The Sanatoga Post

Maybe a new reason to smile.

SANATOGA PA – With home sales nationwide already in the basement and threatening to sink lower still, the real estate broker who leads the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors – and who also operates a branch office at 2500 E. High St. – sees any boost to the housing market as a good thing.

Sales of existing single-family homes across the country fell 4.7 percent from December (2008) to January (2009), the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Wednesday (Feb. 25, 2009). Last month’s sales also were 7.1 percent lower than those of January 2008, it added. Those are two reasons why NAR’s Pennsylvania affiliate welcomes newly enacted plans to help current and future home owners, its president, Greg Herb, said.

• Sales of new homes during January, reported today (Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009), fared even worse. Read the story at MarketWatch.

Herb is owner and managing broker of Herb Real Estate, which operates offices in Sanatoga and Gilbertsville.

The national Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, discussed Tuesday (Feb. 24, 2009) by President Obama in his highly watched televised address to Congress, intends to provide access to low-cost refinancing and help reduce monthly mortgage payments for as many as 9 million U.S. home owners facing the prospect of foreclosure. A second initiative, the First-Time Homeowner Tax Credit, gives first-time buyers an $8,000 refundable tax credit on the purchase of a home in 2009.

• Who qualifies? First-timers are considered those “who haven’t owned a primary residence in the past three years,” according to Jay Brower, a CPA in the Philadelphia accounting firm of Gold Gocial Gerstein. “In the past, taxpayers had 15 years to pay back this credit,” Brower said, “but 2009 buyers are off the hook as long as they live in the home for at least 36 months.”
• Help for those who bought earlier. A smaller tax credit is available for homes purchased on or after April 9, 2008, and before Jan. 1, 2009, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Both measures “can help invigorate the economy and the real estate industry overall,” Herb said, “by giving more residents the opportunity to save their homes and others a chance to purchase a home.”

A graph of home sales in the 19464 zip code from 2003 to 2008.

On the foreclosure front, at least, Pennsylvania seems to be faring better than other states. RealtyTrac, a company that monitors foreclosure activity, reported that national foreclosure rates decreased in January and that Pennsylvania ranked 29th in the nation for foreclosures, below the national average.

Graph from City-Data.com. Photo from Clipart.com

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SANATOGA PA – “Hometown America” is the theme of the 56th annual Pottstown Home Show, sponsored by the Building Industries Exchange (BIE) of Pottstown and Vicinity, which opens tonight (Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009) at 5 p.m. with an invitation-only ceremony at Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 N. Sunnybrook Rd. The event will officially open to the public a half-hour later.

The four-day expo runs through Sunday (March 1, 2009) and presents dozens of ideas, products, and services for the home, according to the BIE. The show offers drawings, prizes, demonstrations, and an all-under-one-roof opportunity for visitors to collect information from professionals on home building and improvement projects.

Here’s the show schedule:

• Thursday, Feb. 26, 5:30-9 p.m.
• Friday, Feb. 27, 5:30-9 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 28, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and
• Sunday, March 1, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Admission price at the door is $6, but BIE features a dollar-off coupon on its website. Find it here. Admission for children age 12 and younger is free when accompanied by an adult.

New to the Home Show this year is “People’s Choice Judging.” Adults in attendance will receive a ballot to nominate the exhibit they feel is the show’s best. Ballots will be tallied, and ribbons will be awarded to the first-, second-, and third-highest vote-getters. Several local firms are among the exhibitors: A.D. Moyer Lumber and Hardware, Sanatoga Water Conditioning, and Tri-County Area Federal Credit Union.

Visitors to the show will receive complimentary copies of what BIE describes as its “handsome, easy-to-handle and annually published” Directory of Construction Information. The book lists the organization’s membership both alphabetically and by trade classification.

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POTTSTOWN PA – A national organization representing private airplane owners and pilots has asked Pottstown’s mayor to force a halt to construction of the Upland Square shopping center at the intersection of Route 100 and State Street, because it claims buildings there will pose a hazard to operations at nearby Pottstown Municipal Airport.

• See an 8-second video, hosted at YouTube and filmed in June 2008, as contractors set off more than 14,000 pounds of explosives to start site work for Upland Square. Press the “play” button, above.
  

