If there were no college in Salisbury, then what would the town really be like?
- no monkey barrel
- far less rental housing
- more property used for retail/residential
- thousands of fewer people living in town, and even fewer vehicles in town
- no collegiate sports, only HS sports and the Shorebirds
Please help me out and add to this list I'm sure I missed a few things
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
41 comments:
Joe, It would be like the town i grew up in. I remember when it was only Holloway Hall, The college is definitley an asset to a community as long the students remember that most of them are our quest. We were here before you got here and well be here when your gone. Respect on both sides will probably work best.
(Getting tough on giving people drinks well after they have had enough is probably a good ideal to).
Do you mean the Sojourner Douglas college? That is the college in Salisbury. Maybe you mean Salisbury University.
More narrow minded uneducated people to read and contribute to this blog.
Always just be the college to me. Im to old to give a shit what they call it. I dont want a college, I want a state.
I will tell you exactly what you would have. Nothing. 80% of the businesses in south Salisbury would go bankrupt.
Your property values would disappear. Noone renting houses, making money, and stealing security deposits, from 8,000 young adults.
With these houses decreasing in value and noone living in them, you get more impoverished people moving in. Yoru level of poverty goes from twice the National Average to four times the national average. And you go from being more dangerous then Baltimore Statistically, to being more dangerous then camden New Jersey.
Also, the hundreds of employees at the university would leave to find work elsewhere. With so many local businesses bankrupt, accountants, lawyers, and most professionals will leave to find work elsewhere.
Purdue mantains close ties to the University. It is more cost effective to raise chickens in Georgia right now then the Eastern shore, and many of Perdue's competitors have left to go down there. I am guessing that if half of the workers in the corporate office weren't graduates, they would move too.
A lot of police are going to leave cause they are scared of anyone that is not drunk and fit the description of collge student. SO now you have an even more uneffective police force.
Yes No Collegiate sports, but lets face it, locals never go to our games anyway.
SO you are left with halfway descent Hospital and you are going to need it cause with this places murder and violent crime rate, your going to need it.
Awesome! Good Job. Something to be proud of.
I am actually thinking abotu how this town would look with the collge and it is really, really bad. Makes me laugh though.
5:01 anon, The first one to prove your point is below your comment. How funny is that. I guess he don't want grammer or punctuation either! Knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss!
I hate to beak it to all of you...Lets analyze some facts:
Salisbury's population is in decline
while the college population is increasing
The state and college has quite ambitious plans to use eminent domain to confiscate properties and neighborhoods along Camden Ave. One plan calls for student housing from Light St. all the way to Pinehurst. South of that would be new buildings for the college, as it continues to out grow the current foot print along West College Ln. Salisbury University will be Salisbury in time...it will re-invent the down town, as the locals continue to flock occross the bridge in search of better pay.
I love having the students the university in town, despite their aloof aministration who have failed miserbaly to fuly engage the community around it.
No SU = Salisbury being a dusty old outpost on the way to the beach
You'd have Federalsburg.Been there lately?
Less HOT College Chicks laying out in bikinis in the spring. :(
RE: 5:06 Post
Why don't you get off the chicken crap.
Chicken Industry + Low Wages = Poverty
And that's what we have in and around Salisbury. Just the other night the State Planning Commission revealed that Wicomico's statewide income is ranked 22nd out of 24 jurisdictions. We are only outdone by Somerset and Dorchester.
And one more thing, if you haven't noticed alot of Marylanders are leaving and heading elsewhere. Look at our sister state to the North, Delaware. Population is now 225,000 and growing at an alarming rate. Why, because of the tax structure and economic incentives.
In case you don't know it. . . most of the nations corrupt Politicians get their training in the Maryland Legislature. We've got the BEST MONEY CAN BUY.
We might not have a big mall, but that would be fine. We would support local businesses like we did when SU was a small state college and part of our town in every way.
The University is here and it's sure not going to go anywhere. Is the task force working on anything? LMFAO
Re: 5:34 Posting
There is some more alarming news.
I have accumulated a list of key business closures that now exceed the number 50. That's right. . some were really heavy hitters to including Campbell's Soup, Mrs. Pauls Kitchen, Jodi Manufacturing, Cheapeake Bay Plywood Corp., Airpax, Dresser, Powerwave, Bayliner - the list now grows on-and-on.
