The Sanatoga Post

Tender and sweet. Healthy, too.

POTTSTOWN PA – For centuries people have believed that eating chocolate may be good for the human heart. Now, according to representatives of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center (PMMC), 1600 E. High St., modern research has found that chocolate – or at least dark chocolate – may truly have some health benefits.

Dark chocolate contains antioxidants, substances that protect the body’s cells from damage. Medical studies indicate that one and a half ounces of dark chocolate provide the same amount of the antioxidant phenol as a glass of red wine, which research has shown to have a protective effect on the heart. Dark chocolate also contains catechins, the antioxidants contained in tea.

During February, the Health eCooking™ pages of the hospital’s website feature a video in which Washington DC area chef Gary Fick, of The Crossing at Casey Jones restaurant, makes his kitchen’s most popular and romantic dinner, a chocolate-crusted cocoa filet mignon. The filet is baked and served atop creamy cauliflower, in place of mashed potatoes. This exotic and lean beef entree is heart-healthy.

The video is produced for PMMC by New Jersey-based Baldwin Publishing.

Turning high-fat favorites into diabetes-friendly and heart-healthy dishes is easy, according to hospital marketing director Deb Bennis. All it takes, she says, is a few simple changes using everyday ingredients found in local grocery stores.

Here’s the Fick recipe for “Chocolate-Crusted Cocoa Filet Mignon,” served atop “Creamy Cauliflower:”

Ingredients:
2 filet mignon (6 oz each)
2 tsp olive oil
Cocoa Crust
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Creamy Cauliflower
1 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup 2% Milk
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp margarine

Directions:
Filet – Coat both sides of each filet with the cocoa crust mixture thoroughly. Pan sear each side of the filet for 60 seconds in olive oil (optional). Transfer filet to a baking dish and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the filet reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Let the filet rest for 10-15 minutes before serving to allow it to cook fully.

Creamy Cauliflower – Mix together milk and water in a medium pot and bring to a simmer. Add cauliflower into mixture and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Strain, reserving one cup of milk/water mixture. Transfer cauliflower to a blender, adding salt and white pepper and reserved liquid. Purée until fluffy. Add margarine to taste.

Nutrition facts (per serving):
Cocoa Filet Mignon – Calories 304; Fat 14 g; Saturated Fat 4 g; Cholesterol 84 mg; Sodium 376 mg; Carbohydrates 3 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 37 g. Creamy Cauliflower: Calories 65; Fat 4 g; Saturated Fat 1 g; Cholesterol 3 mg; Sodium 157 mg; Carbohydrates 6 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 3 g.

Photo supplied by Pottstown Memorial Medical Center

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LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Rep. Charlie Dent, the township’s congressman (PA 15th District), has been named for a third term to the House Committee on Homeland Security, and will serve as the ranking Republican on its Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection.

Americans are “faced with many security challenges,” Dent said, but can “work together to solve them.” The subcommittee, according to a statement Tuesday from Dent’s office, has jurisdiction over security issues for aviation, mass transit and rail, and surface transportation.

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• Boys District Basketball at WC Rustin HS
• Boys Varsity Wrestling at DISTRICTS, Quakertown HS, 9 a.m.
• Boys Varsity Basketball at Strath Haven, 7:30 p.m.

Provided by HighSchoolSports.net

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Greg Berry, and the PA Township News.

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Former North Sanatoga Road resident Greg Berry, now a oft-quoted member of Pottstown (PA) Borough Council and the owner of Pottstown-based PointSolve Inc., is making news this month with another firm he’s founded, Municibid.com.

Berry and Municibid, an online auction site used by municipal governments and agencies to sell unwanted equipment, are featured in the Feb. 2009 edition of PA Township News, the monthly magazine of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.

The PA Township News article, titled “Internet Auctions Increase Revenue, Save Townships Money by Creating True Competition,” describes how Municibid provides online auction services and e-mail updates to roughly 15,000 paying subscribers and the general public. Magazine Associate Editor Brenda Wilt describes online sites like Municibid and its competitors as “a cost-effective way for townships to purchase used vehicles and equipment” as well.

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A second wired television choice could soon be available.

SANATOGA PA – Lower Pottsgrove‘s more than 4,100 households may get access to television programming carried by Verizon fiber optic cables within the next five years, under a deal that has yet to be approved by the township Board of Commissioners but for which a Verizon representative said Thursday (Feb. 19, 2009) a “handshake agreement” had been struck.

