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Group: Proposed casino puts battlefield 'at risk'
By MEG BERNHARDT
Hanover Evening Sun
November 28, 2006
A proposed casino near Gettysburg has put the battlefield on the top of another list of endangered historic sites.
"A proposed casino only a mile and a half away from the boundaries of the battlefield would mar the experience of visitors to Gettysburg," said Melinda Higgins, a Hanover native who is the executive director of Preservation Pennsylvania, a nonprofit group that compiles an annual Pennsylvania At Risk list.
Representatives from three national preservation groups joined Preservation Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Memorial on the battlefield to unveil the list of 10 sites. Local members of No Casino Gettysburg gathered around to listen to the speakers, who encouraged people to tell state gaming regulators not to license a casino near Gettysburg.
"If a casino comes to Gettysburg, this place will be forever changed," said Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "And we cannot let that happen on our watch."
The casino was proposed last year by Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa LP, a group of investors including local CEO David LeVan and Silver Point Capital LP, a Greenwich, Conn., private investor firm.
Crossroads spokesman David La Torre said preservationists should be concerned about other threats to historic sites, citing the distance between the casino and the battlefield as a reason the casino will not hurt history.
"It doesn't ruin the history of the area," La Torre said. "A project that is located outside of Gettysburg, that can't even be seen from the battlefield, that will create 3,000 jobs, should be the least of any preservationist's worries."
This is the first time the park has been added to the At Risk list.
Higgins said the group was flooded with calls this year from preservationists complaining about the casino. She said Gettysburg has struggled for many years with the appropriate balance between history and commercialism, but this proposal goes too far.
Last year, the Adams County Fruit Belt was placed on the list because of development pressures. Higgins said the group never lists the same site twice. Instead, the list gets bigger each year and the group does annual updates, although no update on last year's list was yet available.
Preservationists on Monday called the park "fields of sacrifice" and reminded listeners of Abraham Lincoln's words that those who died at the battle consecrated the land and challenged those remaining to make sure they did not die in vain.
"We are all here today because our members have cried out to us and told us this is something incomprehensible to them and something they cannot stand to see," said Mary Goundrey, spokeswoman for the Civil War Preservation Trust. The CWPT has also put Gettysburg on its annual endangered list because of the casino.
The proposed location is separated from the main entrance to the park by the bulk of Gettysburg Borough, and Crossroads has claimed national preservation groups are distorting its proximity to the battlefield and town in mailings. It's closest to East Calvary Field, though not visible from there.
Whether the casino will be visible from the tower on Culp's Hill, a high point on the battlefield, has been disputed. LeVan told the Straban Township Zoning Hearing Board in sworn testimony that he climbed to the top of the tower and could not see the property. No Casino Gettysburg has submitted a photo study to the zoning board and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board showing it is visible from the tower.
But it being visible or not visible isn't the point, said No Casino Gettysburg chairwoman Susan Star Paddock. The casino could be underground, she said, and preservationists still would be alarmed.
Moe said during the press conference the casino would amount to brand pollution for the Gettysburg name and would alter the identity of the "family-friendly" community.
"This would detract from the timelessness and solemnity of this place," Moe said. "It is a high-stakes game and those of us who care about this place would be the losers (if gambling came to Gettysburg)."
But La Torre said preservationists should be more concerned about the broad pattern of development in the area.
"They have stood by and watched a Wal-Mart, countless fast-food restaurants and other developments pop up in and around the battlefield," La Torre said.
But opponents have expressed concern tourists will stop coming to Gettysburg to see the battlefield and patronize existing local businesses. Pawn shops and low-end stores will replace quaint restaurants and souvenir shops if a casino comes, the preservationists predicted Monday.
Crossroads has committed to offering a free shuttle service between the casino and downtown and historic sites and also promised to enter into partnerships with local businesses.
"We are going to invest heavily to ensure our visitors have every opportunity to patronize area businesses and historic sites," La Torre said. The Gettysburg-Adams Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the project.
But opponents are skeptical, citing more than 170 local businesses that are on a list of opponents submitted to the gaming board.
The gaming board will hold a public hearing, planned for Monday, Dec. 4, to ask questions of Crossroads officials. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is expected to vote Dec. 20 on whether or not to grant Crossroads one of two licenses for a standalone slots parlor outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Preservationists said Monday they will not give up and plan on expressing their outrage.
Paddock was happy to see the large groups in town, recognizing its national importance.
"We've been on the front lines of this battle for the last 20 months, so we are absolutely delighted to see the cavalry arrive," she said.