I'm glad that Wayne Gilchrest -(SOB)- for short - will soon be out of there. They all left while under his umbrella.
I'm glad Andy Harris 'cleaned his clock'.
Millions of dollars less in local money.
Less business for our local businesses.
Less cultural events.
More unemployment.
You forgot:
No reason for anyone under the age of 55 to live here.
No reason for anyone graduating from High School to return.
Nothing left for the remaining residents to complain about.
You would have a place to call "Willards-West"
Why do we have to "imagine?" We KNOW what it is like from MEM-Labor Day. And during January. It is wonderful.....Trouble is, I guess I am just not edu-mah-kated enough to figure out WHY THINGS ARE SO MUCH BETTER IN TOWN DURING THOSE FOUR MONTHS. Maybe the wonderful lad with tremendous insight and spelling skills on the other threads can help me deduce the reason....or is it time to play "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" with your offensive lineman?
No beer cans and puke on the streets...
5:01..... Do you see the irony in your comment? Because from where I'm standing, its quite amusing.
to 4:56, I really hope youre kidding, we're talking about Salisbury University, aka Salisbury State U., aka Salisbury State College ... it doesn't matter what the name on the gate says, folks will call it what they wish
Joe thanks for putting this up top, I think it's something we should all reflect on for better or for worse, and I hope JDE reads your blog!!
The funny things is, is that while those 4 months might seem like heaven because a minority of "problem" students are gone, I would estimate in two years time you'd be singing a different tune. The point about property values that was made earlier was dead on. All of the properties that are near SU have a higher property value due to their being in the vicinity of it and if the school wasn't there anymore, you'd see those business that haven't already died would die, and you'd see your tax revenue drop because now the property values are worth a whole lot less when they used to be.
Not to mention if the students are gone, as was noted above, what kind of people do you think will fill the void created in all of the low-income housing the students presently reside in?? The same people who give Salisbury its outrageous crime rate.
what would we read about?
local crime i guess.
Salisbury has 2 major routes crossing through it. Businesses would still due just fine without the college.
Albero, that is one stupid comment. SU contributes tens of millions of dollars to the local area every year. What other entity can say that?
Anon 5:06 is right on. As a fellow alumni, a very well written missive. I just scored the highest in the country on the writing section of my professional boards and I give much of the credit to my excellent, well valued education @ Salisbury University. I do hope Salisbury continues its expansion into the neighborhoods and across RT 13, preserving much of which would have expired without their investment or the investment of the people that work at the University. It brings me much excitement to hear of land acquistions (which they pay over market value) and takes another piece of land off the city tax rolls.
The University attracts well rounded kids the bring their and in some cases, their parents discretionary income to spend in this town and provides job diversification, other than poultry, to expand locals horizons and provide them more oppurtunities and chances at a better life.
If the elitist Camden neighborhood residents wish to bitch about beer and vomit on the sidewalks, perhaps when the crack whores move next door and perform tricks on your front stoop, maybe you will wish for the educated students back and their beer. The latter representing a town with no University in it (which will never happen, by the way).
So I say kudos to the powers that be at the University and their expansion plans. I look forward to the increased student populations and all the new construction. Go Gulls!!!
8:05, BULLSH!T
While SU may bring a small percentage of income to Salisbury, much of what is made is done by slumlords, not the City.
That being said, you are taking away tens of millions of dollars by paying NO TAXES because SU is tax exempt.
Quit trying to blow smoke up every one's a$$.
Anon 5:14, you talk about puctuation and grammar but correct me if I am wrong but shouldn't "How funny is that.", have a question mark instead of a period? So much for puctuation!
RE: 8:05
I'm another one who believes you're full of shit. Did not SU spend 300,000 dollars more on purchasing the Allenwood Shopping Center than it was appraised.
How about Tri-State Electrical, How about Purity Bacon, How about part of Dresser Property, How about the Hordes and Hordes of Frat houses on College Avenue. And University Square Appartment Complex . . what about the tax exemptions on all of the real property from the RR tracks almost all the way to South Division Street.
And Janet Dudley Eshbaugh's name isn't the best around Town. What about the Confidentiality Agreements whereby the citizens aren't even allowed to know what's going on with purchasing properties.
SU has simply just grown too large too fast.....I wonder if Frostburg or other similar-sized MD college towns have the same issues?Anyone?
