Forks Township will be participating in the Great American Cleanup Pennsylvania on April 21th, 2012. Meet and sign in at the Forks Township Community Center starting at 9:30 AM. If you desire, please pre—register at the front deck of the Community Center.
Last year, I picked trash along Richmond Rd! Get involved!
Every voice counts!
I had the opportunity to spend many hours at our annual community celebration. I got the chance to chat with many residents at the information booth and other venues.
Additionally, I took a tour of the log cabins and heard the history of our township. It was a great two days of fun and some sun.
Thank you to everyone that worked so hard to make Forks Community Days a great success.
I am sure some people are wondering about my latest vote on the Forks Township amphitheater. I always believed it was important for our community to have a common gathering place where we can enjoy family activities. In the case of Forks Township, it will be our amphitheater. Additionally, the amphitheater will help build a bridge between the community and our local business. In my opinion, the debate was centered on the design of the amphitheater, not whether we should built the amphitheater.
For the past two years, Forks Township has debated various designs and held several public meetings to review the proposed designs. The cost of the last design was about $360,000 and allot of people worked hard to reduce the cost of the present amphitheater design to about $257,000. This is about $100,000 reduction in cost.
In the past month, it has become abundantly clear we would never agree on a design. In my opinion, the recreation funds paid by developers are used to provide recreational activities for the entire community. My responsibility as an elected official is to represent the entire community and I take each vote seriously.
After my no vote, I did additional research and spoke to various residents. I came to the conclusion that I should focus my decision whether we should built the amphitheater, not the design of the building.
Yes, I did change my vote. I decided was time to vote yes and built the amphitheater for the betterment of our community.
To wrap-up a very busy week, I was honored by the invitation to attend the Goddard School Moving On, Moving Up Celebration held in the Forks Community Center.
I had the opportunity to watch the 2011 Kindergarten Class Graduate and the pre-school classes take a step closer to kindergarten.
Congratulations to all he kids!
On a 3 to 1 vote, the Forks Township BoS approved a proposal to sell beer and wine at Forks Community Days.
The concept is to raise money for the Business and Commerce Association of Forks (BCAF). The mission of BCAF is to serve as the link among the Forks business community, residents and the supervisors. It also serves as a networking forum for business, and finally as a means for community service projects.
70% of the money raised by beer and wine sales at the Forks Township Community Days will be used locally by BCAF for community and economic development activities, while 30% of the sales will be allocated to the The Easton Area Chamber of Commerce.
To be honest, I had a hard time voting for this proposal. I had to balance the need for constructive local economic development with changing the overall character and charm of the Community Days.
I voted yes, after I received assurances the wine and beer sales would have very strict rules and would not drastically change the charm and character of Forks Community Days.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the over 50 volunteers that participated in the Forks version of the Great American Cleanup PA.
It was cold and windy day and all the volunteers, myself included, had a good time cleaning up our township.
By the way, the post clean-up lunch was very good.
The following is a summary of the remarks delivered at the BACF Luncheon. These comments were delivered by several Forks Township Supervisors.
On behalf of the Supervisors and Staff of Forks, I am proud to announce that the State of our Township is vibrant and robust.
Some fun factoids about our township
According to the American Community Survey we have a population of 13,841 up from 8,419 in 2000. Families made up 73 percent of the households in Forks Township.
Financial Condition
We have raised taxes only twice in the last 16 years. Our current tax rate is 5.6 mils. This tax represents 8% of the total tax burden of a Forks resident. 18% of the total taxes go to Northampton County whereas 74% go to the Easton School District.
In this challenging economy we can take great pride in our financial management of the township. We have operating expenses of $7.93M with revenue of $7.93M. We are expecting a surplus of $971,765 for 2011.
Staffing note: 54 Full Time plus 18 part-time. 24 Police (23 sworn officers), 14 Admin. 14 Public Works 10 Road and 4 Parks, 2 Recreation.
