

Next article:  What am I thinking about for 2012.

If you’d like to receive these articles directly by email or would just like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com.

Sincerely,

Greg

Friends, Neighbors and Fellow Upper Merion Area Residents:

Over the past few weeks, the Board of Supervisors held four budget sessions in order to review the proposed 2012 Upper Merion Township Budget.    Like the 2011 budget and unlike the controversial 2010 budget, the proposed 2012 budget has so far been drama-free.  Even though the proposed 2012 budget hasn’t received the heightened level of public scrutiny as the 2010 budget, there are still aspects of next year’s budget that our residents should be aware of.

One of the major differences between our township budget and the federal budget is that Pennsylvania law prevents municipalities from deficit spending.  In other words, projected expenses may not exceed projected revenues.  In 2012, we are projecting an operational budget of approximately $27,850,000.  The $27,850,000 is a 5.7% increase from 2011 though this increase is somewhat inflated because of a transfer from the liquid fuels account.

We are expecting this increase in operational revenue despite living in shaky economic times.  As you know, real estate values have dropped over the past few years and as a result some commercial and residential property owners have filed for reassessments.  This has resulted in the township seeing a decrease in revenue from real estate taxes over the past few years.  We are anticipating that this trend will continue in the coming year and we foresee more than a $100,000 drop in revenue from this sector.  We are also expecting a reduction in revenue from real estate transfer taxes.

While the drop in revenue from real estate taxes hurts, fortunately we only receive about 20% of our funds from real estate taxes.  Contrary to some rumors, our retail sector appears to be doing well at this moment.  As such, reductions in revenue from the real estate sector is offset by projected increases in revenue from the taxes our businesses pay from sales or receipts.   Furthermore, we are expecting to receive a bump in revenue when Wegmans opens and our best guess is that we can expect to receive about $600,000 from the casino, which is expected to open in the spring.  On the expense side, the major driver in the increase in projected expenditures in the 2012 Operational Budget is a 4.5% salary increase for our township employees.  This salary increase is part of the labor agreement negotiated with the previous Board of Supervisors in 2009.    The township employees are scheduled to receive a 4.5% salary increase in 2013 as well.

What does this all mean?  Well, the bottom line for our residents is that there will be no township real estate tax increase, maintaining our position as the lowest taxed municipality in the 5 county area.  Nor will there be any reduction in services in the coming year.

The proposed 2012 budget is expected to be voted upon at the Board of Supervisors meeting on December 8^th.  

Additional Business: Have a happy, safe and fun Thanksgiving!  Please don’t let your family or friends drive drunk.  Please don’t let your family or friends text while driving.  The former is against the law.  The latter soon will be.

Additional Business, Part 2:  Do you want to receive brief Upper Merion news updates several times a week?  Just click this link to my Facebook page and then click like or you can follow me on Twitter @gregwaks.  

Next article:  Reorganization

If you’d like to receive these articles directly by email or would just like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com

Sincerely,

Greg

Friends, Neighbors and Fellow Upper Merion Area Residents:

Regardless of how many hours I may put in working on township issues, how many constituent emails I respond to or how many meetings I attend, township supervisor is considered a part time position that pays $4375 a year before taxes.   As such, Supervisors can’t exactly quit their day jobs.  Thankfully the Supervisors have a great group of township employees who run the day-to-day operations of Upper Merion.   Furthermore, we also have another resource that we can count on:  our township committees.

The committees in Upper Merion are not just window dressing.  From the Environmental Advisory Council which works to promote a more sustainable community to the Municipal Utility Authority which manages our sewage systems; from the Media Communications Advisory Board which improves the information flow from the township to our residents to the Economic and Community Development Committee which addresses the intermediate and long-term issues that our township faces, these boards and many others make real substantive decisions that impact the daily lives of our residents.  For example, over the past few decades the Transportation Authority has secured funding for hundreds of millions of dollars in road improvements.  The Park and Recreation Board members look after our community parks and fields.    The Fire and Rescue Services Board members use their unique expertise to support our volunteer rescue organizations that protect the lives and health of our residents while saving each household hundreds of dollars a year in real estate taxes.   Other committees built the Farmers Market, established the Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. holiday festivities, recognize homes with beautiful landscaping, support our library, work with our police department and much, much more.

