An op-ed by BB ...I've seen it happen dozens of times over the years – a housing developer spends months, sometimes years, working to get a plan approved, and then adjoining and nearby property owners catch wind of what’s in the works when the proposal is up for final approval. There’s plenty of heartache and gnashing of teeth, as local officials have no choice but to OK a plan that has a ton of last-minute opposition. This scenario is playing out right now in Lower Paxton Twp. for several property owners who live in Centennial Acres located off of Patton Road. They are about to have their view of Blue Mountain permanently altered by a 91-home development planned by McNaughton Homes. Residents are nervous, and rightly so, about the need for large ponds to be constructed to control storm water. These monstrosities will hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and will tower above their homes on the mountainside. Who wants the majestic Blue Mountain to be altered like this? No one. But township zoning regulations allow homes to be built there and McNaughton has been working to meet government requirements associated with their plan since September 2007, while the overwhelming majority of Centennial Acres residents who are fretting got involved earlier this month. For good and not so good reasons, they entered the game in the ninth inning, two outs and a batter at the plate who has two strikes. The residents, who have been assisted by Eric Epstein of citizens group SWAN, have done an admirable job trying to get their concerns addressed prior to Tuesday, Sept. 2, when the township supervisors will put their stamp of approval on the plan. I think they have a shot at getting the supervisors to require fencing around the man-made ponds to help deter kids from jumping into deep water during wet weather. Maybe, if they’re extremely lucky, the supervisors could require McNaughton to put money on deposit to cover costs if the ponds don’t work as planned and existing flood problems in Centennial Acres worsen. So, what can you do to avoid similar emotional trauma? It’s simple – be diligent. Although it gets pooh-poohed all the time, a responsibility of all U.S. citizens is to monitor what politicians and government bureaucrats are doing, and local government is usually the source of most heartaches. Yeah, yeah, I know … that’s easy to say but hard to do. Or is it? Instead of you trying to do all the legwork, become a regular reader of Linglestown Gazette and the Web site published by SWAN, and check the meeting minutes posted on Lower Paxton's Web site. I try to post links to township meeting agendas and preview big issues that are up for discussion, and SWAN sends members to nearly every township meeting so they can produce online newsletters about Lower Paxton governmental affairs. Kiss heartaches away. Diligence is only a few clicks away! ____ - For details about McNaughton’s proposed housing community, check out an article from The Patriot-News by beat reporter T.W. Burger. - Using a feed is great way to automatically find out when new information is added to Linglestown Gazette. I use an online feed reader called Bloglines. To get a FREE feed to this blog, click the orange icon or the link “Subscribe to Linglestown Gazette” that are located in the right-hand sidebar.

* In school district news, CD East High might get a new principal soon, and CD High School announces fourth-marking period honor roll. * Some people in East Hanover Twp. believe a proposed zoning changed needed for building a shopping center at the intersection of Routes 39 and 22 would ruin the “rural country setting.” * Update on baby death case in Lower Paxton Twp. * Friday evening’s big event is a FREE showing of the The Incredibles at Linglestown Life. Check out this post for more info. * The featured musical artist Friday at St. Thomas Roasters coffee house located in the village square is the one, the only Jim Baker, 8-10 pm, no cover. * West Hanover Winery will host its final outdoor concert of the season Saturday evening. Two groups are scheduled to play – News Dimensions and Flash Point Band. More info is available on the winery’s Web site.

About six months ago I posted about the ongoing development in East Hanover Township.  Specifically, how the casino has kick-started a few initiatives (if you give the rumor mills credit) in an otherwise deserted area.  These rumors got a little more weight with the potential development of a 68-acre shopping site at the intersection of Routes 22 and 39.  Looks like the specific area in question is directly across Route 22 from Ciocca Honda.   This helps anchor the Hershey creep out Route 39.  Surely you’ve noticed the townhouses, the apartments, the Giant, the hotels, and the plazas that have sprung up on one of the main routes from 81 to Hershey.  That stretch of 39 used to be mostly desolate, but the past two years of steady development have made it into a desirable area. Being a mere six miles from the casino, this particular chunk of land could be a serious contributor to the northeastern spread of Harrisburg and Hershey.  It would also help make the area’s real estate a more attractive option.  It’s a decent area to live if you need to be within 20 minutes of downtown but don’t want to live in the city.  Unfortunately the relative isolation makes it a … well, let’s be honest — boring … place to live. Two weeks until the vote.  My fingers are crossed.

Help needed … Linglestown Colts youth football season kicks off this Sunday, Aug. 24 at Koons Park with a triple-header starting at 1 pm. I’m in need of association officials or parents to jot down a few notes – final scores, who scored, top defenders, key plays, etc. – for game summaries that will be published on Linglestown Gazette. Please e-mail game info, or give me a call at 512-0722 if you need more info on what to do. You don't have to be a writer – just jot down a few notes and send them in and I'll do all the heavy lifting. More on child death case … If you’ve been following the story about the au pair living with a Lower Paxton Twp. family that’s been in the news, be sure to jump over to a Patriot-News story about the struggles au pairs face when they come to the U.S. Another retail project in the works … West Hanover Twp. supervisors approved a rezoning request for a large retail development planned for site across from Ciocca Honda on Route 22. Tea time at Roasters … St. Thomas Roaster in the village square will host a demonstration on various types of teas on Thursday, Aug. 21, 6 pm. If you thought tea is tea, then this is the place to be on Thursday. Come to learn from East Indies Coffee and Tea Company. They will show the best way to brew tea and explain the differences in the types and characteristics of tea.

Just saw on ABC27 (no story link yet) that progress on the Commerce Plaza has been stopped.  According to the ABC27 report, contractors are pulling their crews off the site because they haven’t been paid in some time.  So I guess the SuperClub has been delayed again.