Where is this money spent? Public Safety is approximately at 40% with Administration and Facilities at 27%. The least burden on the taxpayer is the Legislative budget at .9%.
Aside from taxes, where do we look for future revenue to support services to a growing population as residential development matures? The future economic engine for the township must be commercial development. Last year, 7 commercial developments valued at 13 million generated $202,800.00 in permit fees. These operations will generate on going additional EIT taxes and add to the real estate tax base. BCAF’s economic development committee chaired by Sharon Davis is exploring initiatives to showcase Forks as a great place to do business.
Public Debt
Current Debt is at 10.8 million. In 2009 our debt consisted of several loans for the municipal complex buildings, Community Center, fire trucks and public works equipment. In 2010, we decided to consolidate and refinance all debt including funds to finance the new public works garage. We secured a new consolidated loan for 11.3 million at the bottom of the curve in municipal rates last year, saving the township $766,000 in future interest over our former loans. We expect to retire the loan over 16 years in 2027. (Loan rate yield ranges from .40% o 3.8%)
Capital Projects
We are working on several major capital projects in 2011:
· Completion of the new Public Works Building
· Completion of the Sullivan Trial and Meco Road stop light
· Final decision on the amphitheater
Parks and Recreation
We are excited about latest additional to the township leadership team. We have hired our first Parks and Recreation Director – Rachel Sulzbach as Director of Parks and Recreation. Additionally, we are pleased to announce the hiring of Matthew Carfahno as our new Community Center Manager. We anticipate 2011 recreation revenue of $326,00.00.
In 2011, we are working on new Parks and Recreation projects.
Commercial Development
We are several major development projects well underway in our township
Residential Development
Housing permits have slowed over the last few years as the recession hurt homes throughout the Lehigh Valley. In 2010, we had 17 approved developments under partial construction containing 1261 residential units yet to be constructed. During that same year, we issued 75 housing permits and we still have 1261 housing units to be built as the economy recovers in 2011 and beyond. Right now, only 59% of the housing developments are completed.
Public Safety
Forks Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to 388 calls with 304 incident hours throughout the township and in Stockertown. Of the 388, 32% of the calls we related to vehicle accidents, 17% for activated alarms, with 8% of the calls we for structure fires. In total, the Forks Fire Department had 8,211 total volunteer hours. Firemen now have excellent training opportunities at our newly completed fire tower on Glover Road.
Forks Township Police Department with 23 full time officers responded to 7369 calls. Our police department has an extensive community outreach program, such as the youth police academy, child safety seat inspection, and the very popular bicycle safety program.
14 staff members: 10 assigned to roads and 4 to parks.
A special thanks to the Forks Township Public Works crews for their excellent snow removal and ice mediation this winter season, which was one of worst in years. This past fall our new leaf vacuum went in to service. We are now in a much better position to manage this organic waste for recycling.
This staff is responsible for 59 miles of roadway and 11 miles of recreation paths along with all the parkland.
Update: According to the Express-Times, the Easton Area School district is proposing for the teachers to return to last year pay schedule (think pay cut) and agree to a freeze pay for two years. Where is the proposal for the administration to return last year pay raises and agree to a two year pay freeze? This is about shared sacrifice!
As I have stated in the past, I believe the public sector unions and the local municipalities must find a way to create viable financial models to avoid overtaxing our citizens.
In the case of the Easton Area School District, the school board and teachers union seem willing to have another public standoff in order to solve the approximately $14.0M budget deficit. According to school district figures, even if the teachers agree to a one year pay freeze, the savings would only be total $7.4M per year or about half of the budget gap. Additionally, the one year pay freeze proposal does not address the long-term financial viability of the Easton School district.
If the school district is correct and the average teacher pay raise is really 12.57%, then the school district has no financial pathway to solve its future budget gaps.