The Maryland-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), in a press release issued last week (Feb. 18. 2009), said it contacted borough Mayor Sharon V. Thomas “to urge that (Upland Square) be stopped.” AOPA Senior Director of Airports Heidi J. Williams said that, according to an analysis done by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the shopping center “will cause higher instrument landing minimums and is located inside the airport traffic pattern area.”

An aerial view of the airport.

Both put pilots at risk, Williams alleged. Although the shopping center itself is located in West Pottsgrove Township, the borough – which manages the airport – is required to protect it, she added.

Upland Square is expected to open for business later this summer. For Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township residents, its opening means a significantly shorter commute – reducing the 18-mile drive east to King of Prussia PA to one of only 5 miles west across town – to reach popular retail stores like Best Buy, and Bed, Bath and Beyond. The center also will house a Target, Giant Supermarket, Staples, L.A. Fitness, T.J. Maxx, Five Below, and Chili’s Restaurant.

Williams claimed the borough became obligated under FAA rules, when it accepted Airport Improvement Program funds, to keep terminal airspace free of obstructions and to prevent incompatible land uses near the airport. “West Pottsgrove Township was to enact hazardous zoning to protect the airport, and they have not done that. Instead, they have approved incompatible land uses near the airport,” Williams said.

• Read a history of Pottstown Municipal Airport at the borough’s website.

She contended that, under Pennsylvania law, every day an obstruction exists constitutes a summary offense.

Williams acknowledged the borough last year threatened to sue West Pottsgrove, “partly because no application had been filed with the FAA,” she said. Now that the FAA has made a hazard determination, following the application’s submission, she claimed, “we need Pottstown to take action.”

Video from YouTube. Photo from Pottstown.org

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SANATOGA PA – Weekend activities for Sanatogans (and anyone else!), Feb. 27-29 2009:

Friday, Feb. 27

The four-day 56th annual Pottstown Home Show, sponsored by the Building Industries Exchange (BIE) of Pottstown and Vicinity, continues tonight from 5:30-9 p.m., as well as on Saturday (Feb. 28, 2009) from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday (March 1, 2009) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., at Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 N. Sunnybrook Rd. The show offers drawings, prizes, demonstrations, and an all-under-one-roof opportunity for visitors to collect information from professionals on home building and improvement projects.

Ursinus College will present Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett’s play, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the college’s Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center, 601 E. Main St., Collegeville PA. Tickets are $5 for general admission, and $2.00 for students and senior citizens. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 610-409-3795.

The Spring-Ford High School Drama Club will present the musical adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s famous novel, Peter Pan, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Spring-Ford High School, 350 S. Lewis Rd., Royersford PA. The production will be repeated Saturday at the same time and place.

Saturday, Feb. 28

The annual Maple Sugar Festival at the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, 1201 Pawlings Rd., Audubon PA will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is free. The festival takes visitors from the maple tree to the table, describing the Native American beginnings of maple syrup to its modern day production. Maple products also will be available for sale.

Montgomery County Community College will host a performance of “The Carl Sandburg Project,” by the Matt Wilson Arts and Crafts Ensemble, at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell PA. A pre-concert lecture will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for reserved seating, $18 for senior citizens and students, and $10 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, call 215-641-6518.

Sunday, March 1

A Maple Sugar Magic presentation at the Green Lane Nature Center, 1492 Gravel Pike, Green Lane PA, begins at 10 a.m. and is geared to children ages 3-6. They’ll walk through the sugar bush on a guided tour, taste samples, and hear stories about the business of syruping. The interactive program costs $4, and advance registration is required. For information and registration, call 215-234-8497.

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• None until Friday (Feb. 27, 2009)

Provided by HighSchoolSports.net

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LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Four “critically needed” improvements at Pottsgrove School District buildings, estimated to cost $80,000, were approved to be sent to public bid Tuesday night (Feb. 24, 2009) by the district Board of School Directors. The expense will be paid from a capital reserve fund of about $5.5 million, established by the board several years ago, rather than be added into the district’s still unfinished 2009-2010 budget.

One example of a ceiling overhead projector.

However, board members halted in its tracks a district plan to install overhead projectors in classrooms at Lower Pottsgrove and West Pottsgrove elementary schools, at a combined cost of $310,000. Although they consider the project desirable, a majority agreed with director Robert Lindgren’s observation: “I’m not sure we need to do it this year.”

