In an effort to begin supporting a vote FOR the referendum vote coming up this May I took a gander at the newly fandangled Bedford Watch website. They have a section titled ‘Just the Facts’ which is highly misleading – don’t get me wrong as there are some facts but what has been the case more often than not with Bedford Watch is some truths (facts) are stretched or speculative while others are just all together not true.
 Before I get into the ‘facts’ let me preface something – I in no way have an issue with the people affiliated with Bedford Watch who have dedicated countless hours of their time in support of a cause which they truly believe in. I do have a fondness for that type of dedication and love for one’s community (even if community in this sense equates to neighborhood). However, I do find extreme fault with misrepresentations, half truths, no truths, and scare tactics (by which I mean an unhealthy infatuation with Wal Mart).
 Now, nothing but the facts, ma’am.
 Master Plan
Bedford Watch likes to discuss the Bedford Township Master Plan … a lot. One of the issues I have with this is that the group likes to continually bring up that the Master Plan recognizes the City of Toledo as a commerical business center supporting the needs of the township.
Between 1990 and the 2006 estimated population Bedford Township has experienced nearly a 32% gain in population rising to nearly 32,000 residents making the township the City of Toledo’s largest suburb and the largest city or township in the County of Monroe (by population). It is no longer reasonable to expect the City of Toledo to continue to be a commerical center for Bedford Township.
 Property Taxes
Under this heading Bedford Watch lets us all know if a big box store was built in the township we’d all have an increase in property taxes (yet elsewhere in the same document argue that our property values will decrease) because we will be forced to hire more police and fire personnel.
 First of all this is purely speculative and completely lacks any legitimate proof.
 Second, Bedford Watch fails to take into account the fact that beyond the deputies that the township pays for there is a larger police presence in the township as the County Sheriff can deploy more deputies to the township and the State Troopers also patrol the area as well.Â
Roads
Actually this section was rather factual. Unfortunately the section was finished with a statement about the roads leading to this area are 2 lanes (while Lewis is actually 5 at that area) and not 5 lane highways. This is, like I said, largely true. However, what is not mentioned is that during site plan approvals the developer could be made to agree to improve the road surrounding the area during development, up to and including widening the road, installation of traffic lights, etc.
 Traffic
Bedford Watch wants you to believe that if a big box store was built an additional 76,000 vehicles would travel on our roads weekly. This figure is based on an average derived from the development of other Wal Marts from throughout the country and not through any impact study done on the development of the property in question. Therefore, this figure is strictly speculative at best and most certainly doesn’t take into account the fact that there are two other Wal Marts, two Home Depots, a Meijer, a Menards, a Lowes, an Andersons, and a Costco all within 10 miles of the proposed development site.
 Of course what is most speculative is that a big box store is definitely going to be developed at the property in question.
 Police
This particular section got my blood boiling the most. The stretch on these statistics was so egregious that the skew on these statistics is sickening.
 Bedford Watch states that the township has a population of 32,000 (accurate) and an additional 76,000 shoppers per week would visit the township should a big box store be built at the property in question (speculative both in the amount of shoppers and the development) creating a total weekly ‘population’ of 108,000. The group then sites the 10 full time police officers guarateed for and paid for by the township through our levy. They then make this statement:
 That is one police officer for every 10,800 people
How do I put this politely …. no. Figures for police representation are based on 1) population and 2) daily figures not weekly. However, to play ball I’ll allow for the addition of the 76,000 additional shoppers which equates to 10,857 people daily. Therefore the daily ‘population’ of the township would become 42,857 making the representation of police per resident 1:4,286 (notice that is more than half of the figure Bedford Watch presented).
 The part that made me most sick in my stomach was when the group makes a comparison to the City of Toledo and their police presence. They state Toledo has a police force of approximately 600 and a population of around 300,000 making their police to resident ratio about 1:500.
 Do you see what was done there – Bedford Watch attempted to make the development into such an issue with police protection that they first added to the population of Bedford by assuming the presence of shoppers and then used a weekly figure to make it seem so statistically out of whack with Toledo’s figure that you would be beyond frightful of any development. If you’re going to add statistics like shoppers into the equation you must do it for both examples. To make a fair comparison to these figures the representations should appear as this:
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Toledo – 1:500
Bedford Township – 1:3,200
 I have long said the police presence in the township isn’t enough (same goes for fire protection); however, these issues shouldn’t preclude the potential for development. In fact, the potential for development ought to create the debate to expand the services we already require!