So here is the bottom line. Both the teachers union and school board need to re-open the union contract and find a viable financial model. Additionally, the school board needs to freeze all administrative pay raises and find additional cost reductions programs. This must a shared sacrifice between the administration and the teachers. I think we can all agree our kid’s education and well being are at stake.
If both sides continue these counter productive conversations, our school district could be broke, our kids will receive a horrible education, and the broader Easton community will suffer. It is time to have real adult conversations.
Get Involved!
In the past, I have posted data from the American Community Survey containing interesting facts about our township.
Finally, the official census data is available. Here is the results for Forks Township.
We were the 7th fastest growing township from 2000 to 2010. Yikes! Just a quick view of our neighboring townships:
City of Easton
Stockertown Borough
Palmer Township
Prepared by The Pennsylvania State Data Center
Forks Township has 5,254 households with the average household size of 2.63 and an average family size of 3.16.
| HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE | |
| Total households | 5,254 |
| Family households (families) | 3,835 |
| With own children under 18 years | 1,972 |
| Married-couple family | 3,429 |
| With own children under 18 years | 1,808 |
| Male householder, no wife present, family | 64 |
| With own children under 18 years | 0 |
| Female householder, no husband present, family | 342 |
| With own children under 18 years | 164 |
| Nonfamily households | 1,419 |
| Householder living alone | 1,302 |
| 65 years and over | 469 |
| Households with one or more people under 18 years | 2,023 |
| Households with one or more people 65 years and over | 1,203 |
| Average household size | 2.63 |
| Average family size | 3.16 |
School Enrollment: We have 3,632 kids in school with the majority of kids enrolled in grades 1-8 and 683 in high school.
| Population 3 years and over enrolled in school | 3,632 |
| Nursery school, preschool | 400 |
| Kindergarten | 323 |
| Elementary school (grades 1-8) | 1,687 |
| High school (grades 9-12) | 683 |
| College or graduate school | 539 |
Educational Attainment: We have 3711 residents with a bachelor degree or higher.
| Population 25 years and over | 9,446 |
| Less than 9th grade | 100 |
| 9th to 12th grade, no diploma | 439 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 2,673 |
| Some college, no degree | 1,771 |
| Associate's degree | 752 |
| Bachelor's degree | 2,356 |
| Graduate or professional degree | 1,355 |
| Percent high school graduate or higher | 94.3% |
| Percent bachelor's degree or higher | 39.3% |
First, I find the murder of innocent children who were born alive in a Philadelphia abortion clinic morally reprehensible and utterly repugnant. If the doctor’s actions are proven in court, he should be punished to the fullest extend of the law.
Now what happens? If you are a pro-life advocate you will want the abortion clinic shutdown. If you are pro-choice advocate you will wonder how this could happen and what kind of regulations could be implemented to prevent future tragedies.
This answer is not easy. As abortions are legal in the United States, Governor Corbett cannot shutdown the clinics based upon his personal beliefs. The Governor can ensure the abortion clinics strictly follow the letter of the law and legal abortions are performed in a safe manner.
Given, I am a pro-life advocate, I am reminded of a difficult decision my daughter made 8 years ago, as she bore a child out of wedlock. She made the decision to have her son, my grandson, so he could enjoy a full and healthy life. A decision even more remarkable, as my grandson has been recently diagnosed with autism. I am proud she chose the gift of life, not the anguish of abortion. Had she had chosen a different path; I would not have the opportunity to see the world through my grandson eyes. He is a remarkable 8 year old!
As Governor Corbett weighs his options, I pray he holds firm with his personal beliefs, but also remembers he has the obligation to uphold the law of the land.
The account of Rep. Giffords assassination attempt in Tuscan, Arizona moved me to tears. I read with great interest about her passionate political positions that promoted individual liberties while showing compassion for people by supporting healthcare and immigration reforms. She knew you could have strong beliefs in individual liberties, while showing compassion for her fellow human being. In today’s political environment she is quite unique.
