Population Growth

The number of robberies in the area has increased over the past few years, and authorities say it is related to population growth that is changing the face of crime and the way police investigate it. "We are growing," Hagerstown Police Department Sgt. Paul Kifer said. "Crime in general is not going to go away. It's going to grow exponentially with the growth of the city and the growth of the county. " Police have found that an increasing number of robbers have little connection to the area.

The developers of the Huntfield subdivision want to get out of paying school impact fees on homes they are building for older residents. Developers in Jefferson County pay an impact fee of $7,279 for every single-family home constructed. The money goes to Jefferson County Schools to help offset the cost of new school facilities required because of population growth. The Charles Town City Council decided to send the issue to the Jefferson County Commission to decide.

Franklin County was the fourth-fastest growing county in Pennsylvania with 15.7 percent population growth from 2000 to 2010, according to U.S census data released Wednesday. Franklin County trailed only Forest, Pike and Monroe counties among Pennsylvania's 67 counties. Franklin County gained 20,305 people in the decade. "When you're seeing that kind of population growth, that's pretty significant," Franklin County Commissioner Robert Thomas said. Thomas, who took office in 1996, cited several things he feels contributed to the population growth.

The issue: Franklin County, Pa., with a five-year population growth of 6.3 percent, faces increased burdens on its water, sewer, road and school systems. Three area state representatives have sponsored a bill to enact impact fees, raise the realty transfer tax and allow temporary growth moratoriums in parts of Pennsylvania. What's new: A public hearing Tuesday in Chambersburg, Pa., allowed officials from local governments and school districts as well as builders and Realtors to list changes they would like to see in the proposal.

A distortion of a serious book To the editor: George Michael's column (Nov. 12) on population growth was a masterpiece of misinformation. He claims: 1. The world's population can be fit into Rhode Island. This works until the first kid needs to go potty. Each person requires a minimum of resources to live (food, fuel, cropland, pasture, forest, ocean, and shelter). Live like the people in Bangladesh and you need less. Live like an American and you need more.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Growth in the Eastern Panhandle and how to deal with it has been discussed countless times in school board meetings, Martinsburg bypass meetings, county commission meetings and other gatherings. cont. from news page Now a West Virginia man wants to set the debates to music in the hope he will influence some people to change their tunes. Charlie Frederick, a Berkeley Springs native who has traveled the country working in various fields and writing music, plans to offer a series of lectures this fall about the impact of global population growth.

daniels@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County outpaced all but four others across the state in population growth last year, at 2 percent, according to Census Bureau figures released Thursday. According to the Census Bureau data, the county's population grew by 2,683 residents from 2003 to 2004, bringing its total population from 136,941 to 139,624. Statewide, Maryland added 45,748 residents last year to grow to 5,558,058 residents. Calvert and Cecil counties, which saw population increases of 2.8 percent from 2003 to 2004, were the state's fastest-growing counties by percentage, followed by Charles (2.7)

HAGERSTOWN - Hagerstown officials plan to hold a public hearing in January to unveil the city's comprehensive plan, a document that will provide the framework for local development over the next 20 years. City Planning Director Kathleen Maher said Monday the main concern for the future is to maintain adequate sewer services to accommodate population growth. From 1950 to 2000, for example, the city experienced a 1 percent growth in population. It has quadrupled since then, she said.

gregs@herald-mail.com Hagerstown City Council members expressed concerns over population growth, housing density, jobs creation and tax collection in a discussion Tuesday over the city's main planning document. The city's Comprehensive Plan still is in the initial stages of development, and a consultant from Environmental Resources Management of Annapolis asked for the council's input on the document during its Tuesday work session. "We cannot afford to develop as a city under the zoning densities that we currently have in place," Councilman Kristin B. Aleshire said.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Work continues on developing an impact fee system for Jefferson County, but one county official raised several questions Thursday about the county's ability to implement such fees. Impact fees are fees collected from housing developers to pay increased services needed because of population growth. Although impact fees can be used to pay for services in a number of areas, one that has been getting a lot of attention is public education.

