Low number of Shaler residents took survey on Jeffrey Primary School property

A survey looking for input on what to do with the former Jeffrey Primary School revealed that more than half of Shaler residents who responded do not want to pay to construct or sustain a community center.

However, only around 5.5 % of Shaler residents took the survey – 1,536 responded out of the township population of 27,720.

The survey was on the township website from Jan. 11 through March 13, asking for feedback from the public to gauge interest in a community center. The survey was advertised to residents on the township Facebook page and by a township information blast.

Results showed that 52% of the respondents were not willing to incur a tax increase to build a community center. They also showed that 54% of those responding would not support a tax increase for the operating costs of a new community center.

Other survey results showed that if a community center were to be built, 45% of those who responded would support a phased construction process to control costs, and 36% would find a $45-per-year tax increase reasonable to allow for construction, while 33% gave no support to that increase amount.

Township manager Tim Rogers said that the short-term plan is to determine what to do with the existing building. The board of commissioners will consider recommendations and decide what will be done with the building, and then figure out the cost of the project – if the township decides to proceed with the community center.

The long-term plans are, once costs are finalized, to again reach out to the residents to determine if the those living in Shaler want a community center and if so, are willing to accept the costs that will go along with it.

“[At that point], we will begin to take extra efforts to facilitate more opinions from the residents,” Rogers said. “Right now, we are encouraging people to converse with us via email, by mail or stop in and tell us what you are thinking about. We want to know what people’s thoughts are.”