The Sanatoga Post

Economic stimulus cash is headed Pottsgrove's way.

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – A one-time federal economic stimulus infusion of $1.6 million, used creatively by the Pottsgrove School District, can lower next year’s projected budget deficit from $646,000 to $71,000, Business Administrator David Nester told the district Board of School Directors on Tuesday (April 28, 2009).

But the money would not reduce the proposed 2009-2010 property tax rate increase of 5.2 percent, Nester acknowledged, and some of it might be allocated to projects the board already decided not to pursue. While his recommendations were accepted by a majority, three obviously unhappy directors voted against them and board President Michael Neiffer warned more needed to be cut from the budget.

Neiffer’s challenge to administrators: within the next two weeks, eliminate another $300,000 in costs and trim the tax increase by about 1 percent. They won’t be cutting blindly, though. During the same period, at the urging of board Treasurer Fred Remelius, directors expect to guide district officials on what else they think can be sacrificed to meet the goal.

Nester noted his plan to use the stimulus bonus, authorized in January by Congress for distribution to the nation’s schools, broadly interprets some rules on how it can be spent. In some cases, he said, stimulus funds will pay for goods or services that would have come from other parts of the budget anyway, “while increasing the local money for other uses” like reducing the deficit.

His aim in applying stimulus funds, Nester told directors candidly, was to avoid costs that might haunt the board in future budgets. The district specifically wants to avoid hires represented by labor bargaining units, whose positions may not be easily eliminated in later years. “When funding dries up,” district Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis said, “we’re not obligated to keep anyone.”

“We don’t want something that would come back and bite us in two years,” Neiffer agreed.

In addition, stimulus cash could resurrect projects district administrators favor, like the installation of overhead projectors and technology enhancements at Lower and West Pottsgrove elementary schools, and improvements to the Pottsgrove High School athletic fields. Those have been hot-button issues among some directors, and Tuesday raised several objections.

Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ April 28 meeting):

• District OKs Architect Negotiations

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Ringing Rocks students under the direction of artist-in-residence Ben Volta work on their mural. It'll be unveiled by Volta today.

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Today’s (Thursday, April 30, 2009) the day of the great unveiling.

Philadelphia artist Ben Volta, who currently serves as artist-in-residence at Ringing Rocks Elementary School, 1401 Kauffman Rd., during its annual art show today will reveal a mural created in part by the school’s fifth-grade students. The unveiling takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Fifth-grade classes collaborated on a theme based on Ringing Rocks Park and the visualization of common sounds, according to Pottsgrove School District spokesperson Beth Tripani. Volta scanned all the students’ work into a computer, and produced a unified piece approximately 3-feet high by 9-feet long.

Volta’s work at Ringing is supported by the Pennsylvania Artist-in-Residence Program.

Photo by Ben Volta

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Jen Trythall of Pottsgrove Softball II.

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – There was a slight breeze blowing, temperatures had cooled considerably from the day’s highs, and players in Wednesday afternoon’s (April 29, 2009) Pottsgrove Girls Fast-Pitch Softball (PGFS) game on the northwest ball field at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School had already limbered up. All they awaited, while shivering slightly, was an umpire who arrived later than expected. The delay mattered little once the game got under way. Participants and fans alike cheered, dispersing the chill, as opposing pitchers offered up their best stuff.

• See a Post gallery of 31 photos from the field.

Amber Sergas of Central Perkiomen.

SANATOGA PA – Weekend activities for Sanatogans (and anyone else!), May 1-3, 2009:

• These and future events are included on The Post calendar.

Big band sounds in Boyertown.

Friday, May 1

The Mike Vax Big Band, featuring alumni from the Stan Kenton Orchestra, will play in concert at 7:30 p.m. at Boyertown Area High School, 120 N. Monroe St., Boyertown PA. The concert, sponsored by the Boyertown Area Music League, represents the band’s first East Coast appearance in eight years. Tickets are available by calling 610-473-3527.

Saturday, May 2

A yard sale and auction fund-raiser conducted by Cedarville United Methodist Church will begin at 8 a.m. at the church, 1092 Laurelwood Rd., Pottstown PA. The yard sale continues until noon; the auction begins at 12:30 p.m.  Light lunch and snacks will be available for purchase. Persons interested in operating a table at the yard sale can set up beginning at 7:30 a.m. and sell until noon; the cost is $10. For more information, call sale volunteer Linda Knox at 610-326-4185.

A similar fund-raising yard sale, this one to benefit the Lower Pottsgrove Historical Society, runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the society’s Sanatoga Chapel headquarters, 2341 E. High St., Sanatoga PA.

Pottsgrove Manor’s annual Colonial May Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on its grounds, 100 W. King St., giving today’s Pottstown residents a glimpse back into their revolutionary past.

The Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority will hold its monthly First Saturday events from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on High Street in downtown Pottstown PA. This month features:

• the Pottstown Health Club doing free exercise, and the Massage Academy doing free yoga, both at Smith Plaza Park (SMP), 10 a.m.;
• Riverfront Park clean-up, starting at 10 a.m.;
• the Pottstown Car Club classic car show from 4-9 p.m.; and throughout the day music and live entertainment,
• Preservation Pottstown doing a “bike toss” at the old Slack Shack lot,
• the Pottstown Library doing a workshop to teach people how to use the libraries, at Smith Family Plaza;
• an open house reception for paper show artists hosted at the Gallery on High, and
• demonstrator Bruce Tatem.

