News of the federal government\u2019s plans for the site has grabbed the attention \u2014 and in some cases the ire \u2014 of its neighbors. And on Thursday they let their voices be heard.<\/p>\n
Public comment<\/p>\n
While the sale of the property and ICE\u2019s plans for it weren\u2019t slated to be discussed by the small municipality\u2019s governing board, it was the topic of the moment nonetheless. And realizing their constituents had only one thing on their minds, the panel of three supervisors provided an opportunity for the public to talk about it.<\/p>\n
Prior to officially starting the meeting, the supervisors set aside 30 minutes for the public to comment.<\/p>\n
Many of those who spoke \u2014 township residents and members of nearby communities \u2014 said they understand the supervisors have few options in trying to oppose the facility but offered their support in whatever avenues the township travels. They expressed a desire to be updated on the status of the operation as things move forward and urged the supervisors to be as transparent as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing I wanted to communicate is that there are people here who are primarily here just to offer support any way that we can because you are in an untenable position,\u201d Hamburg resident Sue Leiby said.<\/p>\n
Nancy Omaha Boy seconded that sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you\u2019re really on the hot seat right now,\u201d she told the supervisors, later adding that she knows they have good hearts and will strive to do what\u2019s right. \u201cIt\u2019s probably the biggest issue you\u2019ve faced in your entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others who spoke shared lists of concerns that news of the impending ICE facility garnered.<\/p>\n
![\"Linda](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/REG-L-ICEWarehouseUpperBerrnMtg1982.jpg\")
Linda Alspach Heckman tells Upper Bern Township supervisors that she is concerned about the impact a planned ICE facility will have on the township’s infrastructure. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
Linda Alspach Heckman said she worries about the toll the facility will take on the township\u2019s sewage system and the potential lowering of property values.<\/p>\n
She pointed out that the township does not have a police force \u2014 instead relying on state police \u2014 and that the facility could be a burden to the local fire department and could worsen traffic.<\/p>\n
Heckman went on to question who will be working at the facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill they hire people from here or from outside the area, will they become our neighbors, will they be accepting of our Pennsylvania Dutch ways?\u201d she asked. \u201cThere are many concerns that this township needs to address.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heckman said there are concerns about the expansive property becoming tax-exempt under federal ownership and what it would mean for the township, Hamburg School District and Berks County.<\/p>\n
Based on the property\u2019s current assessment, the loss in local tax dollars would be just shy of $828,000 per year: about $200,000 in county taxes, $31,000 in township taxes and $597,000 in school taxes.<\/p>\n
Kristen Egan said the detention center would be dangerous, unconstitutional and unsanitary and would not benefit the community in any way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI offer my support to you to help prevent this, to delay this, to do whatever you can to oppose this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"Chelsey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/REG-L-ICEWarehouseUpperBerrnMtg1984.jpg\")
Chelsey Kramer, who lives across the street from the planned ICE center in Upper Bern Township, said her concerns are for the children in the community. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
Chelsey Kramer, who lives across the street from the ICE property, said her concerns are for the children in the community.<\/p>\n
She said she and her husband have lived in the Mountain Springs neighborhood for the past six years, choosing the location to raise their young daughter because of the feeling of family and community it provides.<\/p>\n
With the warehouse visible out her front window, she said, ICE creating a detention center will change that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to have to uproot our family and for you that means we\u2019re taking our tax money elsewhere,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I know that one family is not going to hurt all that bad, but I know other families with young children who are saying the same thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want that to happen, but we have to protect our families. And if that means moving, we will. But we would rather stay in a small rural town, in a small rural community where we know that our neighbors all love each other like family, and we don\u2019t want to see that torn apart by this atrocity.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/REG-L-ICEWarehouseUpperBerrnMtg1985.jpg\")
Ian Eichorn, right, acknowledges that Upper Bern Township officials have been put in a tough spot over plans for an ICE facility, but urged them to find ways to protect the community. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
Ian Eichorn is a newer member of the community, having moved to Shartlesville last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife and I just came here last year and we love it here, it\u2019s so quiet and peaceful,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that could all change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eichorn said a detention center in the township would \u201cperpetuate the suffering of thousands of families at the hands of ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one wants to live in a neighborhood where people are roaming around in masks with guns,\u201d he said. \u201cI want this place to feel very welcoming to anyone else who wants to move here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eichorn acknowledged the township has been put in a tough spot but urged the supervisors to do what they can to protect the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s not fair to you \u2014 you didn\u2019t ask for this situation \u2014 and I\u2019m asking you to think creatively,\u201d he said. \u201cPlease be as creative as you can to buy our elected representatives time to find a way to make sure this community is not in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opposing views<\/p>\n
