KEEP HORSHAM WHOLE
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment to the Legislative Reapportionment Committee. I write regarding a singular issue: KEEP HORSHAM WHOLE. I have lived in Horsham Township for over 45 years. I have had the honor to be serving my fourth term as an elected councilman. I speak from experience to assert that this township, this community, has and is faced with many unique challenges which require Horsham not become a split district. In 2011, Horsham Township faced the devastating impact of the closure of a 1,200 acre military base that has been an essential neighbor and economic driver. Navigating through the Base Relocation Alignment Closure process, developing a redevelopment plan of an 862 acre parcel and the necessary infrastructure (roads, sewer, housing and funding) was a monumental task. Having a single legislative representative (regardless of party affiliation), speaking with one voice in concert with Horsham Township government, was pivotal in this process. Horsham is still in the initial phase of a stalled redevelopment and keeping a single representative voice is Harrisburg is an essential element future planning. The future of the base redevelopment is a reason to Keep Horsham Whole. In 2016, Horsham Township was hit with a catastrophic environmental crisis caused by the very military base that had been a source of community pride. Unbeknownst to Horsham, for the decades that the military occupied the base their use of fire-fighting foam, a “forever chemical” known as PFC’s, had infiltrated the aquifer, water supply and soil. As our residents feared for their health from long term contamination and potential economic impact to property values, the federal government offered little assistance. Rather than wait for the federal government and military to act, Horsham with the significant aide of Harrisburg, took action. Horsham enacted a non-detect standard for PFC’s in the public water supply. This bold initiative, (something never done before my any municipality in the country) required installation of expensive filters and purchasing water from outside suppliers. Having a single legislator to confer with, develop a plan, carry forward a unified message to the confused and frightened residents was critical to the success our the non-detect plan. Frankly, if our district was split, the plan would have been delayed and our residents and the township would have suffered further harm. The Horsham/Harrisburg success story was recognized by the Philadelphia Inquirer in the attached article.https://www.inquirer.com/news/horsham-pfas-wells-warminster-water-contamination-20190830.html Although Horsham Township was able to achieve its non-detect goal withing one year, the ambitious project is far from complete. There remain significant issues with private wells, soil remediation and further investigation into the environmental impact that will stretch many years into the future. The ongoing issues with PFC remediation is another reason to Keep Horsham Whole. Another vital issue facing Horsham’s citizens is a better understanding of the health effects of long-term PFC exposure. Currently, there is a PFAS Multi-Site Health Study being conducted on this issue. Our single representative in Harrisburg’s knowledge of the contamination history and the role of the health study is another pivotal reason to Keep Horsham Whole. Some might look at the proposed Horsham split districts and point to the fact that the base is completely within one legislative district with the line drawn on Horsham Road. However, this reflects a misunderstanding of the nature and scope of the issues impacting the based redevelopment and contamination. Any redevelopment of the 800+ acres impact all of Horsham. PFC contamination is not limited to the base and extends beyond its border, or the lines drawn to split the distract. Dividing Horsham will separate its residents, deprive them of the desperately necessary single voice and cause irreparable harm to its future. While there may be many other communities advocating to be kept whole, please recognize that Horsham has and will continue to face unprecedented challenges that require reconsideration of the proposed plan. Please utilize the proposed map from Fair District PA that keeps Horsham Whole. Sincerely Gregory S. Nesbitt, Esquire Horsham Township Council