The Sanatoga Post

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – A national program that allows members of credit unions to buy new cars at a discount was adopted last week (Jan. 13, 2009) by Diamond Credit Union, 1600 Medical Dr.

Get in the car and drive.

The nationwide “Invest In America” program, of which Diamond is now a part, allows its members to save on the purchase of a General Motors or Chrysler vehicle and also offers access to affordable financing. More than 8,000 credit unions are participating, with more than $80 billion low-cost auto loans for purchases. However, the promotion is scheduled to end June 30.

It provides rebates of $500 or $1,000 on eligible Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles, in addition to most existing cash incentives that Chrysler offers on its vehicles; or it allows enhanced discounts under the GM Credit Union Member Discount Program.

Historically, credit unions offer lower loan rates than other financial institutions. According to a Datatrac survey of more than 17,000 financial institutions, the average credit union loan rate during the past two months was 5.4 percent, compared to 6.9 percent for the average bank rate.

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• Girls Freshman Basketball vs. Spring-Ford HS, 3:30 p.m. POSTPONED

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A contractor nears his truck at the site of Wednesday's fire.

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Crews were on the scene Thursday morning (Jan. 22, 2009) at Valtech Corp., 2113 Sanatoga Station Rd., to seal a hole in the side of its building following an explosion and fire that occurred there after 7 last night.

Allentown television station WFMZ-TV reported during its late Wednesday evening newscast that the explosion “ripped a hole” in the building’s exterior metal sheathing, near an area housing equipment that collects dust particles. No one was injured, the station reported. A video of its story is available online.

Valtech’s website identifies the company as a manufacturer of formulated detergents, specialty adhesives and custom molded polymers used in a variety of industries. The Lower Pottsgrove location is its corporate headquarters, according to the website, but it also maintains offices in California, China and Thailand.

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SANATOGA PA – For reasons left unexplained, the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Board of Commissioners abruptly cancelled its previously scheduled meeting tonight (Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009) in the township municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd.

Instead, according to an announcement on the township website, “All business scheduled for (the cancelled) meeting will be conducted at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, February 2, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.”

It is unknown how the cancellation affects the township’s ability to conduct a public hearing on its proposed sex offender residency restrictions. Ten days ago, it advertised in The (Pottstown PA) Mercury – its newspaper of record for legal notices – that the hearing would be held tonight. It also is unknown if problems with the proposed law itself were a cause of the cancellation. Presumably, if held at all, the hearing will be delayed until it can be re-advertised for a different date.

The latest agenda for board meetings, which usually is available for download from the website at least a day before commissioners gather, has not been posted. The current download is the agenda for the board’s earlier meeting of Jan. 5 (2009).

Lower Pottsgrove residents could nonetheless be affected by public business tonight, even if it occurs elsewhere … like in adjacent Limerick Township.

Limerick’s Board of Supervisors will conduct a hearing tonight, during a meeting that starts at 7 p.m., regarding the proposed Sanatoga Springs shopping complex on Lightcap Road. The traffic it may generate, in addition to that of the existing Philadelphia Premium Outlets, is a continuing concern of Lower Pottsgrove officials. Limerick’s meeting will be held at its municipal building, 646 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick PA.

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SANATOGA PA – Weekend activities for Sanatogans (and anyone else!), Jan. 23-25, 2009:

Saturday, Jan. 24

“Reserve Painting on Glass,” a winter workshop on creating framed paintings using historical designs and techniques, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pennypacker Mills, 5 Haldeman Road, Schwenksville PA. The program is intended for participants age 12 and older, and an admission fee will be charged. All materials are supplied. Registration is required. For more information, call 610-287-9349 or email PennypackerMills@montcopa.org.

Smoked ... and tasty.

Experience the sights and aromas of a working smoke house used to preserve meats during the 18th and 19th centuries. The free sensory tour is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during Smoking Saturday at Peter Wentz Farmstead, located east of the intersection of Routes 73 and 363 in Worcester PA. For more information, call 610-584-5104 or e-mail PeterWentzFarmstead@montcopa.org.

The Reading Royals hockey team takes on the Johnstown Chiefs for TriCounty Chamber Night at the Royals, starting at 7:05 p.m. at the Sovereign Center, Seventh and Penn Streets, Reading PA. Tickets cost $7.50 each with a handling fee of $2.00 per order. To order, print the flyer available at the chamber website and fax it to 610-898-4625. For more information, call Justin at 610-898-7216.

See model freight and passenger car trains rumbling across 700 feet of track, over high trestle bridges, through towns, around mountains and through tunnels along the right of way from Reading to Philadelphia. It’s all part of the free annual model railroad open house hosted by the Schuylkill Valley Model Railroad Club from 1-4 p.m. at its headquarters, 400 S. Main St. (in the rear of the building), Phoenixville PA. The open house is held during the same hours on Sunday, too, but it all ends this weekend!

