Thomas Bradley

Albrightsville Fire Co Blood Drive

The Albrightsville Volunteer Fire Co is having another blood drive. This one will be from 1 to 7PM on August 4, 2008. Contact the fire company for more details or contact Carol Meeker from Donor Services at the Miller-Keystone Blood Center 610-926-6060 extension 125 or call toll free at 1-800-486-2566. You can visit their website at http://www.giveapint.org/ for more information on the company or to see their donation and event calendar.

Maybe some relief from Tax Assessment Issue

Just read an article in the June edition of The Pennsylvania REALTOR^® about two companion pieces of legislation being taken through the process in the State Legislature. The House version was introduced by Rep Tim Seip of Schuylkill County (HB 1438 and 1439) and the Senate version was introduced by Sen James Rhoades also of Schulykill County (SB 1247 and 1258).

The purpose of the Bills is to close the loophole in current law which is being exploited by school districts in the State (including Jim Thorpe School District right here in Carbon County) to appeal assessments based upon sales price thereby creating inequities in the assessment structure and among homeowners. This practice has hit Carbon County especially hard in the Towamensing Trails, Split Rock and Lake Harmony areas but I am sure elsewhere as well.

The Pa Association of REALTORS^® is supporting the legislation as it has had a chilling effect on real estate transactions for a while in this area and that is in addition to the effect caused by the current worries about the economy, gas prices, and the general reluctance to commit to real estate investment caused by those worries. A past President of the Lehigh Valley Association of REALTORS^® has provided testimony that there is evidence that prospective "buyers strongly reconsider looking at homes in districts that are appealing assessments after the sale", according to the article. Part of the issue is that many Counties had delayed their County-wide reassessments for so long that an imbalance built into the system. However, this is only further exacerbated by the current practice of after sale appeals by the Taxing Authority.

The point here is that there may be some light at the end of this tunnel based upon the legislation proposed. The trail of this issue through the court system has not yielded very satisfactory results from the homeowner perspective and MAYBE legislation can correct what judicial fiat has done. If you are interested in this topic, you can follow the Legislative process to keep abreast of it and we will try to keep you up to date from a REALTOR^® perspective as we get more information.

If you are an area business and involved with the PK Coucil or the CCCC and are interested in having a booth or table at the event, please contact Anne at 570-401-0618 and tell her you saw this blog about the event. She can give you the needed details for costs and booth ideas as well as get you registered as a vendor at the event. This will be fun, family-oriented day benefitting the Lake Harmony Rescus Squad and Ambulance Corps. If such an event fits your advertising and marketing plane or your customer base, plan on attending as a vendor - its great publicity. If they event does not suit your business plans, be there as a consumer, bring your family and friends, and enjoy a wonderful day! The event is 7/19/08 at Nick's Lake House in Lake Harmony, Pa. Starts at Noon and runs to 10PM. Visit www.lakeharmonyneighborhood.com for event details, activities and times.

The PK Council of the CCCC will be hosting a Family Day on July 19, 2008 in the area of Nick's Lake House in Lake Harmony, Pa. The events will start at Noon and include games for the children, booths sponsored by area businesses with products, information, games/activities or prizes. A rock climbing wall is planned as well as face painting and many family-oriented activities. As the Family Day portion of the day winds down, the same venue will be hosting a Clam Bake (clams, corn on the cob, salads, grilled chicken. sausages, hot dogs and hamburgers) with some of the proceeds going to support the Lake Harmony Rescue Squad and Ambulance Corps. A band will be there for your entertainment pleasure and a great time will be had for a very worth cause. A chance for PK CCCC to give back to the community and for the community to support the Ambulance service. Plan to be there and bring your family and friends!!

The first Annual Banquet to honor local area Volunteer Firefighters as well as the Rescue Squad & Ambulance Corps was held at the Galleria at Split Rock last Saturday evening. It was well attended by residents and the attendees included Pa State Representative Keith McCall. After a cocktail hour dinner, awards presentations and dancing followed. The event was well supported by local businesses via door prize donations, an ad book, and reduced rates for the venue and food. A good time was had by all and it was an inspiring evening to boot.

The evening was set up as a chance for residents and the community to thank the brave men and women who volunteer their time to do a dangerous job which the Township would be hard-pressed to provide via tax revenues. This is a very serious issue in small rural areas of the state. Volunteering is not as popular as it once was and as the communities grow older in average age, it gets very hard to find new volumteers. Costs for new equipment are astronomical and fundraising becomes a way of life. The Lake Harmony Fire Co is currently lookiing to purchase a new ladder truck to replace the old one they have. It is the only ladder truck in the Township (which has three volunteer fire companies - who support each other as best as possible). This truck is ecpected to cost between $800,000 and $1,000,000!! Think about that - a million dollar expenditure for a single piece of equipment in a community with only about 1000 full-time residents but thousands of vacation and rental properties.