Beginning of New Year Marks the Close of Warminster's Tricentennial

When the ball dropped on Times Square at midnight, it did not only signal the start of 2012, but the end of Warminster's year-long celebration of it's 300th birthday. Throughout 2011, township residents were reminded of the deep history of their hometown, from the Revolutionary War to NASA's space program.

There's no doubt that Warminster has gone through significant changes in the past 300 years, and there can be no doubt that in 300 years, Warminster will look much different than what it does today.

While Warminster Patch does not have a crystal ball that can see that far, we are going to spend the next 12 months looking at issues that will affect Warminster's landscape for the near future.

When the board of supervisor's meets tonight for its reorganization meeting, incoming member Mark McKee will give the board its first Republican majority in four years. Without going into heavy detail, fellow GOP board members Leo Quinn and Tom Panzer have expressed plans to reopen the 2012 budget and take a look at the books.

The with no tax increases, but Quinn contributes that fact to sheer luck that the police department lost three employees, the state injected more money to the pension fund and business and development taxes were higher than projected. Quinn is concerned that tax increases may be needed, unless the budget can be reworked to become more efficient.

Tate disagreed with Quinn's concerns and stated that the slowly improving economy will benefit the township for the next few years.

"We've been through the hard changes and difficult choices," said Tate during an end-of-the-year celebration for township employees at banquet hall. "I think we're good for the next three to four years."

Tate attributed the township's stable future to the strong workforce and revenue coming from several development projects in progress and scheduled to start shortly, including the new Giuseppe's location at Delmont and Street, the ongoing Christ's Home project and the Station Condos on Jacksonville Road.

It will be interesting to see if the new condos will have any positive effect on the nearby Warminster Heights neighborhood. There's no denying the area's bad reputation, whether it is deserved or not, but will the proximity of higher scale residencies trigger more development in the area, or just provide a new target for the criminally inclined?

Police Chief Michael Murphy did not have any predictions for the site, but says that the crime level in Warminster has remained steady, despite the increase of incident calls.

"We've stayed close to our average," said Murphy. "There haven't been any spikes one way or the other. Since we're one of the few places that are open year-round, people still like to call us for any reasons, whether they are crime-related or not."

While the township taxes may look somewhat positive, the same may not be said for the school taxes. When Centennial School District's preliminary budget for 2012-2013 is posted on Wednesday, taxpayers are going to be looking at a balance sheet that for the first time shows $100 million in expenses, according to school board director Mark Miller.

As the board and Chief Financial Officer Chris Berdnik work to find cuts and revenue opportunities to balance the 2012-2013 budget, Centennial, along with most school districts across the state, have their eyes on a looming problem coming from the Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS). Contributions to the fund are expected to increase dramatically over the next few years, creating large budget shortfalls for many school districts, including Centennial.

Warminster residents this year will continue to feel the effects of the school district's major construction projects. After Davis Elementary's scheduled September opening, students will make their move to in advance of 2013's permanent relocation to the new McDonald Elementary, which is currently under construction. With the end of the elementary and high school projects in sight, one has to wonder how long before the middle schools, and Klinger, are up for renovation/reconstruction.

Despite a frosty relationship between the township and Centennial, both sides will eventually need to come to terms over the fate of the WREC Center building, formerly Hart Elementary. Now that the Warminster Parks and Recreation Department has decided to , pros and cons are being weighed over whether to permanently remain at the current site, or to find or construct a new home.

Either decision will require a settlement over Centennial's reversionary interest in the WREC building, a clause that allows the district to retain ownership of the location. A recommendation by the Warminster Parks, Recreation & Conservation Board will be made sometime late February-March.

As thoughts begin to consider Warminster's future, efforts continue to preserve the township's past. The Tricentennial Committee closed out its year with a presntation of $10,000 to the Parks and Recreation Department to help fund a history walk along the trails of Warminster Community Park, where stations will be established that will commemorate notable people and events in the township's past.

The Johnsville Centrifuge and Science Museum has made strong strides in 2011 to raise awareness of Warminster's place in the history of the nation's space exploration, culminating with the used by Apollo astronauts while stationed at the Naval Air Development Center. The next step is finding a permanent home for the museum and its artifacts.

"Where we plant our flag remains to be seen," said Mark Calhoun, vice president of the museum's board of directors. "We'd love to have a permanent roof over our heads. People come to us with so much enthusiasm, and will continue to build our momentum."

These are just some of the issues we'll be looking at this year. Leave a comment or contact us if there's more topics that you think will have great impact on Warminster's future.