Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 21:07:10 -0500
From: Pittsboro Matters
Subject: Trickle Down Chatham Park Economics and That New Hospital
Now let’s have a chat about that new hospital “Samantha Capital” keeps talking about. Will UNC Healthcare build a local hospital on land that is not part of the Chatham Park Planned Development District? If so, let’s encourage Pittsboro to rezone the needed land and get on with the project. If this land is owned by Chatham Park, it can be split from the rest of the 7,120 acres and rezoned separately. This way Chatham Park can truly show its generosity to Pittsboro and help the Town get a small hospital independently of Chatham Park. Of course a hospital can be built on land not owned by Chatham Park as well!
But, does Pittsboro with its 4,000 residents need its own small hospital? Apparently not. After all, two of the nation’s leading hospitals – UNC and Duke – are 25 – 40 minutes away, or even less by ambulance. Wake Med Cary is 30 minutes away, as well. In addition, we might ask, would the new hospital be as good as UNC Chapel Hill and Duke? Probably not. So, why build a local hospital?
Could the hospital be little more than a bribe designed to buy the votes of the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners so they will rezone the land owned by Chatham Park? Could it, also, be the hospital is really designed to serve the 55,000 – 70,000 people the Chatham Park Master Plan is designed to accommodate?
Of course it is! So who is kidding whom? The hospital is designed to serve tomorrows Chatham Park – not todays Pittsboro.
As for all those proposed construction and operational service jobs for local residents, can Ms. Capital arrange for Chatham Park Investors to sign binding agreements that will set aside these jobs for local residents and
businesses? So far, despite repeated requests made at public hearings, no agreements have appeared.
Until meaningful jobs agreements are obtained, Pittsboro area residents should remember that trickle-down economics has not worked in the United States. After all, since 2000 no net new jobs have been created nationally. Also, the top 5% of households now have 66% of the wealth and the top 20% have 85% – 90% of the wealth. No new wealth has trickled down to the bottom
80%.
So, why should anyone expect Trickle down Chatham Park Economics applied to the Pittsboro area to work either? Smart money bets that the large majority of construction and service jobs touted by “Samatha Capital” will go to outsiders. Unless firm job agreements are arranged before approval of the Chatham Park Master Plan occurs, locals should expect to be left mainly with rising property taxes, traffic jams, and marginal jobs, such as providing restaurant meals and changing bed pans.