If you have an interest, Upper Merion Township has a committee for you!  A list of the committees can be found here and the painless application can be downloaded from the Township website.  While I have been critical of some appointments to the Zoning Hearing Board and Planning Commission which I thought were politically motivated (particularly since there were better applicants), the overwhelming majority of appointments on township committees are not partisan and have provided my fellow Supervisors and myself with tremendous advice.

Many people who like serving their community have no interest in politics.   Sitting on a township committee gives you the opportunity to make both lifelong friends and work on matters of real heft that can improve the lives of present and future Upper Merion residents.   As former township manager Robert W. Geerdes once said,  “what people do for themselves dies with them; what people do for their community lives on….”

Additional Business:  Free flu shots are being offered on October 31^st  from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Upper Merion Senior Citizen Service Center and on November 1^st at 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Upper Merion Township Building.  Last year a healthy Upper Merion woman in the prime of her life died from the flu.  I hope you will strongly consider getting a shot.

Additional Business, Part 2:  Do you want to receive brief Upper Merion news updates several times a week?  Just click this link to my Facebook page and then click like or you can follow me on Twitter @gregwaks.  I will be first to provide the results of the upcoming elections and that’s where you’ll find them.  You can find links to both through www.gregwaks.org on the right-hand side of the page. 

Additional Business, Part 3:  I just wanted to thank everyone who came to Meet the Democratic Candidates Night.  We had an amazing turnout and I expect to have a similar event next year.  If you’d like to read the Times Herald article about the event click here.

Next time:  The 2012 Budget

If you’d like to receive these articles directly by email or would just like to address a township issue, feel free to contact me at greg@gregwaks.com

Sincerely,

Greg

Friends, Neighbors and Fellow Upper Merion Area Residents:

Over the past year I’ve authored more than a dozen articles on a variety of very serious subjects.   As September winds down, I’ve decided that I wanted to have a little fun with my last piece of the summer while still being somewhat informative.  So below you’ll find 17 Upper Merion trivia questions.  The first 16 are multiple choice; the last question is not.   I’ve also provided the answers below.  Good luck!

1)     Upper Merion Township was established in?

a)      1654

b)      1713

c)       1741

d)      1802

2)     Which one of these municipalities does not border Upper Merion?

a)      Radnor Township

b)      Tredyffrin Township

c)       Norristown

d)      Schuylkill Township

e)      West Norriton Township

3)     Which one of these current or former professional athletes does not live in Upper Merion:

a)      Raul Ibanez of the Philadelphia Phillies

b)      Blair Thomas, former PSU RB and #2 overall pick in the NFL draft

c)       Tommy McDonald, legendary Eagle and NFL Hall of Famer

d)      Lisa Raymond, former world #1 doubles tennis player and winner of the doubles grand slam.

4)     Swedeland’s original name was:

a)      Queen of Prussia

b)      Swedesford

c)       Matsunk

d)      South Norriton

e)      Pennsland

5)     Parks take up approximately what percentage of the land in Upper Merion?

a)      3%

b)      8%

c)       15%

d)      20%

6)      Upper Merion Township’s 2011 operating budget is approximately:

a)      $17.7 million

b)      $19.9 million

c)       $26.4 million

d)      $34.9 million

e)      $42.4 million

7)      How many women have served on the Board of Supervisors?

a)      3

b)      4

c)       7

d)      13

8)      During the course of a year, approximately how many people (including repeat visitors) visit the King of Prussia Mall:

a)      5 million

b)      10 million

c)       14 million

d)      18 million

9)      Which is not an official township board, commission, committee or authority:

a)      The Planning Commission

b)      The Shade Tree Committee

c)       The Traffic Control Commission

d)      The General Authority

e)      The Zoning Hearing Board

10)     How is it determined which township roads have their snow removed first?

