JR May wrote: Plenty of lessons learned, but if you want the full story, search the RyPN archives. No need to rehash it here.
I'm sorry JR, but the full story does not appear on RYPN.
On the one hand, the PTHT did a poor job of communicating. This includes their own membership. That was a critical failure.
And on the other hand you have a poster on RYPN who is located 150 miles away from Pemberton declare what the Trust was thinking, without speaking to any member of the Trust. You also have another poster on RYPN accepting that post as truth. Members of RYPN assumed that those who posted comments on the linked newspaper articles were actual members of the Trust, and speaking for it. I can't be sure, but as a member, and knowing many of the members, they were not the same people. Those are just a couple of the reasons why much of what appeared on RYPN is not useful for getting the whole story.
Artifacts are not just "reportedly" in storage, they actually are in storage. I'm helping to pay for that, so I know. I guess you will have to take my word for that, or not.
It's too bad that station platform won't last. It was supposed to be built with stainless steel hardware and prime grade lumber. It wasn't. The hardware started visibly rusting literally in the first week. I saw it. The township engineer approved the substandard installation after the fact. I personally pointed out the rusting hardware to the the engineer, and she still approved it. And, I am told, that was illegal under the applicable federal law. No one is present to maintain the platform. It's also supposed to have modern reproductions of historic lamps. I'd like to know where the rest of the money for the lamps, landscaping and track went.
There are still a few things to be removed from the site. There's the storage container, a large drill press in the section house and the two small structures.
After the dust fully settles I may choose to share more details about what happened in Pemberton. I don't know if that would actually be useful. This has been a painful experience.
I can say that the leadership of the Trust has taken it to heart that they must own the land under the museum and that they cannot rely on the lasting good will of any level of government. That is something that every group should have firmly in mind.
However, in my opinion, given Mayor Patriarcha's treatment of the volunteer fire departments and rescue squad in the township who have been forced to shutdown, the Trust probably would have been forced out even if they owned all the land. (It is now faster to get an ambulance from neighboring Eastampton to the Pemberton High School than from the remaining Pemberton Rescue squad. But he is saving money.)
-Mark
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