HBNA Officers Answer Accusations

Below is a statement from the HBNA Board regarding recent allegations about the Association on a politically oriented web site.

From: Historic Birchrunville [mailto:info@historicbirchrunville.org]
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 8:41 PM
To: info@historicbirchrunville.org
Subject: HBNA Officers Answer Accusations

Since its inception, the HBNA has been solely focused upon its mission statement which is to “actively protect, maintain, and enhance the quality of life of residents in and around the National Historic District of Birchrunville Pennsylvania, being mindful at all times of the unique flavor of Birchrunville and its historical heritage.” 

And, from the beginning, we have had members with differing viewpoints on how best to preserve the historic village and the rich resources we all share in West Vincent township, and we celebrate all viewpoints that show a concern for our shared past and future.

So we were dismayed that a recent politically oriented web site portrayed the HBNA as part of a “cause” or “gang”, effectively labelling us as bad guys. Let’s take a look at our record.

The HBNA was originally formed on the advice of our attorney, who suggested that our singular voices were not being heard by the township. In fact, we had been told repeatedly by members of the township government that the proposed development for the Birchrunville Schoolhouse parcel must be accepted, things could be worse, and that the township could be sued if it didn’t grant the approvals.

In the end, our efforts to challenge the development plan were instrumental in the developer agreeing to sell part of the parcel back to the township and another part to a tenant, thus ending the threat to the Schoolhouse.  But it wasn’t without a significant cost - $70,000 was raised from private citizens to hire legal and land use professionals (we won’t go into all the details here as it is thoroughly documented on our web site).

Afterwards, and to this day, the board of the HBNA has continued to have a vested interest in our historical resources. Some of us have worked with the township’s Historic Resources Committee helping with various historic tours within the township, and helping to document the century’s old tombstones at the Vincent Baptist Church.  Additionally, the Association has donated thousands of dollars to West Vincent Township for signs to mark the Birchrunville Historic District (those signs aren’t up yet, though the township received the money almost two years ago).

In order to accomplish our mission, it was necessary to challenge the status quo, to not accept that the schoolhouse development was inevitable. Perhaps this was perceived as a challenge of the Township officials’ authority – however, we had no choice as the development proposal was an existential threat to Birchrunville.

So, let’s review some of things the “bad guys” at the HBNA performed:

• Raise money to hire a lawyer to defend the Historic District.

• Spend years attending township meetings

• Formed a historic neighborhood association

• Raised funds from neighbors

• Attended state sponsored meetings and done massive amounts of research

• Supported and volunteered for the Historic Resources Committee

• During a crisis ice storm in 2014, helped neighbors in need, including alerting police to a missing neighbor

• Raised money for signs marking the Birchrunville Historic District

• Helping to get the underground railway of WVT recognized on the national registry

• Working as an outreach for family members who want to know more about their history

• Helping Vincent Baptist church reclaim the historic cemetery

In the end, perhaps those calling the HBNA bad guys might want to reevaluate their definition of bad guy.

We may disagree, sometimes profoundly, but when we start seeing neighborhood associations and historical preservation efforts as somehow corrupt, then perhaps it’s time to step back and question what is of value to us.

The Historic Birchrunville Neighborhood Association

Dr. George Graham, President
Ms. Thomaseth Dulchinos, Vice President
Ms. Suzanne Roth, Secretary
Mr. John Eldridge, Treasurer