https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/community/state-college/article259721955.html
Sooooo, many years ago there was a campaign being run in State College to pass a property tax increase in order to build a new high school to replace the North and South buildings of the high school(Westerly Parkway, a busy street, separated the high school). This campaign was run like a political campaign(videos showing how run down some portions of the school had become, lawn signs everywhere, etc). I am not disagreeing that a new high school needed to be built. There was a lot of debate on whether to build/consolidate the new high school on its current footprint in town next to neighborhoods or move it to available land outside of town in open fields. Those in the neighborhoods around the school seemed to fight tooth and nail to keep the high school where it was and made statements about moving the high school would decrease their property values yada yada yada... Final results was new high school on current footprint.
Now, move fwd to 2018, new school is finished and they put lights up on a turf field(with a track around it) that has always been behind the school and backs up to mostly student apartment complexes on Waupaleni Drive. There was an udderance of complaints from this same Greentree neighborhood complaining about the lights being on until 11:00 PM and so the school district agreed to turn them off by 9:00 PM I think. Now several years later the Marching Band needs someplace to practice at certain times into the evening. (The band used to practice daily on a parking lot on the North side of the street). Now this same Greentree neighborhood is complaining about the marching band practicing until 8:45 2 nights a week for 10 weeks and about the football team practicing under the lights in the fall. The comments at a recent meeting have me scratching my head that neighbors are saying they can't hold a conversation or watch TV inside their homes while the band is practicing. Granted I am not in these peoples house but these houses are not right next to the field but about a football field or more away(based on the pic in the article).
Now, the complained about the high school moving and are now complaining about the high school being there. Then on the other side, the band leader/admin person complaining about moving the location to the lighted field on the North side and the kids lugging their instruments to the other side of the street. Granted it is a long walk and I know some kids in the band may not be able to lug their stuff that far but the school district does have a buildings over there where they can store the music stuff(actually the music/band room used to be over there and this sort of looks like poor design planning).
I am an outsider who moved into this town from the Philly burbs and find these complaints from residents living next to high schools absurd. [There was another such situation in this town where people started using a park in a neighborhood again and the people living next to it complained about the noise playing pickleball made and there for pickleball has been banned from the park]. Is it this town or does this happen everywhere?
I would like to hear other opinions on this.
Sooooo, many years ago there was a campaign being run in State College to pass a property tax increase in order to build a new high school to replace the North and South buildings of the high school(Westerly Parkway, a busy street, separated the high school). This campaign was run like a political campaign(videos showing how run down some portions of the school had become, lawn signs everywhere, etc). I am not disagreeing that a new high school needed to be built. There was a lot of debate on whether to build/consolidate the new high school on its current footprint in town next to neighborhoods or move it to available land outside of town in open fields. Those in the neighborhoods around the school seemed to fight tooth and nail to keep the high school where it was and made statements about moving the high school would decrease their property values yada yada yada... Final results was new high school on current footprint.
Now, move fwd to 2018, new school is finished and they put lights up on a turf field(with a track around it) that has always been behind the school and backs up to mostly student apartment complexes on Waupaleni Drive. There was an udderance of complaints from this same Greentree neighborhood complaining about the lights being on until 11:00 PM and so the school district agreed to turn them off by 9:00 PM I think. Now several years later the Marching Band needs someplace to practice at certain times into the evening. (The band used to practice daily on a parking lot on the North side of the street). Now this same Greentree neighborhood is complaining about the marching band practicing until 8:45 2 nights a week for 10 weeks and about the football team practicing under the lights in the fall. The comments at a recent meeting have me scratching my head that neighbors are saying they can't hold a conversation or watch TV inside their homes while the band is practicing. Granted I am not in these peoples house but these houses are not right next to the field but about a football field or more away(based on the pic in the article).
Now, the complained about the high school moving and are now complaining about the high school being there. Then on the other side, the band leader/admin person complaining about moving the location to the lighted field on the North side and the kids lugging their instruments to the other side of the street. Granted it is a long walk and I know some kids in the band may not be able to lug their stuff that far but the school district does have a buildings over there where they can store the music stuff(actually the music/band room used to be over there and this sort of looks like poor design planning).
I am an outsider who moved into this town from the Philly burbs and find these complaints from residents living next to high schools absurd. [There was another such situation in this town where people started using a park in a neighborhood again and the people living next to it complained about the noise playing pickleball made and there for pickleball has been banned from the park]. Is it this town or does this happen everywhere?
I would like to hear other opinions on this.
