Please do not split Manor Township!!
Members of the LRC, As a lifelong resident of Lancaster County and Manor Township, I am writing to request that Manor Township be kept intact as a township and included in its entirety in the 41st legislative district. I note that the Manor Township Supervisors adopted a resolution asking that the LRC keep Manor Township intact and within the 41st district. I share this view. Manor Township has a longstanding historical connection with the Susquehanna River area, sharing the river as our common western border with both Columbia Borough and West Hempfield Township. The Susquehanna River Heritage Area has been acknowledged federally for its beauty, geographical, agricultural, and historical significance. This river town area shares a heritage that makes it a community of interest. Manor Township shares many municipal services and agreements with the municipalities adjacent to us to the north: Columbia and Mountville Borough and West and East Hempfield Townships. The current proposal puts Manor Township in the same district with Manheim Township which is approximately 25 miles away if you stay within the 97th district to travel from one end of the proposed map to the other. There is simply no connection between Manor Township and Manheim Township. This is also true of East and West Lampeter and Pequea Townships which are proposed to be included with the new 97th district. One of the clear criteria of district boundaries is that they be compact. Including Manor Township with Manheim Township is not compact when compared to keeping Manor Township intact and including it within the 41st district which is at most only approximately 14 miles from the farthest end points. (It is interesting that the proposed maps splits the nearest geographical parts of Manor to Manheim Township and yet includes the extremities of Manor Township. This does not in any way meet the required criteria of compactness.) Since Manor Township is a community of interest with the municipalities to the north with whom it shares a unified history and many municipal services, and since the current map splits Manor Township unnecessarily, particularly by splitting off the nearest parts of Manor Township and keeping the parts that are farthest away, thus making it less compact that it should be, I am asking that you change the maps to keep Manor Township whole.