{"id":37069,"date":"2026-03-23T11:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T11:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/37069\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T11:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T11:45:08","slug":"upper-bern-township-ice-detention-center-sparks-water-traffic-and-tax-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/37069\/","title":{"rendered":"Upper Bern Township ICE detention center sparks water, traffic and tax concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Concerns over water, sewer capacity, traffic and long-term tax impacts dominated a town hall Sunday as residents, community activists and local officials weighed the potential effects of a proposed ICE detention facility in Upper Bern Township.<\/p>\n

The nonpartisan event was organized by the grassroots group ICE Out of Upper Bern, which opposes the use of a 527,000-square-foot warehouse on Mountain Road as a detention center that could house up to 1,500 people.<\/p>\n

The Department of Homeland Secuirty\u2019s plan would convert the warehouse <\/a>into a processing center for migrants arrested by federal agents before their transfer to ICE detention centers.<\/p>\n

The facility is one of 16 proposed processing centers, each with an expected population of 1,000 to 1,500 detainees whose stays would average three to seven days, according to a DHS document posted in February.<\/p>\n

Another eight large-scale detention centers \u2014\u00a0like\u00a0one planned for Tremont Township<\/a>\u00a0in Schuylkill County\u00a0\u2014 would be capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees for periods averaging less than 60 days.<\/p>\n

Plans call for all facilities to be operational by December.<\/p>\n

About 175 residents and others gathered for the meeting at the Shartlesville Fire Company hall, which the group rented for the event.<\/p>\n

For many of the speakers, the issue was less about national immigration policy than about whether local infrastructure, including water and sewer, could sustain a project of that scale.<\/p>\n

A recent action by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ordered the federal government to demonstrate compliance with state water and sewage regulations before the facility can open.<\/p>\n

ICE responds to Pa. DEP order for Upper Bern immigrant processing center site<\/a><\/p>\n

Environmental advocate Gene Stilp walked attendees through the order in detail, emphasizing that permits have neither been secured nor applied for.<\/p>\n

\u201cDHS needs an amended construction permit and an amended operating permit,\u201d Stilp said, noting the process could take a very long time.<\/p>\n

Existing systems are inadequate for the projected population, he said, stating the site\u2019s infrastructure could not handle what\u2019s required for the proposed 1,500 detainees.<\/p>\n

\"GeneGene Stilp speaks about the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection processes and Act 537 during an ICE Out of Upper Bern Town Hall at the Shartlesville Fire Company on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Speakers said the limitations extend beyond utilities to emergency services and roads in the rural township.<\/p>\n

Sue Leiby, a lifelong resident of Shartlesville, a village in Upper Bern, described a community with limited capacity to absorb such growth.<\/p>\n

Leiby pointed to existing wear on local roads and warned that increased truck and service traffic would compound the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe township is struggling,\u201d she said. \u201cThey do not have money in the infrastructure right now to do repairs on existing projects, let alone what\u2019s going to be caused by added truck traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Traffic was a recurring theme throughout the meeting, with speakers drawing comparisons to congestion already caused by nearby warehouse development along Interstate 78 and Route 22.<\/p>\n

Tina Burns, a Democratic candidate for state representative in the 124th District, asked residents to consider how additional vehicle volume would affect daily life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many of you enjoy when there\u2019s an accident on (Interstate) 78 and then reroute on Old Route 22?\u201d she said. \u201cAmazon alone brought up a mess of traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burns also attempted to quantify the strain on municipal systems, noting the facility could more than double the population at the site and significantly increase water, sewer and waste service demands.<\/p>\n

\"TinaTina Burns, candidate for the state 124th Legislative District, speaks about infrastructure and tax issues during an ICE Out of Upper Bern Town Hall at the Shartlesville Fire Company on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)
\nFiscal impact<\/p>\n

Beyond infrastructure, speakers raised concerns about the fiscal impact on local governments and taxpayers.<\/p>\n

Charles Corbit of the Berks Urgent Response Network said the project could generate ongoing costs without corresponding revenue, particularly if the federally owned property is removed from local tax rolls.<\/p>\n

Corbit said the estimated losses total about $800,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s every single year, that\u2019s not just $800,000 once and done,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be money out of the county, out of the people\u2019s pockets here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berks County Commissioner Dante Santoni Jr. \u00a0echoed that concern, warning of a significant loss of revenue to the county, to the local community and to the school district.<\/p>\n

The commissioners said in February that the loss in local tax dollars is estimated at $828,000 per year: $200,000 in county taxes, $31,000 in township taxes and $597,000 in Hamburg School District taxes<\/p>\n

Although organizers said all three of the county commissioners were invited to speak, Santoni, a Democrat, was the only one to attend the meeting.<\/p>\n

\"BerksBerks County Commissioner Dante Santoni explains what the county can and cannot do to block the ICE detention warehouse during an ICE Out of Upper Bern Town Hall at the Shartlesville Fire Company on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Other speakers included Linda Alspach Heckman, spokesperson for ICE Out of Upper Bern, and Rachel Wallace, Democratic candidate for U.S. representative in the 9th District.<\/p>\n

Several speakers said federal spending on the facility would not have any local economic benefit.<\/p>\n

Others warned that potential workforce disruptions and population shifts could affect local industries and consumer spending across Berks.<\/p>\n

Burns criticized the initial $87.4 million purchase price and suggested taxpayers would ultimately bear the burden.<\/p>\n

The ripple effects of the proposed center could extend beyond the township, Leiby said, noting that residents outside the immediate vicinity could feel the effects due to shared watershed systems and regional service networks.<\/p>\n

Stay engaged<\/p>\n

Despite the concerns, organizers emphasized that the project is not yet finalized and urged continued public engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an opportunity for us to stop this,\u201d Corbit said, pointing to similar projects halted in other states through local opposition.<\/p>\n

\"CharlesCharles Corbit of the Berks Urgent Response Network speaks about humanistic concerns during an ICE Out of Upper Bern Town Hall at the Shartlesville Fire Company on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Santoni encouraged residents to continue contacting elected officials and participating in public discourse, though he acknowledged limits on county authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s frustrating when you hear us say we can\u2019t really do anything about it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you still should let us know. We want to hear from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many in attendance, Leiby said, the issue comes down to preserving the character and livability of a small, close-knit community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our community,\u201d Leiby said. \u201cThis affects every one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Concerns over water, sewer capacity, traffic and long-term tax impacts dominated a town hall Sunday as residents, community…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1200,104,3072,899,1202,1201,1199,1697],"class_list":{"0":"post-37069","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bern","8":"tag-berks-county","9":"tag-bern","10":"tag-ice-warehouse","11":"tag-local-news","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-pennsylvania","14":"tag-top-stories-reg","15":"tag-upper-bern-township"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116278324406765057","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}