It’s been a good year for Patton Township, says township manager Doug Erickson.
Erickon’s so-called “list of the top five things that didn’t happen in 2014” includes no lawsuits against the township and no sinkholes swallowing up township land, but 2014 was a good year for the township in other ways as well.
The township continued a trend of expansion in 2014, which was positive news for Wednesday’s meeting of the Patton Township Business Association. Erickson told the gathering of local business leaders the municipality’s current annual budget is now at it’s all-time high: $14.8 million, and without a tax increase to residents.
“In 2014 we had a total of about $10.5 million in new construction, which is a nice addition to our tax base,” Erickson said. “When we can grow the tax base three or four percent a year, we don’t have to raise taxes to be able to continue providing our services.”
Patton Township residents can expect a small tax increase in 2016, but that was approved in a public referendum last November. The money raised will be used to purchase “open spaces” in the township, which will be preserved for their natural beauty.
The township’s business community saw expansion as well, including 60,000 new square feet of Geisinger Health System offices and the Fulton Building on North Atherton, which houses a second Jersey Mike’s sub shop and a commercial banking office.
Erickson was also pleased to announce that the additions don’t stop there. Several more projects are underway in Patton Township that will add to the tax base and improve residents’ quality of life.
Ninety-six new apartment units in the Toftrees neighborhood are expected to begin construction in the next several months, and a massive indoor sports center at the corner of Fox Hill and Bernel Roads is expected to open in November.
“There will be 78,000 square feet under the roof, complete with a turf field and gymnastics and workout facilities,” Erickson said.
The roughly $5 million Nittany Valley Sports Center is planned to be built in phases, and will also likely include a baseball diamond and soccer field when completed.
But Erickson had to temper his presentation with the harsh reality of some bad news. Construction of owner-occupied housing – a key component of expanding the tax base – remains at a historic low.
“Pre-recession, we had over 110 new houses start construction in Patton Township in one year. Last year we had 18,” Erickson said. “It’s still an area of the economy that hasn’t come back like we’d like it to, and I don’t see that trend changing anytime soon.”
While housing construction may have stalled, other kinds of construction and various projects are booming.
A number of recently-awarded state grants have money flowing into the township for numerous endeavors: $250,000 to build new bikeways; $50,000 for traffic signal upgrades on North Atherton Street; $800,000 to build left turn lanes on Valley Vista Drive; $65,000 to buy leaf composting equipment; and a whopping $12 million to make extensive safety improvements to Waddle Road.
While Erickson says most of these projects will have a relatively limited impact on traffic, there is one major project to watch out for. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is in the midst of a multi-year project to upgrade sewer lines beneath Atherton Street.
Starting in April, PennDOT crews will begin tearing apart North Atherton Street to make these necessary improvements. Then they’ll have to stitch the street back together. And then they’ll have to resurface, hopefully finishing in time for the start of football season.
“From April to August, traveling on North Atherton Street will be a real pain in the butt,” Erickson says. “So be prepared, or find alternate routes.”
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