Displays of educational materials, created by the ceiling-mounted projectors on screens within classrooms, have been described by district Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis as “the chalkboards of the 21st century.” They have already been installed at Pottsgrove High and Middle schools, so the decision to suspend work at the elementary buildings represents a significant, albeit possibly temporary, reversal in collective board thinking.

Because the board anticipates refurbishing Ringing Rocks Elementary School, although the nature or extent of renovations have yet to be authorized, it was not included in the projector project. In district literature, such as board agendas and minutes, the projector program has been referred to as “classroom technology upgrades.”

Receiving board approval for bidding were:

• Upgrading air conditioning in computer facilities at the district office, 1301 Kauffman Rd. Air handling there is considered inadequate to keep the systems cool, district Director of Facilities and Physical Plants Michael Katzenmoyer told board members during their Feb. 10 (2009) meeting. Cost: $30,000.
• A similar upgrade for computer service air conditioning at the middle school. Cost: $10,000.
• Increasing the back-up or emergency power supply for computers at the district office. Cost: $30,000. and,
• Upgrading a fire alarm panel at West Pottsgrove Elementary, $10,000.

The district will advertise for bids on all four in coming weeks, Business Manager David Nester said. Work is expected to be done during the summer and completed in time for school re-opening in September.

Improvements deemed critical by district administrators, as well as many others on a capital projects wish-list, initially were presented by Katzenmoyer during his review of the district Facilities Department proposed budget. Board members asked Katzenmoyer to prioritize the projects in anticipation that some or all would be paid for from the capital reserve fund.

It was during the Feb. 10 review, in response to a question posed by district resident Pamela Peerce-Landers of North Sanatoga Road, that Landis described the projector project and said he considered it “not a luxury but a necessity.”

Before the board’s vote Tuesday, board President Michael Neiffer endorsed continuing with the projectors. The district was “creating an environment very complimentary to education,” he said. “I’d hate for us to start hacking off these things.” Lindgren contended the administration had not sufficiently demonstrated how much, or how extensively, the already installed set of projectors was being used.

Photo from Northeastern Illinois University

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LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – “No one,” International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge once observed, “can predict the future.” As far as enrollments in Pottsgrove School District classrooms go, it seems he’s right.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), in its just-released projections for district enrollment, predicts attendance at Pottsgrove High and Middle schools will be relatively unchanged during the next decade, while enrollment in its elementary schools could rise by almost 400 students in the same period. That’s practically the opposite of conclusions drawn from a 2005 district study, which indicates elementary enrollment will be flat and high school enrollment will rise.

Whose guess is right, and whose is wrong, could make a big difference in determining how and where, if at all, the district adds future classroom capacity.

District offices on Kauffman Road, Lower Pottsgrove PA.

Members of the district Board of School Directors learned of the contradictory results Tuesday night (Feb. 24, 2009) during their meeting in the district office, 1301 Kauffman Rd. They informally decided to do nothing with the information, however, until after the board’s Facilities Committee meets with district architects Gilbert Associates of Lancaster PA to discuss options for renovating the aging Ringing Rocks Elementary School. That meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 9 (2009; Monday) at 7 p.m. in the district office.

District Superintendent Dr. Bradly Landis encouraged the committee meeting because he said district administrators were consulting with Gilbert representatives weekly and were “making progress” on fleshing out the options for Ringing.

During its Feb. 10 meeting, the board voted unanimously to have Gilbert create three choices to refurbish Ringing: 1) a bare-bones repair project; 2) a renovation and expansion that includes room for full-day kindergarten classes and needed space for existing programs; and 3) an in-between choice. Landis believes the work can be ready for public presentation by April.

But unexpected growth at the elementary schools, as state projections suggest, possibly could cause the building program to be re-considered. PDE’s results, completed in January, were received by the district within the last two weeks, Landis said.

Board Secretary Phil Keogh dismissed them. “PDE projections have always tended to be on the high side,” he said. The state “does tend to have bigger swings than the actual numbers,” District Business Manager David Nester agreed. District-wide enrollment has averaged about 3,200 students “for the past 25 years,” board member Robert Lindgren added, and noted there was little new home construction to indicate elementary school growth. “Where are all these new students supposed to be living?,” he asked.

Directors were uncomfortable with a suggestion, offered by Landis, that the district could update its own 2005 study at a cost of about $12,000. “I’d rather hold off until Gilbert comes back to us,” board Treasurer Fred Remelius said, reflecting the thinking of his colleagues.

