Letters: Happy Valley Casino not living up to the hype; What can we do about extreme heat?
Happy Valley Casino not living up to the hype
The excitement that surrounded the grand opening of the Happy Valley Casino has begun to give way to more important questions: Does the casino live up to the hype it has received? Can the casino achieve the high expectations hoped for by its new owners? Not a chance.
The casino arrived with promises of new jobs, economic activity and hope for the dying Nittany Mall. Those goals remain worth pursuing, but recent developments suggest the community should evaluate the project’s progress with clear eyes rather than optimism alone. You can’t even enter the mall from inside the casino.
Recent leadership changes are significant. Eric Pearson served as the casino’s original general manager, and publicly posted reports on the PA Gaming Control Board (PGCB) website suggest that long-time veteran gaming executive Peter Longi has been selected to assume the role after completing the PGCB’s required licensing process.
Reports of sudden staffing reductions since mid-June are equally significant. Stable employment was one of the principal arguments made in support of the casino. If staffing levels have already been reduced, residents deserve a better understanding of what that means for the property’s long-term outlook and the local economy. Should future job applicants be worried about sudden future layoffs?
Who will Ira Lubert sell his 40% ownership interest to? Who would buy in on the uncertainty it demonstrates? We never asked for this casino. We still don’t want it, and we anticipate it will fail financially and close by 2028.
Dan Materna, Howard
What can we do about extreme heat?
July’s heat and humidity smashed and even shattered record-breaking heat extremes.
Record-smashing and record-shattering are new scientific terms for this deadly heat wave.
Extreme heat and humidity are now part of our summers.
Intense heatwaves from human-induced climate change have increased by 700% over the pre-industrial climate.
“Combined heat and humidity ... is particularly dangerous ... leading to cardiovascular strain, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke,” (“Fossil Fuels Are Heating America’s 250th Birthday,” July 3, World Weather Attribution).
How can we adapt and what can we do?
One suggestion is to crank up the AC, but air conditioning can be seen as a maladaptation to climate change. AC may paradoxically increase long-term health risk and vulnerability from fossil fuel usage and the creation of urban heat islands.
Or the fan-first approach ... electric fans use about 3% of the energy as an air conditioner. (One AC = 33 fans). But in very hot and dry conditions fans can worsen heat strain. The body cannot produce enough sweat to cool down and the fan will actually push more heat into the body. At indoor temperatures above 37 °C fans should be switched off.
In extreme heat air conditioning may be necessary for survival. (Bone, A., Tartarini, F. and Jay, O., “Fan-first heat-health protection”).
Or demand an end to fossil fuel dependence. There are real and effective energy alternatives.
Our duty must be to return a normal climate to the future children of the Earth.
David Roberts, Bellefonte
Patton Township should reject middle school plan
I am writing to urge Patton Township to reject the plan for the proposed Park Forest Middle School site, which would do great harm to the environment and our community.
The plan would destroy stands of trees and fields that provide much-needed wildlife habitat and carbon storage, including a beautiful conifer grove. The threatened landscape is integral to the natural beauty that makes Circleville Park one of the region’s best parks. The construction and traffic would degrade the peaceful atmosphere that makes Circleville a beloved refuge.
If construction goes forward, there would be enormous negative impacts on the community, which citizens may not be aware of in advance but will notice if they are allowed to occur. The plan endangers a wetland on the school district property which would be surrounded by construction, and the site is on the headwaters of an intermittent stream that frequently floods downstream in Park Forest. The loss of vegetation there would make this problem worse and disrupt the hydrology of an area that has seen major problems with sinkholes. Families in the community would lose the ability to walk safely to school, increasing traffic problems.
Elected officials in the township have presented themselves to voters as supporters of environmental protection. This is the occasion for them to show they are serious about those commitments. The township should firmly reject this damaging plan and the school board should consider options that would be less harmful to the environment and community.
Jacy Marshall-McKelvey, Patton Township