You forgot one thing:
There would be no Joe Albero and nothing to blog about.
If you don't like it, LEAVE. I graduated from Salisbury University and am now a successful teacher at a local school here in town. The University will always be here, so instead of constantly complaining about it, go live in another city where you'll find the exact same thing!
Don't flatter yourself. If you think SBYnews is a success because of SU you're crazy. Now I'll admit, without Barrie Tilghman, things would be VERY quiet around here and there wouldn't be much to write about.
We'll have a new leader very soon with a vision of making Salisbury a beautiful place to live again. The Developers will be running for the hills and we'll simply work on repairing all the damage the Tilghman Administration created for far too many years.
The Dirty Dozen are now in the thousands and she has no chance to survive any longer as Mayor. Comegys is in a dream world and I hear he'll be announcing on Nov. 12th.
You just watch how powerful this Blog and all of you are from this point forward. Even the Daily Times has lost their power and influence.
Wow, get over it. IF all of a sudden SU went away and took all the students with it our economy in this town would drop drastically. Why don't some of you think back to when you were in college..oh wait most of you who dislike SU in this town probobly didnt go to college. Its not like SU students are writing in a blog about how much they hate Salisbury residents.
Real Economics say that the college is great for the city, the county and the region.
I personally really like kids, any form or shape or size. There are great things in our future, and if we are lucky some of them will stay here,have their businesses and familys and make the community a better place.
If SU pays no taxes, I think that should be changed. Becasue of the stress placed on the city by the additional folks needing services. Police, fire, emergency, sewer water, etc. That would seem fair to me.
The teaching staff and the support folks are a workforce in our community that adds alot to our way of life.
I agree that there are problems, and benefits. But, if there are problems,lets fix them. The mayor seems to be good at appointing "task forces" that produce great findings, and she does not impliment them. So, let the university set up a task force, and they will do something. However, I am told that the University "does not care"
my question as a total outsider is
"who cares" there are a handful of folks and we all know who they are. Fortunately one of them I think is going to run for Mayor. Hurray...however, that is not the only solution...If we have problems, government is not where to look for solutions, we are were to look for solutions. All those folks who complain, I am sure we could start a list of volunteers to get some of these issues solved.
fewer broken glass bottles on OUR (my) sidewalks, signs would remain standing & wouldn't have to be chained to telephone poles, Mac containers wouldn't be all over the streets and yards, a nice yard ornament might remain in one's yard, clothes and other garbage wouldn't be all over the streets, you could get some sleep on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nites...
I'm a landlord and if I can't rent to college students I'll rent to whoever can pay the price. It might be a nice family of 15 all named Mexican or Section 8. I don't care!
This is one of the dumbest threads yet. And thats saying something.
Anon Landlord 10:01
You are the exact kind of greedy landlord that has ruined the city.Rather than rent to a NORMAL working family and charge a reasonable fair amount they can manage,a family where everyone has a job and no one is in jail who might treat your property with respect and positively impact the neighborhood,you would rather jam pack your property with illegals or worse,Section 8 freeloaders.Did you know that the money paid to you by Section 8 is partially yours?It is taxpayer dollars.Eventually when you evict Section 8 people (they seem to have trouble paying even subsidized rents) you have to spend a small fortune cleaning up and repairing the home because they had no respect for their "free house".You cannot sit there and tell me that your mortgage on these rental properties is so high you HAVE to charge so much for rent.I have personally been displaced in the past because a greedy bloodsucker landlord wanted to oust my working family and move in tenants referred from the welfare office.Why? Because he could then increase the rent by a third,because the government (again,OUR tax dollars) will pay whatever the slumlords demand.You are the exact kind of slumlord that destroyed Salisbury but then again you do not care-odds are you do not have to live near the mess you helped to create.Do you know what happens to neighborhoods when all the houses are "projects"(subsidized).Again you do not care because you do not have to live there.In fact,you probably hope to make the homeowners on the block so miserable they have no choice but to sell out cheap,so you and your landlord buddies can continue to "blockbust" and eventually own entire blocks.Sprry so long Joe,but these people are the reason Salisbury neighborhoods are declining.
anon 8:20 it's called a rhetorical exclamation! wait ? no . hmmm damn i wish i had a university to attend.
I love the posting against the university are from the high school degreed contributors. See anon 8:04. "would still due fine" This alone should help fund an expansion!
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