a)      Roads near the homes of the Supervisors and key township employees are plowed first as they have to deal with emergency situations.

b)      The township is divided into thirds and a rotation system is used.

c)       As a significant portion of Upper Merion’s revenue is derived from the King of Prussia Mall and that helps keep taxes low, those streets are always cleared first.

d)      Complete driver discretion as they are the people operating the snow plows and understand best that conditions may vary significantly from one street to another.

11)     Approximately what percent of your real estate tax dollars goes to the township?

a)      11%

b)      33%

c)       50%

d)      67%

e)      100%

12)    According to the 2010 census, approximately 76% of Upper Merion residents categorized themselves as Caucasian.  What is our second largest ethnic group (at approximately 14.7%):

a)      African-Americans

b)      Hispanic-Americans

c)       Asian-Americans

d)      Native Americans

13)     How many current members of the Board of Supervisors were raised in Upper Merion Township:

a)      0

b)      1

c)       2

d)      3

e)      4

f)       5

14)   I attended college with:

a)      Kevin Plank, the founder of Under Armour.

b)      Sergey Brin, the founder of Google.

c)       Jeff Kinney, the author of the “Diary of a Whimpy Kid” books.

d)      All of the above.

15)    The Business Improvement District is:

a)      a township committee which looks to balance the long term economic development of the township while maintaining a sense of community.

b)      a public-private partnership with local businesses designed to maintain taxes at our current levels.

c)       a 501c3 organization in which commercial real estate properties located in the district self-tax themselves in order to enhance competitiveness and commercial real estate values.

d)      a working agreement that the township has with neighboring municipalities.

16)     Approximately how many people (rounded to the nearest 500) live in Upper Merion Township:

a)      22,000

b)      28,500

c)       33,000

d)      39,500

e)      44,000

17)    This question is worth 4 points.  Each correct answer is worth 1 point:

There are 4 residential streets in Upper Merion that are only accessible by car if you first drive through another municipality.  In other words, if you want to drive on those streets, you must actually exit Upper Merion, enter another township and then come back into Upper Merion.   Name these roads.

Answers:

1)  B.  1713 which makes 2013 our tri-centennial year and we will be having numerous events to mark the occasion.  For more information on the tri-centennial, including how to get involved, go to www.umtownship.org/index.aspx?nid=243.

2)  C.  Norristown does not border Upper Merion.  Many people think we do as Norristown is on the opposite side of the river, but Norristown doesn’t start until you hit the land.  Half of the river is in Upper Merion, the other half is in West Norriton Township.

3)  D.  Lisa Raymond lives in Valley Forge, but not in Upper Merion Township.

4)  C

5)  D, though it often seems smaller than that because a large percentage of the parkland in Upper Merion is Valley Forge Historic National Park and it’s on the periphery of the township.

6)  B

7)  B

8)  D

9)  C

10) B.  One of the great misperceptions is that certain streets are given preference for snow removal based on who lives there.  Snow removal is done through a rotation system.

11) A.  About 76% of real estate tax dollars goes to the school district, about 13% to the county.  The township gets the rest.  This is one of the major reasons why reassessments have hurt the school district far more than the township.

12) C.  Upper Merion’s demographic picture has dramatically changed over the last 20 years and the Asian-American population has seen the greatest growth.

13)  A

14)  D.  I attended the University of Maryland at a unique time with some very creative people.

15)  C.  For more on the Business Improvement District, you can either read the article I wrote about it on the “archives” page on my website or check out their website at http://kopbid.blogspot.com/.

16)  B and with approximately 28,500 (rounded to the nearest 500) people, Upper Merion ranks 5^th in municipal population in Montgomery County behind Lower Merion, Abington, Cheltenham and Norristown.