If accepted by the board, Lower Pottsgrove’s 10-year contract with Verizon may initially earn it $35,000 to $50,000 a year, township Manager Rodney Hawthorne estimated.

Board members entered into executive session Tuesday night, following their regular meeting at the township municipal building, to read through contract details with their solicitor, R. Kurtz Holloway. Commissioners said they probably would vote on the contract, officially known as a franchise agreement, during their March 2 (2009) meeting.

Laying fiber optic cable in Lower Pottsgrove could begin in the second half of this year.

Verizon director of external affairs for Montgomery County, Daniel Reavy, said if the contract was approved the township could expect his company to begin installing its cables during the second half of this year. It will take two to five years, Reavy said, for Verizon’s FiOS-branded television services to reach all homes within Lower Pottsgrove’s 8-square-mile area.

“We think this is terrific news for residents. It gives them true cable choice,” Reavy said, in a reference to Comcast Corp., currently the only local provider of wired television services. Comcast also has a 10-year agreement with the township, and would compete with Verizon for customers.

It’s been about two years since Verizon and the township first discussed the prospect of bringing FiOS here, and the board’s official minutes indicate it’s been 13 months since commissioners authorized Hawthorne to review the company’s proposals and make recommendations on franchise agreement talks. Reavy, who used the handshake metaphor to characterize Verizon’s understanding with Hawthorne, was joined by two other company representatives early during the board’s meeting to answer questions.

Although the agreement is not final until approved, Hawthorne, the commissioners, and Reavy said specifics included:

• Earnings. The township will earn 5 percent of Verizon’s gross annual revenues on the sale of television services only to Lower Pottsgrove residents. If Hawthorne’s estimate of up to $50,000 in earnings is accurate, it values Verizon’s sales here at about $1 million a year. Lower Pottsgrove’s agreement with Comcast also pays 5 percent, and earns it about $150,000 annually, Hawthorne said, valuing Comcast’s sales at about $3 million a year. Reavy said Verizon hopes to capture “at a minimum” 25 to 30 percent of the local market, mostly by trying to eat Comcast’s lunch.
• Signing bonus. Verizon will make a one-time, $6,000 payment to the township within 90 days of the franchise agreement’s signing. Lower Pottsgrove can use this money for any purpose, although Hawthorne said he envisioned spending it on public education efforts.
• Channel access. Verizon would reserve two channels in its spectrum for use by the township or its designees, such as the Pottsgrove School District. Verizon is not supplying a studio or any equipment that could make use of those channels, however.
• “Aggressive” build-out. The sooner Verizon can lay cable, the sooner it can start selling. The company wants to begin quickly, but won’t tell the public in advance which parts of the township will receive FiOS first. “We don’t want to give that advantage to the competition,” Reavy said.
• Enhanced customer dispute resolution. Hawthorne said Verizon would not arbitrarily suspend service to customers involved in disputes over service or payment issues.

Reavy said Verizon already had franchise agreements in place with 50 Montgomery County municipalities, including Limerick and Upper Providence townships and Collegeville and Trappe boroughs. It was still negotiating, he said, with Pottstown and Royersford boroughs.

Related:

• Verizon Negotiating For Franchise Here

Related: (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ Feb. 19 meeting):

• Bridge Closing Threatens Businesses, Board Says
• Awaiting Agenda In Lower Pottsgrove

Photos from Clipart.com

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SANATOGA PA – In its continuing distress over the announced closing of the East High Street bridge at Sanatoga Road later this year for repairs, Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township has appealed to elected state officials to mediate on its behalf with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and keep traffic flowing. If they can’t work something out, members of the township Board of Commissioners said Thursday (Feb. 19, 2009), they believe some Lower Pottsgrove merchants will go out of business.

Cutillo's Restaurant, which last September built an outdoor patio to attract customers, is among businesses directly affected by the impending closing of an East High Street bridge.

With more than 30 companies located along the portion of highway affected by the closing, board member James Phillips said, “somebody has to start thinking about” its impact. The work is expected to take four to six months, and “I think we’re going to lose businesses because of it,” board Vice President Jonathan Spadt added.

It was the most dire warning yet sounded by commissioners, who are adamant that PennDOT must find a way to keep at least one lane of the two-lane bridge open during the day, or conduct its work at night during hours of decreased traffic. The 300-foot-long bridge, which crosses Sanatoga Creek, is scheduled to be straightened, have cracks in its masonry filled, and receive a new retaining barrier. The bridge was last closed for repairs in 2004.

