Armed guards, sheriff's deputies, and the 80 Skooks who didn't need them
Last Wednesday's commissioners meeting was contentious, to say the least. We know tensions are high around nearly any discussion of DHS and ICE. Several people were concerned about safety and order at the town hall. We were urged to hire private security and to notify the state police and the sheriff, which we did. From friends, family, reporters, and officials, we fielded doubts and concerns about our ability to keep the room under control.
We weren't worried.
All three Schuylkill County commissioners, the county solicitor, Rep. JoAnne Stehr, Tremont Borough Mayor Justin Moeller, other members of the Borough council, and all three Tremont Township supervisors attended.
People who were pro-ICE and people who had "NO ICE" buttons respectfully sat together in the Borough Hall gym to learn and speak about the place they call home. Nobody interrupted, nobody yelled, and the gaggle of armed guards and officers weren't needed.
Retired schoolteacher and Tremont Borough resident Brenda Wiscount opened the town hall with a moving statement about her love for the town and her neighbors. It set the tone for the rest of the event: We're here because we care about our community and we all want a safe place to call home.
Brianna gave a presentation about the proposed 7,500-person detention center (a "lengthy" presentation, according to the Republican Herald). The talk covered who's who (SCMA, commissioners, etc.), a timeline of events, what we can reasonably guess about the facility, and what we don't know yet.
The difference between the 505 workers at the former Big Lots facility and the 7,500-person detention capacity is hard to wrap your head around. The following slide helps:
If DHS chooses to haul sewage out of the facility, it could mean 150 poop trucks per day. Tremont has enough poop trucks already!
To underscore the detention center's potential emergency services impact on the west end of Schuylkill County, Tremont Borough Mayor Justin Moeller spoke about the costs associated with running volunteer fire companies.
We then had an hour and a half of public comment.
People talked about their love for Tremont. They asked hard questions about detainee treatment, officials' actions thus far, and whether we have any recourse if DHS breaks any agreements.
We heard that some emergency services have been left in the dark as to what's happening and what they can expect in the future.
We heard that residents want better for their community, that they know how hard it can be to fix issues after the fact, citing the ongoing NSP sewage sludge fiasco.
Residents don't want Tremont to be on the national news because of detainee deaths like Dilley in Texas or Moshannon Valley here in PA.
That's nice but now what?
We're going to need to work together as a community to fight this detention center or to mitigate its impacts if it moves forward. The town hall showed us that we can and will work together to protect our community. But we still have work to do.
Commissioner Padora said that DHS verbally told him that they will pay Tremont Township, Pine Grove School District, and the county for the lost taxes. We'll believe it when we see it. Where is the money coming from? Is it discretionary spending that needs to be voted on every year? Will there still be money available for these payments five years from now? Ten years?
The taxes are only part of the costs that our community will bear once the detention center opens. What about the increased pressure on our EMS? Fire companies? Hospitals? State police? Roads? Will the detention center pull employees from other local businesses? (Ask any business whether it's easy to find workers these days.)
You shouldn't go to the dealership to buy a car without doing your research first. That's an easy way to get screwed out of money.
DHS reps are essentially salespeople who are trying to trick our elected officials into buying their lemon of a detention center.
Our county commissioners need to commission an independent economic impact study. An independent economic study is the only way we'll be able to adequately prepare for the burden this facility will have on us. A study costs money, but nowhere near the broader infrastructure and public safety costs that we're facing.
Commissioners Padora, Hess, and Hetherington: We're grateful that you showed up on Friday. Now take the next step.
Email them:
- Chair Larry Padora: lpadora@SchuylkillCountyPA.Gov
- Commissioner Boots Hetherington: bhetherington@SchuylkillCountyPA.Gov
- Commissioner Gary Hess: ghess@SchuylkillCountyPA.Gov
Tell them you're a Schuylkill County resident and you want an independent economic impact study of the proposed Tremont detention facility. Tell them we need real numbers, not DHS's sales pitch.
Two months ago, nobody was talking about this. Now, our community is organized, informed, and showing up. And our leaders are listening.
Let's keep going.