17)  Each correct street is worth 1 point.  The 4 streets are Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Highview Drive, Woodland Drive and Woodland Circle.

As you probably figured, the real purpose of the trivia questions wasn’t to stump you; it was to provide some additional information about how your township is run, who runs your township and what’s going on in Upper Merion.  Even if you got many of these questions wrong, you’re in decent company as I tested them with some very well informed residents and all of them made several mistakes.

Additional Business:  On Tuesday, September 27^th at 7pm at the Valley Forge Towers’ Clubhouse (4000 Valley Forge Circle) I will be hosting County Commissioner Candidates Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards, Upper Merion Supervisor Candidates Carole Kenney and Greg Philips, several school board candidates, county row officer candidates and court of common pleas candidates.  Special guests include Senator Daylin Leach.  Come here what these impressive candidates have to say and ask what you like.  Light food and drinks will be provided.  I will send out a separate reminder email about this event in the next week.  All I ask is you provide me with an RSVP if you’d like to attend. 

Additional Business, Part 2:  If you want to receive time sensitive Upper Merion news, like my Facebook page by following this link:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Greg-Waks/50083983845 and clicking like or follow me on Twitter @gregwaks.  I will be first to provide the results of the upcoming elections and that’s where you’ll find them.  You can find links to both through www.gregwaks.org on the right-hand side of the page.

Next time:  The Township Committees

If you’d like to receive my articles via email or have any other questions or comments, feel free to contact me.  I can be reached at greg@gregwaks.com. 

Sincerely,

Greg

Friends, Neighbors and Fellow Upper Merion Area Residents:

Sometimes new ideas spring forth on their own.  Sometimes they emerge from an entirely different source.

A few months ago, several residents met to discuss the feasibility of a skate park in Upper Merion Township.  Somehow during that meeting two separate conversations occurred.  One was about building a skate park and another about the need for more cultural events in Upper Merion.  From that conversation the Upper Merion Cultural Fair was hatched.

As you may know, I am not a lifelong resident of Upper Merion.  But over the past few years I’ve had many conversations with people who were born and raised here as well as people whose families have lived here for generations.   Time and time again I’ve heard about how in every way imaginable Upper Merion has dramatically changed, especially from a demographic standpoint.  These perceptions are based in fact as the census data in the chart below clearly indicates that our township has become far more diverse over the past 20 years:

*includes Hispanic for the 1990 and 2000 census.

The Upper Merion Cultural Fair reflects our changing demographics and honors our past by allowing our residents to both celebrate their own cultural heritage and share it with their fellow Upper Merion residents.  The Cultural Fair Committee has developed a program for our residents that includes free food samples, dance and music performances and much more.   This year the Cultural Fair will be held on Saturday, September 10^th from 10 am – 2 pm at the township building park right next to the Community Fair.   Next year the plan is for the Cultural Fair to branch off and be a stand-alone event.

As a result of the dedication of the people who are working on the Cultural Fair Committee, this free event is extremely likely to be a long term success that will both entertain and educate.  But there is one thing that might be missing and that’s you.  Participation in the Cultural Fair is open to anyone who wants to share their heritage with our residents.  If you’re interested in getting involved you can email the committee at umcfc@googlegroups.com or you can call our Parks and Recreation Department.

I look forward to seeing you at the Township and Cultural Fair on September 10^th from 10 am – 2 pm at the township building!

Additional Business:  If you want to receive time sensitive Upper Merion news, follow me via my Facebook page or on Twitter @gregwaks.  I will be first to provide the results of the upcoming elections and that’s where you’ll find them.    You can find links to both on the right-hand side of this page.

Additional Business, Part 2:  Keep an eye out for an invite to meet some of the candidates running for county and municipal office.

Next time:  Upper Merion Trivia Questions and Answers

If you’d like to receive my articles via email, please let me know.  I can be reached at greg@gregwaks.com. 

Greg