Problems the township experienced then will only be compounded now, commissioners argue, due to local business, traffic and population growth. Township Manager Rodney Hawthorne sent letters recently to state Rep. Thomas Quigley and Sen. John Rafferty, asking for their help in getting PennDOT to alter its closing plans. Both assured him “they’re working on it,” Hawthorne said.

East High Street is the primary east-west roadway that cuts through the heart of Sanatoga village and across the entire width of the township. Repairs would be made between Allison Drive, on the bridge’s west side, and Sanatoga Road on the east. Access will be available to all local businesses and residents on either side, but PennDOT plans to detour through traffic from Armand Hammer Boulevard, along a substantial portion of U.S. Route 422, and back to East High near the Sanatoga interchange.

• A color map of the detour and affected area is being distributed as a single-page Adobe Acrobat document by ‘The Post’ and is available for download here.

Crossing the bridge.

The route effectively isolates the entire village district from the benefit of drive-by customers. “There’s got to be a more creative way to handle it,” Phillips pleaded. “It’s imposing such an undue burden on the businesses there.”

Board President Bruce Foltz also worries about the ability of police, fire and ambulance reponders to quickly reach an emergency or accident scene if the bridge closes. Although township Police Chief Michael Shade has said he does not foresee problems, Foltz Thursday repeated his assertion the bridge closing would slow response times.

The exact date of the bridge closing is still unknown. Traffic Planning and Design Inc., the Sanatoga firm hired by PennDOT to supervise the bridge’s repair, indicated late last year the work could start by April. A Feb. 10 (2009) report published by The (Pottstown PA) Mercury newspaper claimed the department had pushed the start date back to June, but Hawthorne said the township had not received notice of that decision.

Related:

• Sanatoga Bridge Closing This Spring
• Bridge Repairs Next Year

Related: (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ Feb. 19 meeting):

• Proposed Deal Bringing FiOS Here
• Awaiting Agenda In Lower Pottsgrove

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POTTSTOWN PA – Looking for a job? Look toward the West Campus of Montgomery County Community College.

The college will hold a career fair March 9 (2009; Monday) from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lobby of South Hall lobby, 101 College Dr. It features up to 20 area businesses and organizations who will be on hand to recruit for part-time, full-time, temporary and seasonal employment, as well as for internships.

The career fair is free and open to the public. For more information, call Cindy Murphy at 610-718-1802 or send her an e-mail.

• Allentown’s WFMZ-TV Channel 69 covered Monday’s (March 9, 2009) job fair at the college’s Pottstown campus. Read its story and see a video of the broadcast here.
• A similar job fair conducted by the college at its Blue Bell campus is covered in a 4m16s video produced Tuesday (Feb. 24, 2009) by The (Lansdale PA) Reporter newspaper. View it here.

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LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Diamond Credit Union will hold its 62nd annual meeting for members and stakeholders  March 3 (2009; Tuesday) at 5 p.m. in the credit union’s offices at 1600 Medical Dr.

• This event has been added to The Post’s March calendar.

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• None scheduled until Saturday (Feb. 21, 2009)

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SANATOGA PA – Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township’s Board of Commissioners, the elected body that governs affairs of the municipality, is scheduled to meet tonight (Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009) and conduct business beginning at 7 p.m. in the township municipal building, 2199 Buchert Road. The public may attend.

Just what board members will address or act on, however, isn’t yet known. As of 7 a.m. today the board’s meeting agenda was not yet available for download from the township website. When ready, the agenda usually can be found here as an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) document.

The website’s home page, however, does carry two notices worthy of mention:

• A township zoning hearing originally scheduled to be held earlier this week (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009), at which a Specht Investors LLC proposal to construct new office buildings at 1800 E. High St. would have been reviewed, was postponed as expected. The developer sent word this month to township planners, who must make a recommendation on the project’s merits to the zoning board, that it would not be ready. The zoning hearing has been re-scheduled for March 17 (2009; Tuesday) at 6 p.m. at the municipal building. This event has been added to The Post’s March calendar.
• 

  Warning issued.

  Superior Water Company, the water utility in Montgomery and Chester counties that serves some Lower Pottsgrove residents, on Feb. 6 (2009) advised the township by press release that higher-than-acceptable annual average levels of arsenic had been detected in its water supply. There’s no need to panic, Superior said, or to find alternate water supplies. But it suggested that customers with specific health concerns should consult their doctor. It’s already taken steps to correct the problem, Superior added.

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