For her beliefs, she gained the political ire of the Tea Party and the Sara Palin PAC. What followed in Arizona and across the country was political rhetoric so frightful that many members of Congress began seeking personal protection when attending public events or town hall meetings. Good and dedicated public servants were fearful of being attacked by vigilantes. How could this happen in the United States?
It seems we can no longer have civil political discourse, but need to resort to name calling and insults to make our point. We have lost of the art of compromise and debate in the name of ideological purity.
Even at the local level we have seen this harsh political rhetoric cascade throughout many of the county councils, township supervisor boards, and local school boards meetings. For example, Northampton Council members have been called “mental midgets”, while township supervisors are being called “incompetent” or “idiots”. Do we really want to conduct the peoples’ business in this manner?
As we pray for the full recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, I am hoping that every elected official at the local, county, and the state level will spend some time reflecting on the events in Arizona. Then we must figure out how to regain our civility and engage in an honest political debate.
Once we regain our civility, we will find our humanity.
The median age of Forks Township is 39.4 years with the majority of the population between 35 to 44 years, with a significant portion of our population between 45 to 55 years old.
| SEX AND AGE | |
| Total population | 13,844 |
| Male | 6,511 |
| Female | 7,333 |
| Under 5 years | 1,024 |
| 5 to 9 years | 1,163 |
| 10 to 14 years | 1,034 |
| 15 to 19 years | 808 |
| 20 to 24 years | 369 |
| 25 to 34 years | 1,245 |
| 35 to 44 years | 2,808 |
| 45 to 54 years | 2,148 |
| 55 to 59 years | 929 |
| 60 to 64 years | 700 |
| 65 to 74 years | 941 |
| 75 to 84 years | 534 |
| 85 years and over | 141 |
| Median age (years) | 39.4 |
| RACE | |
| Total population | 13,844 |
| One race | 13,539 |
| Two or more races | 305 |
| One race | 13,539 |
| White | 11,739 |
| Black or African American | 752 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0 |
| Cherokee tribal grouping | 0 |
| Chippewa tribal grouping | 0 |
| Navajo tribal grouping | 0 |
| Sioux tribal grouping | 0 |
| Asian | 558 |
| Asian Indian | 223 |
| Chinese | 84 |
| Filipino | 168 |
| Japanese | 12 |
| Korean | 39 |
| Vietnamese | 18 |
| Other Asian | 14 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 |
| Native Hawaiian | 0 |
| Guamanian or Chamorro | 0 |
| Samoan | 0 |
| Other Pacific Islander | 0 |
| Some other race | 490 |
| Two or more races | 305 |
| White and Black or African American | 122 |
| White and American Indian and Alaska Native | 9 |
| White and Asian | 54 |
| Black or African American and American Indian and Alaska Native | 19 |
Forks mean income is $108,044, while the median income is $94,836.
| Families | 3,835 |
| Less than $10,000 | 44 |
| $10,000 to $14,999 | 0 |
| $15,000 to $24,999 | 113 |
| $25,000 to $34,999 | 71 |
| $35,000 to $49,999 | 321 |
| $50,000 to $74,999 | 681 |
| $75,000 to $99,999 | 807 |
| $100,000 to $149,999 | 1,066 |
| $150,000 to $199,999 | 484 |
| $200,000 or more | 248 |
| Median family income (dollars) | 94,836 |
| Mean family income (dollars) | 108,044 |
| Per capita income (dollars) | 37,112 |
However, nonfamily households have a lower median income by $47,001 per household and the mean per nonfamily household is lower by $52,128.
| Nonfamily households | 1,419 |
| Median nonfamily income (dollars) | 47,835 |
| Mean nonfamily income (dollars) | 55,916 |
| Median earnings for workers (dollars) | 48,292 |
| Median earnings for male full-time, year-round workers (dollars) | 65,594 |
| Median earnings for female full-time, year-round workers (dollars) | 50,142 |
According to a Morning Call analysis, Forks Township has the longest commute. The average commute is 39.3 minutes, while my commute to NJ is over 75 minutes.