Related (to Ringing Rocks building renovations):

• Pottsgrove To Trust-But-Verify On Ringing Plans
• Ringing Rocks Plans Take Another Step
• No Shortage Of Ideas At Pottsgrove Meeting
• Weigh In On Pottsgrove Renovations
• Framing The Rocks Discussion
• Response Mixed To Pottsgrove Improvements
• District Invites Public For Study Results
• A Different Rocks, But Only As A Concept

Related (To Pottsgrove School Directors’ Feb. 24 meeting):

• Pottsgrove Projector Project Halted

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• Spring Athletic Physicals, Pottsgrove, 3:15 p.m.
• High/Middle School Spring Coaches Meeting, Pottsgrove, 3:45 p.m.
• PAC-10 Lacrosse Coaches Meeting, 6 p.m.

Provided by HighSchoolSports.net

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VALLEY FORGE PA – Alex Cox has traveled from his Centerville MD home to all parts of the world for more than 18 years, selling high-end restaurant-quality cookware for household use. In a job that’s taken him “from Maine to Spain,” as he loves telling customers, Cox has witnessed plenty of unusual things. Rarely, though, he said, has he seen anything like Saturday (Feb. 21, 2009) at the Valley Forge Convention Center.

• Watch a 1m48s Post video, hosted at YouTube, that goes inside the home show. Press the “play” button, above.

Cox, who is accustomed to selling $50,000 worth of pots and pans in a single month, claimed he had his best sales day ever Saturday, as the convention center filled to capacity with people attending the Greater Philadelphia Spring Home Show. Other vendors were similarly delighted with what seemed to be a record-breaking crowd, although neither the center or the show’s promoter, Syosset NY-based American Consumer Shows (ACS), have yet announced attendance figures.

The attraction, most vendors believe, was the magic of a word that warms the heart of bargain-hunters everywhere. “Free.”

ACS decided to throw the doors open to the public at no cost, forsaking $9-a-head admission fees in what it touted as a thank-you gesture for attendance at past shows and in recognition of the recession’s local impact. On television and radio, and in newspaper advertising, the word went out: there’s no charge to get in.

Its strategy worked, maybe far better than the promoter planned.

In Saturday’s chilling winds and Sunday’s cold drizzle, visitors waited outside in line for up to an hour just to get through the center’s doors. The place was so packed at times that security personnel were forced to limit the number of people entering until others left. Mark Dierolf of Sanatoga Water Conditioning, which was among the show’s exhibitors, said the aisles were occasionally so filled that foot traffic seemed gridlocked.

The show itself took up both floors of the center, and on each aisles were lined with booths offering every sort of home repair, improvement or enhancement product and service imaginable. About 150 vendors could be found on the first floor alone, and another 70 or so on the second floor.

Cox, who represents Health Craft Inc. of Tampa FL, had been demonstrating and selling his company’s products, cookware made of surgical steel that retails at $1,600 for a set of four pots and accompanying covers, since Friday. By Sunday afternoon he’d exhausted his supply of customer brochures. “It’s been a little busy,” Cox said with understatement. He was tired, but grinning.

“I just didn’t expect this number of people,” he added.

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They paid how much?

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – The top price paid for a home within the township from Nov. 10-17, 2008, was $157,000, the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper reports.

The home is located at 105 Oaktree Ct. This week’s top reported prices were listed Sunday (Feb. 22, 2009) in “The Top 50,” the newspaper’s weekly review of highest prices paid for homes sold within the city of Philadelphia and the townships in its surrounding counties.

By contrast, during the same period, the top home sales price in Pottstown Borough, immediately to the west was $223,343; Limerick Township, east, $369,000; New Hanover Township, northeast, $411,355; Upper Pottsgrove Township, northwest, none listed; and in North Coventry Township, south, $307,900.

Related:

• What They Sold For, Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2008
• What They Sold For, Oct. 20-27, 2008
• What They Sold For, Oct. 13-17, 2008
• What They Sold For, Oct. 6-10, 2008
• What They Sold For, Sept. 29 -Oct. 3, 2008
• What They Sold For, Sept. 22-26, 2008
• What They Sold For, Sept. 15-19, 2008
• What They Sold For, Sept. 8-12, 2008
• What They Sold For, Sept. 1-5, 2008
• What They Sold For, Aug. 25-29, 2008
• What They Sold For, Aug. 18-22, 2008

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