(3/2024) The loss of businesses within Adams County does nothing to strengthen the tax base or to strengthen the economy, especially when vacant property is left behind. One of the worst examples is the vacant and deteriorating former Blocker Appliance building in Biglerville. Speedily repurposing vacated property relieves a community of blight and devaluation of the municipal and county tax base. Just a few properties north of the Blocker building was the blighted and vacated O. C. Rice building. Fortunately, it found its way into the ownership of a church through an absolute auction. The blight has now been removed by the new ownership through complete renovation. Keeping blight from advancing is of great benefit to the community but can be most difficult and costly to remediate.

Adams County has benefited from repurposing numerous vacated buildings and their businesses. Repurposing is a great opportunity to bring a vacated building back to life and avoid considerable costs over new construction. Sometimes repurposing can be the only means by which a business or a project can be financially possible; especially given the inflated cost of building materials. Those are not just empty words. I have personally been involved in two projects that would not have been possible without the savings of repurposing. I invite future entrepreneurs and businesses to inventory what is available for repurposing in Adams County. Presently one of the largest repurposing projects ever attempted in Adams County is under way; it involves the former Boyd’s Bear attraction south of Gettysburg.

One of the newest businesses to be launched in Adams County took advantage of repurposing. A new Dunkin business has come into being just east of New Oxford as a result of repurposing a vacated bank building. Also, this Dunkin will benefit from a great business location on Lincoln Way East. It should be noted that the Grand Opening and ribbon cutting was attended by hundreds; one of the best ribbon cuttings I ever attended. The United Fire Company of New Oxford took advantage of the popular event promoting recruitment of firemen and fire safety. I would like to give kudos to United for their efforts to coordinate with the ribbon cutting and to Dunkin for making United partners in the Grand Opening.

One of the keys to making repurposing affordable is staying within the original footprint of the building. Using a different footprint could easily require a new stormwater management plan. This will introduce multiple additional costs, including permitting fees, engineering fees, additional excavation, and material expenses. Also, a change in use can trigger the need for a fire suppression system which is quite expensive. These costs have often ended projects before they start. Repurposing should initially involve the wisdom of an experienced builder and architect to achieve the cost-effective design.

The sleeping demon that can and has derailed projects is insurance. Being aware of implications that could increase the cost of insurance is essential to the success of a project. These could include the type of roof, utilities, type of doors, wiring, and materials. Also, being in a known flood zone will likely increase insurance premiums. I do not profess to be an expert in the realm of repurposing, but I wanted to share what I gleaned over time.

Since we touched the subject of insurance, Adams County Government has researched health insurance from two fronts, cost and quality of program design. The cost to taxpayers has been addressed by moving to a self-insured program that has significantly reduced the county’s cost. Being self-insured also allows us to continually work with our consultants to provide our employees with steady and quality benefits that exceed the industry average. It is also gratifying to know that our research and due diligence has provided our employees with minimal program increases and has kept us highly competitive with larger surrounding counties.

A recent county risk pool board meeting brought to light some new trends. Since Covid, there has been a steady increase in vehicular accidents nationwide. Studies of the situation revealed that 80% of this increase is preventable. This increase does not include wildlife accidents. To address the situation, our county risk pool will be introducing a newly designed driver training course. The objective is to dramatically reduce "on the job accidents" and their severity. The success of this will be to protect our employees and control insurance premium increases.

Another trend introduced into the insurance industry is using ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) scores to determine insurability. Under this system an entity seeking to renew or write a new policy is being denied insurance if their ESG score is not strong enough. ESG scores are political in nature to control who will receive insurance coverage. Certain businesses would no longer be permitted to operate without insurance coverage. ESG scores bypass the fundamental principles and guiding practices of insurance coverage. So, not only have ESG promoters been controlling the existence of selected businesses, but they provide a barrier to maximum pension fund returns.

State legislatures are coming to the rescue of Americans by protecting them from the intrusion of ESG politics. Most recently the South Carolina legislature and its Governor passed H. 3690, ESG Pension Protection Act. This bill requires state pension fund decisions to be based upon maximizing returns and not on ESG scores that can reduce those returns. Also, the bill safeguards the interests of retirees from the ESG agenda. In similar fashion, the North Carolina Assembly overrode Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 750. The provisions of this bill removed ESG considerations from state pension plan investment decisions. Hopefully, the Pennsylvania Legislature will provide its residents and businesses similar protection from the ESG politics.

I am sure we are all looking forward to the coming of spring. I, for one, especially look forward to preparing my garden. I have found gardening to be a great source of fresh and nutritious vegetables along with the benefits of exercise, stress relief, and learning.

Wishing everyone good health and strength as you actively enjoy life in Adams County.