Image of Highpoint Targeted
By Carl Lindquist, The York Dispatch, Pa.
Jul. 24–Jane Heller wants to help “de-demonize” Highpoint.
The Spring Garden Township woman on Wednesday submitted a written proposal for a free bluegrass festival at the property.
The hope, she said, is to wash away the bad taste left in many people’s mouths because of the land’s seizure by eminent domain.
She figures that’s why she rarely sees people at Highpoint, a scenic 79-acre tract that was turned into a park. Getting people there for a festival will help change the tide of public opinion, she said.
A jury last week determined the county must pay $17.25 million for the land, seized in 2004.
“My thought is that this is a tremendous piece of land that is not being fully used,” Heller said.
Whether Heller’s idea will ever gain traction is unclear.
But with the drama surrounding Highpoint nearly complete, county government is beginning to look at ways to turn the property into an attraction instead.
Commissioner Chris Reilly on Tuesday asked the board that oversees the county parks department to mull ways to get more people to Highpoint, he said. “Now that this jury verdict has come in, obviously we are paying a lot for it, so we should use it to its maximum potential,” he said.
The property was taken by eminent domain with the support of former commissioners Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore. Commissioner Steve Chronister was opposed, and both Hoke and Reilly took office this year on platforms opposing the seizure.
Highpoint is on pace to be one of the least visited parks in the county system this year, according to figures provided by the York County Department of Parks and Recreation.
From January through June, 4,260 vehicles came and went from the 79-acre park. That’s an average of about one per hour.
And it translates into an estimated 9,800 visitors so far this year, according to county estimates, putting it on pace for about 19,600 visitors by year’s end.
Doubted: Heller said she doubts the accuracy of the numbers. She owns property nearby and rarely sees anyone there, she said.
She wants the county, with help from her and others, to make people comfortable going to Highpoint using the bluegrass festival. The goal is to get ready for the festival this fall.
Only acoustic instruments would be allowed, which would eliminate the need to bring electricity to the site, she said. People would be responsible for bringing their own chairs and water.
She thinks a few hundred people might show up.
“I think we’ll look into the proposal,” Chronister said.
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Copyright (c) 2008, The York Dispatch, Pa.
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