What Economic Development?

In January 2013 Perkasie Borough Council approved a $20,000 annual expense for an Economic Development consultant. His task was to bring new businesses to the Borough.  For 2014 this annual expense was again approved with no review or report card given on progress. 

Has this experiment proved a success?  Here are Steve Barth's claims from his Linked In page as of today:

Director of Economic Development (Consultant)Perkasie Olde Towne AssociationJanuary 2013 – Present (1 year 7 months) Perkasie, PA 18944The mission of the Economic Development Program for Perkasie Borough is
to revitalize Perkasie by creating an environment where businesses can grow
and thrive by providing goods and services to the residents of the Borough
and surrounding communities.

$82 million in new commercial and residential development.
Collaborated with Bucks County Planning Commission to finalize new Comprehensive Plan.
Visioned and cultivated developers to rebuild entire Town Center block.
Phase One approved by Council on 7/21/14.
(Includes three new retail and 10 upscale apartments on site dormant for 26 years.)
Phase Two- Pending 15 retail and 42 upscale apartments.
145 Townhouse development on 15 acre empty factory site bordering two parks.
Adaptive re-use of empty factory building into 6 upscale apartments.
73 New Single Family Homes - Cultivated developers for empty residential sites
Opened 12+ new businesses

Borough Council should be requiring an accounting of these claims and verification including a list of the 12+ businesses claimed by Mr Barth.

Of particular note is the claim about being responsible for "145 Townhouse development on 15 acre empty factory site bordering 2 parks".  This is assumed to be the proposed Perkasie Woods development which has not yet received approval from Borough Council for rezoning. At a recent council meeting many neighbors of the proposed development spoke out against the project, including concerns on the density and flooding.  Was Mr Barth part of some backroom deal to rubberstamp this and ignore public input?

A proposal for a Dunkin Donuts never materialized.  Perkasie Borough Authority relocated outside of the Borough.  Secant Medical is leaving town in 2015.  Many storefronts still sit vacant.  What have we received for $40,000 in public money?

Anyone who lives in the Borough or owns a business here knows that the biggest issue - the elephant in the room-  is the high electric rates that increased 66% in 2008 as the result of a bungled electric contract that was urged to be entered into and voted for by none other than current council Vice President Jim Purcell, who oddly is still the chair of the public utility committee.  It was Mr Purcell who, reminiscent of Chicken Little, warned that the sky was falling and that gasoline would reach $8 per gallon that fall. 

Does Steve Barth deserve another $20,000 in public money for 2015?

Demand answers from your elected council representative.  

Menlo Pool Party promoter gets slap on the wrist

Antwan Garfield- the infamous Menlo Pool party promoter - today received a slap on the wrist from Bucks County DA when he accepted ARD and from the docket it appears a whopping financial payment of $7.49  Copy of docket below.

Perkasie Council Member shows unprofessional bully side

Email exchange between Councilperson Matt Aigeldinger (former President) and Councilman Justin Stottlar apparently resulting from an anonymous tweet from "PerkasieWatch"

Aigeldinger:  You talking out of school, Justin? How do you ever except (sic) to earn anyone's respect?  Keep your boy in check....

Stottlar:  To be honest matt i haven't said a word about anything to anyone. Thanks for your continuance of the last 2 years.

Aigeldinger: Bullshit, man.

Stottlar: Think what you want matt. I don't have anything to hide.

Aigeldinger:  Exactly. Piece of shit.

View the email exchange below  

Constituent Outreach Committee meeting date change

from Perkasie Borough website:

Constituent Outreach Committee Meeting Date Change 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Perkasie Borough Council's Constituent Outreach Committee's meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 14, 2014 will now be held on Tuesday, February 11, 2013 at 7:00 PM.  This meeting will be held in the Perkasie Borough Hall meeting room, 620 W. Chestnut Street, Perkasie.  The Committee will meet with all interested residents and businesses to share ideas, questions, and potential improvements directly with Borough Council representatives.

We can assume they mean 2014.  When Perkasie First contacted the new chair Justin Stottlar, he was unaware of the date change.  Who is calling the shots in Perkasie Borough?

Meet the New Boss, same as the Old Boss?

Apparently even though Perkasie Borough has ousted former Manager Dan Olpere, is a new direction really on the horizon?

Maybe not, as suggested by the re-appointment of Jim "Chicken Little" Purcell as head of the Public Utility committee and charged with oversight of the Borough Electric scheme.

Remember when Chicken Little warned that the "sky was falling" in 2008 and that gasoline would be $8 per gallon when he urged approval of an electric contract that resulted in a 66% rate increase to borough residents?

Chicken Little was further rewarded with the position of Council Vice President.

This was the electric contract negotiated by the wet-behind-the-ears Jim Havrilla, friend of Dan Olpere after months of neglect and missing the "spring dip" in electric prices by the Perkasie Pride majority council.

Only time will tell whether new Council President Jim Ryder and new council member Chuck Brooks will mean a new direction forward, or just more of the same "Perkasie Pride" that has left such a dark cloud over Perkasie .

Perksaie Borough possible rolling blackouts 1/7/14

ATTENTION PERKASIE RESIDENTS: Due to the high load on the nation's power grid, there is a chance of rolling power outages tonight. If an outage does occur, it should last no longer than 30-60 minutes. Please help by conserving energy as much as possible. The Borough's crews are on stand-by in case there are any problems as a result of any outage. If the power does go out, you can help by turning all of your switches to the off position so that when power is restored, there is less of a burden on the Borough's system. Thank you for your patience as the nation waits for this unusually cold weather to pass through the area.

Dan Olpere Ousted from Perkasie Borough Manager Position!

Despite no notice from Borough Council at the recent meeting, there is a job posting on the borough website for a new Manager as follows:   http://www.perkasieborough.org/employment.html

Borough Manager

Perkasie Borough, Bucks County, PA, with a population of 8,511 residents and a budget of approximately $18 million seeks a seasoned Municipal Manager to oversee the daily operations and delivery of local government services including, but not limited to, an electric utility, planning, zoning & development, emergency management services, infrastructure, public works, and parks & recreation. The Manager will be at the direction of a nine (9)-member Borough Council, and as described by Pennsylvania Borough Code and Borough Ordinances. The successful candidate will have strong, proven administration skills in code enforcement & zoning, budgeting & fiscal management, personnel management, collective bargaining & labor relations. Experience with the management of an electric public utility preferred.  Must be goal-oriented and a total team leader that is able to interact effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including a highly-engaged citizenry and active business community.  Experience with economic development a plus. A Master’s Degree in Public Administration or related field is required; demonstrated experience may substitute for field of study. A minimum of three (3) to five (5) years comprehensive experience in municipal administration required, preferably in Pennsylvania.

For application information and a detailed job description, please see below:

Employment Application

Job Description

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume with at least three (3) professional references and salary requirements no later than January 10, 2014 to Perkasie Borough Council, Confidential: Manager Search, 620 W. Chestnut Street, P.O. Box 96, Perkasie, PA 18944 or e-mail ManagerSearch@perkasieborough.org. Perkasie Borough is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Perkasie First has been bringing all the deficiencies of Manager Dan Olpere to light over the past few years and this decision to take Perkasie in a new direction is a result of all the resident involvement.

Perkasie Borough has endured a bungled electric contract resulting in 66% increase in rates, 2 Sunshine Law violations, questionable resignation of Police Chief, operating under budget deficit and depleted reserves and the  Menlo Pool fiasco all under Manager Olpere's watch. 

The managers contract is set to expire on Jan 1, 2014 so we can assume his last day will be Dec 31, 2013.