Sunday, Jan. 25

The Lower Pottsgrove Historical Society has scheduled its free monthly open house from 1-4 p.m. at the society’s headquarters and museum in the former Sanatoga Chapel, 2341 E. High St., Sanatoga. Society members will be on hand to greet visitors, and light refreshments will be available.

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Help's available.

POTTSTOWN PA – “Sources of Market Information and Marketing,” the third in a series of four weekly workshops intended to help local individuals launch their own businesses, will be held Monday (Jan. 26, 2009) from 7-9:30 p.m. by Pottstown Chapter 594 of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) at its offices, 244 High St., Suite 102.

The workshops offer “real help with the nuts and bolts of starting and operating a small business,” according to SCORE representatives. SCORE members provide new business owners with technical and managerial guidance, and answer their questions. The last class will be held Feb. 2.

Admission cost for each workshop is $25. For more information, call 610-327-2673.

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Growing.

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Six of 75 stores that grocery retailer Aldi Inc. hopes to open across the country during 2009 will be located in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, the supermarket chain recently announced. Its existing stores, including the one at 297 Armand Hammer Blvd., typically occupy spaces of up to 15,000 square feet in freestanding locations and strip centers.

Aldi’s Center Valley PA division, which manages stores in 17 states, told landlords it’s expecting to grow “throughout the East, South and Midwest.”

Photo by Adj Joemammy

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LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – A series of seminars designed to help diabetes patients of Pottstown Medical Specialists Inc. (PMSI) better manage their disease, and live healthier, have been scheduled to start next Saturday (Jan. 31, 2009) at 1 p.m. in the offices of Brookside Family Practice, 1555 Medical Dr.

Stay healthy with better sugar control.

The sessions are intended to launch the New Year right for patients, as PMSI partners with a national health care education firm – Patient360 – in helping diabetics become more aware of steps they can take to help improve their health. Participants in each session will have a one-on-one meeting with a PMSI physician, have their vitals taken by a nurse, and then enjoy an informative educational program conducted by PMSI’s patient education coordinator. For more information, call Brookside at 610-326-7820.

“Recent research shows patients want to know more about their illnesses, and want to be more involved in helping themselves get healthier. Our new programs are specifically designed to be easy to attend, fun to learn from, and productive in helping patients meet their wellness goals,” said Dr. Carol Henwood, D.O., a PMSI family practice physician.

“Our doctors and patients are working in tandem to solve medical problems,” Henwood added. “That’s why these seminars are so successful. The bonus is patients also say they are far more satisfied with their care because they have ownership in it!”

Photo by Karen Barefoot

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• Girls Freshman Basketball at home vs. Spring-Ford HS, 3:30 p.m.
• Boys 8th Basketball at home vs. Boyertown East, 3:30 p.m.
• Girls 8th Basketball at Boyertown East, 3:30 p.m.
• Boys 7th Basketball at home vs. Boyertown East, 4:30 p.m.
• Girls 7th Basketball at Boyertown East, 4:30 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Wrestling at Hatboro-Horsham, 5:30 p.m.

Provided by HighSchoolSports.net

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Increasingly, a sign of the times.

NORRISTOWN PA – Barack Obama, having just been sworn in as the nation’s 44th president Tuesday (Jan. 20, 2009), looked ahead in his inaugural address and saw today’s legal notices … filled with advertisements for homes to be disposed of under upcoming sheriff’s sales in Montgomery County.

“Our economy is badly weakened,” the president acknowledged in his speech yesterday from the steps of The Capitol, “a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered.”

His words ring as true locally as anywhere else in the country. In Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, seven foreclosed properties are scheduled to be sold next Wednesday (Jan. 28, 2009) by the office of county Sheriff John Durante. Another four are already scheduled for the Feb. 25 sale. And in adjacent Limerick Township, three are scheduled for next week, and one for February.

In fact, the entire eight-county Philadelphia region ranked 77th among 100 metropolitan areas nationwide in the number of foreclosure filings recorded during 2008, foreclosure record-keeper RealtyTrac of Irvine CA reported Jan. 15 (2009). Of the 50 states, Pennsylvania rated 32nd in foreclosure filings last year.

The nation’s Top 5 foreclosure states, RealtyTrac said, were Nevada, with 7.29% of its household units in foreclosure proceedings; Florida, 4.52%; Arizona, 4.49%; California, 3.97% and Colorado, 2.41%. Pennsylvania’s figure, by comparison, was only 0.68%

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