Crime
Oi vey here we go again. I’ve touched on this subject on numerous occassion on Bedford Now’s Chatter. Once again Bedford Watch searches out the means to give you the highest figure in order to frighten you and again the word Wal Mart shows up.
 Bedford Watch states that they did a study on the police reports made at the nearest Wal Mart to Sterns and Lewis (they state its the Wal Mart located at Central and Holland-Sylvania Rd in Toledo while it is actually the Wal Mart on Navarre in Oregon, OH). I, naturally, found a couple of issues with the way they reported their findings.
 First, they stated that over a 5 year period that the Sylvania Township Police Department made 741 reports inside or outside the Wal Mart on Central. 741 sounds like an awful lot doesn’t it? Well let’s break that down over 5 years - 5 years multiplied by 365 days equates to 1825 days and then we add one day for leap year and get a total of 1826. Dividing 741 reports in 1826 days gives us a daily average of 0.41 reports. Doesn’t seem as concerning now does it?
 Also, Bedford Watch’s study isn’t a fair assessment for another reason as it completely negates any sort of geographic comparison. By this I mean finding a community that is similar to Bedford Township that presently has a Wal Mart, finding a Wal Mart that would be similarly situated (cross roads, expressway access, etc.). My example in the Chatter section was Oregon, OH. The median income in comparison to Bedford was similar, the crime concerns in the community are similar to Bedford’s, and the location to crime areas in Toledo are fairly close.
 The issue I take with using the Central Avenue location is that it is located less than a mile from a major expressway and located literally in the backyard of a high crime and drug area within the City of Toledo. The comparisons are simply not fair and again used to put fear in the minds of township residents.
 Home Values
Bedford Watch is saying that home values in the area would immediately drop $40,000. A quick perusal of the Township’s Land ans Property Search function on the Township’s website shows that homes were recently bought in the $130K-$150K range. You expect me to reasonably believe that these homes, overnight, would all of a sudden sell for $90K-$110K? Too hard to believe.
My next endeavour will be to attempt to determine if there was any decline in home sale prices in the Colonial neighborhoods around Secor and Sterns after the Kroger development. Anything greater than a 19% drop (the estimated drop in home values in the township due to the economic downturn) will lend credence to this argument. To give you an idea a $40,000 decline on a home that was previously valued (sales value) at $140,000 would be about 28%, on $150,00 about 26%, $180,000 about 22%.
 Tax benefit
Bedford Watch states that the tax benefit of a big box store would only be about $0.66 per resident. This figure is based solely on property tax fees that would be paid directly to the township. This excludes property tax fees paid to the county and the state.
 It also excludes sales tax, business tax, income taxes, etc. Unless you have lived in a cave the past few years you’re aware that our economy is tanking, quickly, and our state is crippling due to a lack of money to operate. Commerical growth ought to be viewed as a good thing as it increases the state’s revenues. Since the township and our schools largely depend on the state being financially strong we ought to be pushing for solid development than can increase our coffers! For crying out loud the governor just announced plans to scale back per pupil funding to our public schools!
 There are many more subheadings in this section of the website – several of which could be left alone. The word Wal Mart shows up frequently as does the continual ripping of Jon Whitman.
 Here are some closing facts:
1) There is no tangible proof that if the rezoning sticks that a Wal Mart will be built on the Whitman property.
2) Jon Whitman has every right to seek this rezoning and to sell to whom he wishes and for the highest price if he so desires.
3) Bedford Watch has skewed figures and statistics to place fear in the minds of what a potential development of a Wal Mart might mean to this township. In fact throughout their website they don’t claim the development to be a possibility they actually call it a ‘proposed development’. Interesting since there’s been no sale!
4) Many issues and concerns can and would be addressed during site plan approval – including the roads around that area.
5) Lewis Ave. is the commerical corridor for Temperance much like Secor is for Lambertville.
I will continue to research this subject and continue to fight for the passage of this referendum .. the zoning should stand.