Michelle Bisbing, director of marketing for Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation, told the Eldred Township board of supervisors that Alpine Rose wants to borrow money from her company to build a proposed motor sport track to be located on the Blue Mountain in Smith Gap, if the final plan is approved by the township. It would be a Tax Increment Funding (TIF) loan.

Bisbing explained that after the building takes place, the taxes will go up. Eldred would continue receiving the same amount of taxes it is receiving now. The difference would go to the TIF account toward paying off the loan. But, the township, school district and the county (all taxing bodies) must agree to it.

In addition, all taxing bodies would have to agree to a TIF planning committee, and each taxing body would have to have someone on the committee. She was asking the township to name someone to that committee.

"We're at the beginning stages. We're approaching the township first," said Bisbing. "We're going to the school district next to ask for a member for the committee."

Michael Kaspszyk, the township's solicitor, said that the Alpine Rose plan has not received final approval yet.

Bisbing replied that it was not a requirement to move forward with a committee.

Supervisor Chairman Clair Borger said he was reluctant to move forward with a committee until there's a final plan approval.

"There has been too much contention to move on this until the plan has been approved, if it does (get approved)," he said.

Supervisor Gretchen Gannon Pettit made a motion to table appointing a committee member at this time. It was approved 3-0.

In answer to resident Richard Zilmer's question, Bisbing said the amount of the loan will be somewhere between $10-15 million for the infrastructure, which would not include the cost of the buildings or the track.

Zilmer asked if there were any projections of what kind of tax revenue Alpine Rose would generate after completion.

Bisbing said it would be $90,000 in property taxes in Year 1, $1 million in Year 5. Projected tourism revenue for Year 1 is estimated to be $8 million and Year 5, $12 million.

Members of a Kunkletown-based environmental group spoke against a public financing plan that could be used to help underwrite a private sports car club set to be built in Eldred Township.

At a township supervisors meeting Wednesday night, about 12 members of Blue Mountain Preservation Association expressed opposition to "tax increment financing," or "TIF," to help pay for the Alpine Motorsports Club, a private driving club.

A development group wants to use TIF to divert some property tax revenues to public infrastructure improvements associated with construction of the $35 million club, which would be built on a 350-acre swath of land near Upper Smith Gap Road.

TIF is often used to subsidize redevelopment of blighted urban areas or for new community-improvement projects. It allows developers to defer payment on a portion of local property taxes with the belief that it could spawn further development, and increase surrounding property values and additional tax revenues.

Opponents say the method has the potential to disenfranchise the public it's supposed to serve.

A developer who wants the funding mechanism needs the approval of the township, school district and county where the project is being constructed. Blue Mountain members have been making their rounds to all these entities in recent weeks asking that Alpine be denied the funding mechanism.

"I'm very much against the Alpine project and I don't want the township to aid them in any way," Blue Mountain member Beth Miller said Wednesday.

Miller and other opponents made their comments after the township board, in a 2 to 1 vote, appointed township Supervisor Sharon Solt to a committee that will explore whether TIF is appropriate for the Alpine project.

Supervisors promised not to rubberstamp the TIF for Alpine Motorsports. If any member of the school district, the township or county refuses to sit on this exploratory committee, the possibility of a developer receiving TIF is dead.

However, Solt told the meeting's attendees Wednesday that she was just going to sit on the committee to learn more. She promised to keep the best interests of the township's residents in mind.

Supervisor Gretchen Gannon Pettit voted against Solt's appointment to the committee. Pettit said she didn't think that Alpine had done enough to explain TIF to the township.