LETTER: Upper Pottsgrove commissioners defend the indefensible

The open space dispute in Upper Pottsgrove Township — whether to build a municipal facility on Smola Farm —- has descended into farce.

Last month The Mercury inadvertently published a letter to the editor from Upper Pottsgrove’s “Manny Kaufman.” The letter supported a stern warning against alleged rude behavior at a township meeting by two residents who opposed the Board of Commissioner’s decision. Mr. Kaufman, however, was a pseudonym, a fictitious name. The actual author was Gregory Churach, chairman of Upper Pottsgrove’s Open Space & Rec Board. Mr. Churach’s motivation for the letter is unclear. Perhaps, he was too embarrassed or discomfited to use his name; perhaps he recognized how inappropriate it would be for an elected or appointed member of an Upper Pottsgrove board to smear township residents.

Then, there is the Smola Farm legal suit at the Court of Common Pleas where a decision is anticipated soon.  In a recent newsletter mailed to constituents, State Rep. Donna Scheuren (R-147th Dist.) again championed her proposed open space legislation, HB 1734. Protecting open space may be Scheuren’s stated objective, but HB 1734 — even if enacted — will have come too late for Smola Farm. The right thing for Representative Scheuren to do would be to condemn the UPT Commissioners publicly for their action and announce her unambiguous support for the plaintiffs in the case against the UPT Board. She hasn’t done either.

Here’s the real tragedy: UPT residents are footing the legal bill for their Board of Commissioners to defend what most residents consider indefensible. If township residents succeed in getting a Smola Farm referendum on the ballot, as reported recently in The Mercury, I hope the township commissioners respect the results.

— Larry Cohen
Schwenksville