Date: RE: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Proposed Federal Courthouse Site Selection Dear Ms. Doan,     The GSA has announced another round of unpopular sites for a new Federal Courthouse in Harrisburg, PA, now proposing the most costly sites possible which will tear down a block of prime downtown real estate. Not only is this a totally unnecessary waste of tax dollars, but it flagrantly disregards the wishes of the city and will be a huge economic hit to our city revenues. Further, the very small downtown sites selected cannot provide adequate security or future growth for the Federal Courthouse needs.     The oft quoted Executive Federal Order 12072 states that the site selection process should promote re-development (not destroy prime real estate) and take into account the goals and suggestions of local and state government. Our entire city is behind the ignored long list site at 6th and Reily streets. This site offers the GSA a large, unoccupied site that can adequately provide for security provisions, parking, and easy access for the public. It is in an area that is taking off with innumerable re-development projects in the works. This is the only site we the people of Harrisburg want for our Federal Courthouse.     Stop the plans for the two downtown sites and listen to the people of the city in which you plan to build. The logic of our position has brought together citizens of all communities in the greater Harrisburg area, and has the support of Mayor Stephen Reed, Mayor of Harrisburg; The Honorable Ron Buxton, State Representative; The Honorable Senators Arlen Specter and Robert P. Casey and The Honorable Tim Holden, U.S. House of Representatives; The Capitol Area Neighbors Assoc., The Midtown Square Action Council, The Friends of Midtown Assoc., The Historic Harrisburg Association, The Greater Harrisburg NAACP, the Coalition of Clergy Task Force for Urban Affairs, and a continuingly growing list of community organizations. The courtesy of a reply is expected. Signed, Cc: Abby Low, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region Barbara Shelton, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region The Honorable Arlen Specter The Honorable Robert P. Casey The Honorable Tim Holden The Honorable John Murtha, House Appropriations Committee The Honorable Chaka Fattah, House Appropriations Committee The Honorable John E. Peterson, House Appropriations Committee The Honorable James L. Oberstar, Minnesota, Chairman House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The Honorable Charles W. Dent, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The Honorable Jim Gerlach, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The Honorable Bill Shuster, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The Honorable Todd Platts House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia, Chairwoman, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management The Honorable Jason Altmire, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management The Honorable Christopher Carney House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Date: RE: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Proposed Federal Courthouse Site Selection Dear Ms. Doan,     We the citizens of Harrisburg, PA and the surrounding communities demand a public hearing on the GSA selection process for a new federal courthouse. We are opposed to the wasteful and unsafe downtown sites selected, which will remove prime downtown property from our city tax rolls forever. We the citizens of Harrisburg, PA and the surrounding area are united in asking the GSA to place the federal courthouse on the site at 6th and Reily to save tax dollars, support our economic growth, and to provide for safety and accessibility for the public and response teams. Stop the current process and choose the 6th and Reily site instead and you will have the backing of our city government, our county government, our state representatives, our federal legislators, our local neighborhood associations and NAACP, and our citizenry. Your response is requested. Signed, CC: Abby Low, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region Barbara Shelton, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region The Honorable Stephen R. Reed Harrisburg City Council Date: RE: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Proposed Federal Courthouse Site Selection Dear Ms. Doan,     We the citizens of Harrisburg, PA and the surrounding communities request that we immediately be involved in the NEPA process for the two sites selected for the federal courthouse. These sites will have a huge deleterious economic and social impact on a thriving area of our downtown. A win-win site exists that meets GSA needs and supports economic and social development goals and on-going growth in our city. That site is 6th and Reily. Stop the current process and choose the 6th and Reily site instead and you will have the backing of our city government, our county government, our state representatives, our federal legislators, our local neighborhood associations and NAACP, and our citizenry. Your response is requested. Signed, CC: Abby Low, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region Barbara Shelton, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region The Honorable Stephen R. Reed Harrisburg City Council Date: RE: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Proposed Federal Courthouse Site Selection Dear Ms. Doan,     I'm disgusted at the waste of taxpayer money that is going on with the GSA selection process for a new Federal Courthouse in Harrisburg. Listen to the people of Harrisburg as evidenced by the Mayor, elected local, state and federal officials, and a multitude of neighborhood and community organizations. Choose the site at 6th and Reily that we the people of Harrisburg are behind. End the waste of taxpayer dollars on two rounds of badly chosen sites and the currently proposed very expensive sites selected. Choose the site that fills all of GSA's needs for the least cost to taxpayers. Select 6th and Reily and we're all behind you. Don't waste another nickel. Your response is requested. Signed, CC: Abby Low, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region Barbara Shelton, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region The Honorable Stephen R. Reed Harrisburg City Council Date: RE: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Proposed Federal Courthouse Site Selection Dear Ms. Doan,     The GSA has announced another round of unpopular sites for a new Federal Courthouse in Harrisburg, now proposing the most costly sites possible which will tear down a block of prime downtown real estate. Not only is this a totally unnecessary waste of tax dollars, but it flagrantly disregards the wishes of the city and will be a huge economic hit to our city revenues. The oft quoted Executive Federal Order 12072 states that the site selection process should promote re-development (not destroy prime real estate) and take into account the goals and suggestions of local and state government. Our entire city is behind the ignored site at 6th and Reily. This site offers the GSA a large, unoccupied site that can adequately provide for safety provisions, parking, and easy access for the public. It is in an area that is taking off with innumerable re-development projects in the works. This is the only site we the people of Harrisburg want for our Federal Courthouse. Stop the plans for the two downtown sites and listen to the people of the city in which you plan to build. Your reply is expected. Signed, CC: Abby Low, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region Barbara Shelton, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region The Honorable Stephen R. Reed Harrisburg City Council Date: RE: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Proposed Federal Courthouse Site Selection Dear Ms. Doan,     The GSA has announced the shortlist sites in the second round for the Federal Courthouse site selection in Harrisburg, PA. Only two sites have been selected, and both sites are totally unacceptable. They are small plots (smaller than the original site selection criteria) within the most congested area of our city. These sites are the two worst possible sites of the long list for increasing the safety of a new federal building. Our citizens are frightened and appalled that the GSA would consider putting a new federal courthouse in the most congested area of downtown, where any emergency situation would cause huge devastation to life and property, and the ability for responders to get to the site is severely hampered. We the citizens of Harrisburg demand that the GSA eliminate the downtown sites from consideration and build the new courthouse at the 6th and Reily site, which affords a large site with adequate access. This site also offers the best cost value by far for federal tax payers and will foster economic development in Harrisburg, rather than destroy a half city block of important properties. Your response is requested. Signed, CC: Abby Low, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region Barbara Shelton, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region The Honorable Stephen R. Reed Harrisburg City Council Date: RE: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Proposed Federal Courthouse Site Selection Dear Ms. Doan,     Please re-open the site selection process for a new federal courthouse in downtown Harrisburg, PA. As a tax paying individual, in a city with budget concerns, I do not see the benefit of replacing existing businesses with tax exempt real estate. This decision is just bad business and is a blow to the city's economic interests. The citizens of Harrisburg and the surrounding areas are united in believing the best site for Harrisburg is at 6th and Reily, a site on the long list. This site will boost re-development and save taxpayers a great deal of money. Choose this site now and save our federal tax dollars and needed funds for our city's treasury. A written response is requested. Signed, CC: Abby Low, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region Barbara Shelton, GSA Mid-Atlantic Region The Honorable Stephen R. Reed Harrisburg City Council