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Richard Alloway II, R-Franklin/Adams/York, is under consideration by the Pennsylvania Senate after clearing a committee last week. The Pennsylvania Senate's local government committee approved Senate Bill 744, which would give counties greater control over the makeup and responsibilities of local row offices such as prothonotary. Under current law, counties advancing from the fifth class to the fourth class based on population gains are mandated to increase their number of elected row offices.

(AP) - The U.S. Census Bureau said Morgantown grew faster than any other West Virginia city with more than 5,000 people from April 2010 and July 2011. The home of West Virginia University grew by 2.1 percent, putting its population at 30,293. Demographers said Morgantown could overtake Parkersburg as the state's No. 3 city if its population growth continues at the same pace over the next several years. In the state's Eastern Panhandle, Martinsburg and Charles Town each grew by 1.5 percent in the same period.

A distortion of a serious book To the editor: George Michael's column (Nov. 12) on population growth was a masterpiece of misinformation. He claims: 1. The world's population can be fit into Rhode Island. This works until the first kid needs to go potty. Each person requires a minimum of resources to live (food, fuel, cropland, pasture, forest, ocean, and shelter). Live like the people in Bangladesh and you need less. Live like an American and you need more.

Franklin County was the fourth-fastest growing county in Pennsylvania with 15.7 percent population growth from 2000 to 2010, according to U.S census data released Wednesday. Franklin County trailed only Forest, Pike and Monroe counties among Pennsylvania's 67 counties. Franklin County gained 20,305 people in the decade. "When you're seeing that kind of population growth, that's pretty significant," Franklin County Commissioner Robert Thomas said. Thomas, who took office in 1996, cited several things he feels contributed to the population growth.

"The article in the Thursday, Feb. 10 newspaper indicated that County Commissioner John Barr stated that population growth in Washington County is inevitable. With proper rules in place, it does not have to be inevitable. To project Mr. Barr's comment, at some point in the future Washington County will be wall-to-wall with housing and people. As a citizen, I find this position repulsive. For example, a limit could be put on the maximum number of housing units allowed in the county. Let's stop 'inevitable growth.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The Franklin County (Pa.) Commissioners are making early decisions about a new judicial center, which has been estimated to cost up to $58.4 million. Last week they selected Noelker & Hull Associates of Chambersburg as the project's architectural firm. The commissioners recently sat down with Herald-Mail reporter Jennifer Fitch to answer questions about the project. 1) Why is a new courthouse needed? David Keller: "Two separate studies have been done, one by the National Center for State Courts and one by Carter Goble Lee, our consultants.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Chambersburg borough officials are looking into a proposal that might help the environment and save them more than $9 million. The borough council this week agreed to spend $15,000 on a study that will detail how nutrients can be removed from cow or swine manure. That study will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to find out whether a participating farm's efforts can earn "credits" for protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Council President William McLaughlin hopes the amount of those credits will be enough to keep the borough from having to expand its Hollywell Avenue sewage treatment plant as planned.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Only two big West Virginia cities have experienced sustained population growth in recent years, mostly because they were boosted by high-tech industries, education and younger populations, according to Census figures released Thursday. The U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday that Morgantown and Martinsburg are the only two large cities in the state to see significant population increases from 2000 to 2007. They were the only two among the 10 largest cities to see increases in that period, although Fairmont and Beckley recorded modest increases from 2006 to 2007, the Census estimates.

HAGERSTOWN - Hagerstown officials plan to hold a public hearing in January to unveil the city's comprehensive plan, a document that will provide the framework for local development over the next 20 years. City Planning Director Kathleen Maher said Monday the main concern for the future is to maintain adequate sewer services to accommodate population growth. From 1950 to 2000, for example, the city experienced a 1 percent growth in population. It has quadrupled since then, she said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - From the hunting and fishing equipment in his chambers, it would appear Franklin County Judge John Walker buys most of his decor at Gander Mountain. An outdoorsman since his early teens, Walker has a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson on one piece of artwork: "Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is patience. " Impatience, or the need for instant gratification, is one possible reason Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser cited for the decline in hunting license sales in the state, which peaked at 1.3 million in 1981-82 and last year were below 1 million for the second year in a row. "It's important to understand our culture and society has changed, demographically as well as in its expectations," Feaser said last week.