| Workers 16 years and over | 6,820 |
| Car, truck, or van -- drove alone | 5,520 |
| Car, truck, or van -- carpooled | 701 |
| Public transportation (excluding taxicab) | 78 |
| Walked | 82 |
| Other means | 30 |
| Worked at home | 409 |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes) | 39.3 |
It seems 46.5% of the kids in school are in grades 1-8, while 18.8% are in high school, while 14.8% is enrolled in college or graduate school.
| Population 3 years and over enrolled in school | 3,632 |
| Nursery school, preschool | 400 |
| Kindergarten | 323 |
| Elementary school (grades 1-8) | 1,687 |
| High school (grades 9-12) | 683 |
| College or graduate school | 539 |
39.3% of Forks Township residents have a bachelor degree or higher.
| EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT | |
| Population 25 years and over | 9,446 |
| Less than 9th grade | 100 |
| 9th to 12th grade, no diploma | 439 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 2,673 |
| Some college, no degree | 1,771 |
| Associate's degree | 752 |
| Bachelor's degree | 2,356 |
| Graduate or professional degree | 1,355 |
| Percent high school graduate or higher | 94.3% |
| Percent bachelor's degree or higher | 39.3% |
Get
I would like to take this opportunity to wish the citizens of Forks Township a wonderful and joyous holiday season.
It has been an honor and privilege to serve as you Forks Township Supervisor.
This is part one of a five part blog series about the results of the American Community Survey conducted in Forks Township as apart of the 2010 census.
The survey consists of Social, Economic, Housing, and Demographic data for our community. Part 1 of the blog will fun facts about our township.
HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES: In 2005-2009 there were 5,300 households in Forks township. The average household size was 2.6 people. This translates to a estimated population of 13,844.
Families made up 73 percent of the households in Forks township. This figure includes both married-couple families (65 percent) and other families (8 percent). Nonfamily households made up 27 percent of all households in Forks township. Most of the nonfamily households were people living alone, but some were composed of people living in households in which no one was related to the householder.
POPULATION OF Forks township: In 2005-2009, Forks township had a total population of 14,000 - 7,300 (53 percent) females and 6,500 (47 percent) males. The median age was 39.4 years. Twenty-eight percent of the population was under 18 years and 12 percent was 65 years and older.
For people reporting one race alone, 85 percent was White; 5 percent was Black or African American; less than 0.5 percent was American Indian and Alaska Native; 4 percent was Asian; less than 0.5 percent was Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 4 percent was Some other race. Two percent reported Two or more races. Nine percent of the people in Forks township was Hispanic. Eighty-one percent of the people in Forks township was White non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
TRAVEL TO WORK: Eighty-one percent of Forks township workers drove to work alone in 2005-2009, 10 percent carpooled, 1 percent took public transportation, and 2 percent used other means. The remaining 6 percent worked at home. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 39.3 minutes to get to work.
INCOME: The median income of households in Forks township was $86,875. Eighty-four percent of the households received earnings and 25 percent received retirement income other than Social Security. Twenty-seven percent of the households received Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $16,436. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.
Source: 2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Ever had a complaint or idea on how to better plan Forks Township parks? Have a good idea about recreational activities? If yes, this is your chance to get involved!
Forks Township has established a Master park Plan Ad Hoc Committee to create a recommendation to the board on how to use the new 43 acre park near Richmond Road. The new park will also host the new Public Works Building.
The committee will consist of a member from the Planning Commission, Recreation Board, Forks Township AA, Parks and Recreation Director, Township Manager, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Standing Committee, and interested persons of the public.
This is your chance to get involved!
Yesterday, I proposed and the board agreed to obtain the costs for several webcasting options.
I am happy we are looking at the possibility of implementing webcasting, so our residents can see the board in-action.
Get Involved! Every Voice Counts!
