1. ****If anyone has signed this petition but has changed their mind and would like their name removed, please let me know; I am happy to update it****

***Below, I have used the word 'significant' in regards to the associated tax increase. The word 'significant' is relative. The average tax increase is an estimated 2.594 mills or an average household increase of $106/year (which changes based on your assessed value.)

I think that $106/year matters to many people.***

***To be clear, a tax increase at the township level has NOTHING to do with a tax increase at the school board or county level. County, Township and School Board are each their own individual entities. ***

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-the-doyle...

Congratulations, Doylestown Township Residents! You are about to experience significant tax increases to fund the new recreation center! As if that wasn't enough good news, you will also have the pleasure of paying each time that you use the gymnasium facility! (“$10/daily admission Gym Only”) P. 50 of the Feasibility Study: https://doylestownpa.org/media/5231/final-feasibility-study-updated-20220608.pdf)

I have so much to say about this matter, but will try to be as succinct as possible. If you've read this far, I appreciate it.

My family and I moved to Doylestown in 2022 and we love living here. Not being one to sit on the sidelines, much to the chagrin of my wife, I learned of a vacancy on the township's finance committee. Given by background in municipal finance, construction financing and having previously been an elected official in a small borough in Montgomery County where I was the finance chair, I figured that I might be able to add some value to the township. In February, I was interviewed by the board of supervisors and selected for the position. (Please note: this post is my own personal viewpoint as a resident and not in any official capacity.)

Upon joining the committee, I immediately started digging into the township financials, which are currently healthy; however, I just cannot understand how our elected officials could be supportive of the new Community Recreation Center ("CRC") project in its current form. I continue to send emails and ask questions without receiving satisfactory answers. I feel that my questions and concerns are being largely ignored as the board seems set on moving forward with this project, regardless of the cost. It is terribly disappointing.

I would think that a project of this magnitude ($13,916,000 +) should be thoroughly scrutinized. Remember, the township building was supposed to include a recreation center! However, due to a lack of proper due diligence, the budget was missed and the recreation building was removed from the plan!

As per an article from 12/21/2017 regarding the Township Building: “The rest of the board agreed to borrow up to $12 million to fund the new municipal complex — including a new parks and recreation complex — and to replace the Chapman Road bridge. The township issued a $10 million bond in January and another $2 million bond will be discussed in 2018, but as of September projected costs for the municipal complex were projected to be more than $15 million. In order to trim projected costs to just under $11 million, township staff removed the parks and recreation building from the plan and delayed the bridge replacement.” https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/news/2017/12/21/...

When I asked: “how many residents actually WANT this enormous facility, and the corresponding tax increase?", the response was: "The project has overwhelming support.” I really do not know how ‘overwhelming support’ is quantified because just about every neighbor that I ask about the project does not support it in its current form.

I think we should be engaging with our residents as much as possible, with total transparency. It is easy to see that recreation center project is in the works through the website and newsletter, but the details are far less clear. As a father of two small children, I know how busy life gets! Attending regular township meetings to stay up-to-date is especially challenging for most parents; it is hard enough to keep our heads above water with the regular daily schedule. We *should* be able to trust that our local elected officials have our best interests, and our wallets, at heart.

The initial project estimate started at $6,702,000 (P. 58 of the Feasibility Study) as of 10/01/2021. In the June 2023 newsletter, the stated project cost was $9,000,000 (https://www.tapinto.net/towns/doylestown/sections/arts-and-entertainment/articles/doylestown-township-kicks-off-fundraising-campaign-to-update-central-park). As of the July 19th, the most recent estimate ballooned to $13,916,000! Bids were just received on Monday, September 18th (https://pennbid.procureware.com/Bids) The bids do not provide detail, so I cannot tell if these bids even include the bathroom facility or courts! If this is the case, the total cost of the project will most likely exceed the most recent estimate of $13,916,000! As per Page 106 of the Feasibility Study: “The Township stated that the project has a $4 million capital funding limit. This limit includes all soft costs.” The township borrowings are most certainly going to be well in excess of this figure.

I understand that the size and scope of the project has changed, but where do we draw the line? As noted in my email sent to Chairwoman Lyons on June 17th (pinned in the top comment below), I fear that the 'sunk cost fallacy' is the main driving force for this project.

In addition to a portion of the project being funded by $1,500,000 in state grants, we are told that there will be a 'matching' $1,500,000 fundraising campaign, of which only $250,000 is said to have been raised to date; however, this is not transparent and I’ve seen no way to verify this. Despite the lack of specifics, the board wants to award bids on October 3rd and begin construction immediately. If these bids are not inclusive of the bathrooms and courts, what is the plan? Are we to take out multiple bond issues, begin construction and *hope* that donations continue to come in? To me, that does not seem likely. I fear that this project will begin without the proper due diligence and the result will mirror what happened during the construction of the township building; resulting in additional spending and further tax increases. At the very least, a Document Cost Review should be mandated before bids are awarded and this project begins; I have asked for this multiple times and have been ignored. We need to know with near certainty what will be the true cost per household.

As the project costs continue to grow, the overhead of the CRC, including personnel/maintenance/debt service, will continue to outpace any revenue collected and operate as cash flow negative even further. The original feasibility study rightfully states that: “The building should be self-sustainable, including the staffing costs.” (P. 71); however, the feasibility study has NOT been updated to reflect the new expenses!

The response to my email on 6/17/2023 was: "You are misinformed about the numbers, the project and the thought that went into the planning." So far, I think that my assessment has been rather accurate. I am not against progress or development; my email below suggests adding much needed bathroom facilities by Kid's Castle, hardwired security cameras, refacing our courts and maybe even a splash pad. I am, however, very much against putting new sport courts over a beautiful green soccer field to accommodate an enormous facility funded by tax dollars, that residents will need to pay to use when a YMCA is around the corner!

This board seems dead set on moving forward, regardless of cost, and I really do not understand why.

I do not know if anything can be done to put this project on hold but I am hopeful that enough collective voices will encourage our Board of Supervisors to reconsider this massive, unnecessary expense. I urge you to please reach out to the township and come to the next (special) meeting, October 3rd at 4:30, to voice your concerns. In the meantime, if you would be so inclined to sign this petition to put the project on hold until we have more details, I would be especially grateful; please feel free to share it. Any comments that you can add would also be appreciated as I will be meeting with a few members next week and will present our petition.

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-the-doyle...

If you've made through my post entirely, thank you. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to read about this matter.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments or thoughts.

Sincerely,

Jason Showmaker

Feasibility Study: https://doylestownpa.org/media/5231/final-feasibil...