October 7, 2013 Lori Snyder, President Perkiomen Valley Board of School Directors
Board of Trustees Board of Trustees Board of Trustees Lisa Minardi President Lisa Minardi Board of Trustees Lisa Minardi President Richard PresidentBuckmaster DianneBuckmaster Cram Vice-President Richard Vice-President Richard Buckmaster Vordea Mingis Russ Henze Vice-President Treasurer Vordea Mingis Treasurer Constance Vordea Mingis Hershey Glenys Waldman, Ph.D. Treasurer Recording Secretary Ph.D. Glenys Waldman, Susan Kelly Recording Secretary Walter RussellLapinsky Henze Corresponding Secretary Walter Lapinsky Recording Secretary Dieter Markert Corresponding Secretary Walter Lapinsky Renata Markert Bradley Good Corresponding Secretary Bradley Good Christopher Grasberger Honorable Joseph H. Melrose Christopher Grasberger Russell Henze David Kimmerly Lisa Minardi Russell Henze David Kimmerly Dieter Markert Kathleen Hurst Kathleen Mulhern Dieter Markert Renata Markert The Honorable Joseph H. Renata Vordea Markert Mingis Melrose,Minardi Jr. Catherine The Honorable Joseph H. Kristin Paulson Catherine Minardi Melrose, Jr. The Honorable Joseph H. Melrose, Jr. Schelly Matthew Joseph Szlavik Catherine Minardi Susan J. Stevens Matthew Schelly Matthew Schelly Donald Tobias William VanSant JosephJ.Szlavik Susan Stevens William VanSant, III Donald Susan J.Tobias Stevens Advisory Board Advisory Board William VanSant Donald Tobias Joseph Szlavik, Chair MarcRobert Ullom,Brandt, Esq. Esq. Robert Brant, Esq. Advisory Board William VanSant Dr.Doughty, S. Ross Doughty Ross Ph.D. Joseph Szlavik, Chair Bobby Fong, Ph.D. Dr.Brant, Robert Remini Robert Esq. Advisory Board P. Taylor Goetz Robert Brant, Esq. Ross Dr. Doughty, Ph.D. John Strassburger Ross Doughty, Ph.D. Bobby Fong, Ph.D. William Muhlenberg Wagner P. P. Taylor Taylor Goetz Goetz Robert Remini, Ph.D. Robert Remini, Ph.D. William Muhlenberg Wagner, Jr. October 7, 2013 Lori Snyder, President Perkiomen Valley Board of School Directors Perkiomen Valley School District 3 Iron Bridge Drive Collegeville, PA 19426 Dear Ms. Snyder, I am writing in regards to the proposed sale of the Trappe Building and adjacent property by PVSD to the Gambone Management Company. According to the letter of intent that the Board of School Directors approved, Gambone intends to construct fifty townhouses on this property of 10.78± acres. The disposition of this property is of particular interest and concern to The Speaker’s House, a nonprofit organization and owner of one of the largest adjacent properties, located at 151 W. Main Street in Trappe. The Speaker’s House is the historic home of Frederick Muhlenberg, first Speaker of the U.S. House and first signer of the Bill of Rights. Another adjacent property at 201 W. Main Street is the Henry Muhlenberg house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and owned by the Historical Society of Trappe. Together with Augustus Lutheran Church, a National Historic Landmark, these buildings are the heart and soul of Trappe’s history. As Trappe approaches its 300th anniversary in 2017, the importance of Main Street revitalization and heritage tourism is increasingly apparent. Countless members of the community are helping to preserve this history, aided by hundreds of thousands of dollars that has been invested by private foundations, businesses, municipal, county, state, and federal sources. A major factor behind this support is the rural character and small town nature of the surrounding area, which significantly contributes to the historic look and feel of Trappe’s historic district. The Gambone proposal would greatly impact the integrity of this district by replacing one of the largest remaining parcels of open space and a historic building with a high-density housing development. Furthermore, the proposal is contingent upon rezoning, seeking to circumvent Trappe Borough’s efforts to preserve the historic, small town character of our community and the recommendations of the Borough’s vision plan. The construction of fifty townhomes on this adjacent parcel of land will also have a severely detrimental impact on efforts to revitalize the community and utilize its history and open space as a draw for heritage tourism. Trappe’s eligibility as a National Register Historic District will also be greatly jeopardized by such a high density development and the ensuing loss of open space and a historic structure. This eligibility is directly linked to major sources of grant funding for community revitalization and historic preservation; loss of eligibility would thus be a severe economic blow to local non-profits by eliminating these sources. P.O. Box 26686 ~ Trappe, PA 19426 ~ 610.489.2105 ~ www.SpeakersHouse.org The Trappe Building and associated property is historically significant in its own right. The land is part of Frederick Muhlenberg’s original farm, the boundaries of which remain visible today as Main St., First Ave., College Ave., and 113, with the exception of eight acres owned by Henry Muhlenberg. In 1924, Ursinus College acquired 10.77 acres of Frederick Muhlenberg’s farm and his former house for the use of their varsity athletic team. In 1938, Ursinus sold 7.5± acres to the newly formed Collegeville–Trappe School District for the bargain price of $100 as a goodwill gesture for the new high school. That building, constructed as a WPA/New Deal project in the 1930s, is a highly significant example of colonial revival architecture that was directly inspired by historic landmarks; for example, the central cupola closely resembles the one at Mount Vernon. A Historic Resources Inventory prepared in 2010 for Trappe Borough’s vision plan specifically noted the Trappe Building’s historic and architectural significance. A survey of Trappe residents conducted at the same time found that an overwhelming majority—78 percent—stated that historic preservation was important or very important to them. The future of our community depends upon visionary leadership even during difficult economic times. Ursinus College had this in mind when in 1938—in the midst of the Great Depression— they gave the school district a bargain that put education and community ahead of monetary gain. The decisions that we make today will permanently impact our community’s future. Do we want a community of high-density townhomes, strip malls, more traffic, and suburban sprawl that will only drive down property values, strain existing infrastructure, and strip our community of its unique resources, or do we want a community that respects its history and preserves open space for the benefit of everyone as part of a broader revitalization effort? For the sake of our rich local heritage, our ongoing revitalization efforts, and our community’s future, I urge the school board to reconsider their decision. At a minimum, I would ask that the school board delay signing an agreement of sale and meet with community stakeholders to explore alternative options to highdensity development and likely demolition of a historic landmark. Surely there is a better use for Trappe’s most significant colonial revival building than the landfill. Community and educational leaders should come together to seek a more sustainable, creative, and dynamic outcome for this property that includes adaptive re-use and open space preservation. Sincerely, Lisa Minardi President, The Speaker’s House (302) 299-6935 [email protected] Cc: Ruth Daller, president elect, Historical Society of Trappe, Collegeville, Perkiomen Valley Diane DeCurtis, president, Trappe Today & Tomorrow Dulcie Flaharty, executive director, Montgomery County Lands Trust Dr. Bobby Fong, president, Ursinus College Cathy Kernen, president, Collegeville Economic Development Corporation Connie Peck, Mayor of Trappe Fred Schuetz, president, Trappe Borough Council P.O. Box 26686 ~ Trappe, PA 19426 ~ 610.489.2105 ~ www.SpeakersHouse.org ! !
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