Eric
By MEG BERNHARDT
Hanover Evening Sun
November 28, 2006
A proposed casino near Gettysburg has put the battlefield on the top of another list of endangered historic sites.
"A proposed casino only a mile and a half away from the boundaries of the battlefield would mar the experience of visitors to Gettysburg," said Melinda Higgins, a Hanover native who is the executive director of Preservation Pennsylvania, a nonprofit group that compiles an annual Pennsylvania At Risk list.
Representatives from three national preservation groups joined Preservation Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Memorial on the battlefield to unveil the list of 10 sites. Local members of No Casino Gettysburg gathered around to listen to the speakers, who encouraged people to tell state gaming regulators not to license a casino near Gettysburg.
"If a casino comes to Gettysburg, this place will be forever changed," said Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "And we cannot let that happen on our watch."
The casino was proposed last year by Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa LP, a group of investors including local CEO David LeVan and Silver Point Capital LP, a Greenwich, Conn., private investor firm.
Crossroads spokesman David La Torre said preservationists should be concerned about other threats to historic sites, citing the distance between the casino and the battlefield as a reason the casino will not hurt history.
"It doesn't ruin the history of the area," La Torre said. "A project that is located outside of Gettysburg, that can't even be seen from the battlefield, that will create 3,000 jobs, should be the least of any preservationist's worries."
This is the first time the park has been added to the At Risk list.
Higgins said the group was flooded with calls this year from preservationists complaining about the casino. She said Gettysburg has struggled for many years with the appropriate balance between history and commercialism, but this proposal goes too far.
Last year, the Adams County Fruit Belt was placed on the list because of development pressures. Higgins said the group never lists the same site twice. Instead, the list gets bigger each year and the group does annual updates, although no update on last year's list was yet available.
Preservationists on Monday called the park "fields of sacrifice" and reminded listeners of Abraham Lincoln's words that those who died at the battle consecrated the land and challenged those remaining to make sure they did not die in vain.
"We are all here today because our members have cried out to us and told us this is something incomprehensible to them and something they cannot stand to see," said Mary Goundrey, spokeswoman for the Civil War Preservation Trust. The CWPT has also put Gettysburg on its annual endangered list because of the casino.
The proposed location is separated from the main entrance to the park by the bulk of Gettysburg Borough, and Crossroads has claimed national preservation groups are distorting its proximity to the battlefield and town in mailings. It's closest to East Calvary Field, though not visible from there.
Whether the casino will be visible from the tower on Culp's Hill, a high point on the battlefield, has been disputed. LeVan told the Straban Township Zoning Hearing Board in sworn testimony that he climbed to the top of the tower and could not see the property. No Casino Gettysburg has submitted a photo study to the zoning board and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board showing it is visible from the tower.
But it being visible or not visible isn't the point, said No Casino Gettysburg chairwoman Susan Star Paddock. The casino could be underground, she said, and preservationists still would be alarmed.
Moe said during the press conference the casino would amount to brand pollution for the Gettysburg name and would alter the identity of the "family-friendly" community.
"This would detract from the timelessness and solemnity of this place," Moe said. "It is a high-stakes game and those of us who care about this place would be the losers (if gambling came to Gettysburg)."
But La Torre said preservationists should be more concerned about the broad pattern of development in the area.
"They have stood by and watched a Wal-Mart, countless fast-food restaurants and other developments pop up in and around the battlefield," La Torre said.
But opponents have expressed concern tourists will stop coming to Gettysburg to see the battlefield and patronize existing local businesses. Pawn shops and low-end stores will replace quaint restaurants and souvenir shops if a casino comes, the preservationists predicted Monday.
Crossroads has committed to offering a free shuttle service between the casino and downtown and historic sites and also promised to enter into partnerships with local businesses.
"We are going to invest heavily to ensure our visitors have every opportunity to patronize area businesses and historic sites," La Torre said. The Gettysburg-Adams Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the project.
But opponents are skeptical, citing more than 170 local businesses that are on a list of opponents submitted to the gaming board.
The gaming board will hold a public hearing, planned for Monday, Dec. 4, to ask questions of Crossroads officials. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is expected to vote Dec. 20 on whether or not to grant Crossroads one of two licenses for a standalone slots parlor outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Preservationists said Monday they will not give up and plan on expressing their outrage.
Paddock was happy to see the large groups in town, recognizing its national importance.
"We've been on the front lines of this battle for the last 20 months, so we are absolutely delighted to see the cavalry arrive," she said.
Eric