Two community members shared a different viewpoint.<\/p>\n
![\"During](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/REG-L-ICEWarehouseUpperBerrnMtg1986.jpg\")
During the Upper Bern Township supervisors meeting Thursday, Tom Rank said he likes the idea of ICE building a detention center in the community. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m apparently in the minority here,\u201d said Tom Rank, who lives near the warehouse site on Mountain Road. \u201cI do trust that you guys will address the obvious concerns about the infrastructure. I\u2019m also praying that you guys will help facilitate this and move it along as fast as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see it being a huge problem. Yes, I live across the street. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to affect us personally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rank said he likes the idea of an ICE detention center in the community and urged the supervisors not to block the agency\u2019s plans. He predicted the center will be temporary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be here long, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be needed that long,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Ray](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/REG-L-ICEWarehouseUpperBerrnMtg1987.jpg\")
Ray Kuhn speaks in support of the ICE warehouse plans during the Upper Bern Township supervisors meeting, saying he\u2019s hopeful the federal government will compensate the community. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
Ray Kuhn said he doesn\u2019t share most of the concerns that others voiced. He said he was resigned to the fact that the detention center will be opening and said he\u2019s hopeful that the federal government will compensate the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the tax issue keeps coming up, but I also think we\u2019ll be compensated,\u201d he said. \u201cI guess that\u2019s the big thing, when we finally do get a chance to meet with these federal people we need to see what we\u2019re going to get out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kuhn said he did have concerns about how \u201cagitators and protesters\u201d who may come to the site will be handled, as well as about how the facility will impact already bad traffic issues in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m figuring maybe we can get these guys to fix the Love\u2019s (Travel Stop) traffic problem, because if they will be using this road let\u2019s see what they can offer,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to fight them and win, I really don\u2019t. People are getting excited over stuff we shouldn\u2019t get excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Township statement<\/p>\n
The supervisors \u2014 Lisabeth Lynn, Gloria Grim and Arthur Lambert \u2014 prepared a written statement on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Upper Bern Township learned about the purchase by the federal government of the warehouse at 3501 Mountain Road, the township\u2019s supervisors have focused solely on the health, safety and welfare impact of the facility on the residents of the township and the township supervisors\u2019 ability to address those concerns,\u201d it began.<\/p>\n
The statement said the supervisors may be unable to regulate what happens at the site through its zoning ordinance or subdivision and land development ordinances.<\/p>\n
\u201cLikewise, the state\u2019s building code may not regulate the facility,\u201d it read. \u201cSovereign immunity and preemption apply where the federal government is involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, the statement said, township officials have concerns they hope the federal government addresses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe federal government may more than double the township\u2019s population of 1,600 with those brought to that facility,\u201d it read. \u201cThe township, therefore, is exploring the extent to which township, county, state and federal officials can address with the government the impacts on essential services to the township\u2019s residents.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Upper](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/REG-L-ICEWarehouseUpperBerrnMtg1981.jpg\")
Upper Bern Township Supervisors, from left, Lisabeth Lynn, Chair Gloria Grim and Arthur Lambert listen to concerns about the ICE warehouse plans during the supervisors’ meeting at the township building in Shartlesville on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
The statement said those concerns include the adverse impact the facility will have on the sewer system, given the sudden dramatic growth in population.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe additional load on the sanitary sewer system, estimated to be far above the capacity purchased by the developer of the warehouse, could overwhelm the township\u2019s wastewater treatment plant,\u201d it read.<\/p>\n
The possible extraction of potable water from wells for the 1,500 or more people who will be at the facility also deserves attention, the statement read, as the township has no public water system.<\/p>\n
The statement continued by saying the supervisors worry about the impact of the facility on volunteer fire departments and EMS companies, who may find themselves overwhelmed by the population influx.<\/p>\n
\u201cUpper Bern Township looks forward to engaging with county, state and federal officials to learn more about the plans of the federal government for the Mountain Road facility and the ways in which the federal government at the federal government\u2019s expense will attend to the infrastructure and emergency services concerns and needs of the township,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n
ICE purchase of Berks warehouse sparks concern among neighbors<\/a><\/p>\n