Trees – which provide shade, remove air pollutants, reduce storm water runoff, and offer fun and natural beauty – must be planted properly to live long and healthy lives. Learn proper tree planting and preparations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. during a program at Pavilion 2 in Warwick Park, 191 County Park Rd., Knauertown PA. Ongoing maintenance, and making the right tree choices will be covered by instructor and Consulting Tree Biologist John A. Keslick Jr. For more information or to register, call John Spencer at 610-469-1916.

Revolutionary War re-enactors will recreate an encampment from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge PA, to observe the 231st anniversary of America’s early, pivotal alliance with France in 1778. Visitors can enter the free encampment at Conway’s Brigade (off Route 23), and speak with living historians – officers and enlisted men, women and children – about their experiences at Valley Forge and what the French Alliance meant to the American Revolution. At the park’s Welcome Center, children will be able to create tri-corner hats and French flags. The event also will be held Sunday at the same times. For more information, call 610-783-1077.

Sunday, May 3

Learn basic fishing skills like knot tying, casting, baiting a hook – and taking a fish off one – during a family fishing program from 9 a.m. to Noon at in the lower parking area at Warwick County Park, 191 County Park Rd., Knauertown PA. The only catch? Adults must be accompanied by a child. Participants will have the opportunity to fish without the need of a fishing license, and all equipment is provided. The program is sponsored and taught by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. For more information or to register, call John Spencer at 610-469-1916.

Archeologists, local historians and re-enactors of black history will be on hand to greet visitors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during Pine Forge History Day at the Rutter Mansion on Pine Forge Road in Pine Forge PA. Established in 1716, Pine Forge claims to be the first iron forge in Pennsylvania. Admission is free. Live entertainment is scheduled, and food will be available. The event is sponsored by the Pine Forge Historical Society. For more information, call 610-367-7881.

A polka festival returns from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. to Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Sanatoga PA, featuring three bands. Lenny Golmulka and Chicago Push, the Polka Family, and Janet and John O’Such are scheduled to play. Food service wil be available. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $17 at the door. For more information, call 484-624-5186.

A women’s “Opportuni-Tea,” an informal tea service at which a distinguished panel of local women will discuss seizing opportunities to make a mark in life, will be held from 1-4 p.m. at Cutillo’s Restaurant, 2688 E. High St., Sanatoga PA. Tickets cost $20 per person. For more information, or to reserve a seat, call the YWCA Tri-County Area at 610-323-1888.

Photo by Clipart.com

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Rub-a-dub-dub.

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Let a group of students, specifically members of the French Club at Pottsgrove High School, give your car a wash Saturday (May 2, 2009) from noon to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School, 1329 Buchert Rd. The event raises funds for club activities. The cost: $5 per car.

Photo by Clipart.com

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A fast tango.

POTTSTOWN PA – Put on your dancin’ shoes during May, urge the folks at SwingKat Entertainment, which operates the Ballroom On High, 310 High St. SwingKat has announced next month’s schedule of dances open to the public, some of which feature live bands.

• These events have been added to The Post calendar.

Admission fees are charged, and most dances are preceded by dance lessons taught by SwingKat staffers or guest instructors, also for a fee. The schedule:

• Country dancing May 3, 17 and 31 with DJ Midnight Cowboy. Admission $10.
• Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Cha Cha dancing May 14 and 28 with Star Seguinot. Admission $10.
• First Friday West Coast Swing dancing May 1 with a DJ. Admission $12.
• Swing dancing with a live band (May 8: Drew Nugent & Vince Giordano; May 15: Hot Patootoes; May 22: Walt Wagner & Serenadors; and May 29: The Gashouse Gorillas). Tables and seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission varies with the band presented, $12-$20.
• Ballroom dancing featuring Waltz, Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Rumba, Tango, West Coast Swing and East Coast Swing, May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 with guest DJs. Admission $12.

For more information, call SwingKat at 610-348-6727.

Photo by Watje via StockXchng

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• Boys Varsity Tennis at PAC-10 DOUBLES, Perkiomen, TBA
• Coed 8th Track at home vs. Upper Perkiomen, 3:30 p.m.
• Girls 8th Lacrosse at home vs. Boyertown East, Pottsgrove, 3:45 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Lacrosse at home vs. Perkiomen Valley, Lower, 3:45 p.m.
• Boys JV Lacrosse at home vs. Perkiomen Valley, Lower, 5 p.m.
• Girls 7th Lacrosse at home vs. Boyertown East, Pottsgrove, 5 p.m.

Provided by HighSchoolSports.net

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LOWER POTTSGROVE PA -Pottsgrove School District Business Administrator David Nester was authorized Tuesday (April 28, 2009) to begin negotiations with district architects on a contract that someday could result in the renovation and expansion of Ringing Rocks Elementary School.

Front entrance at Ringing Rocks Elementary School.

Haggling over or documenting a proposed agreement between the district and its designers does not commit the Board of School Directors to construction, nor does it mean any plans most recently discussed for Ringing, 1401 Kauffman Rd., have been finalized. Both, the board said during its meeting Tuesday in the district administration building, 1301 Kauffman Rd., are still a long way off.

The board also directed Nester and administration officials to consider contract language that would either limit the fee earned by Gilbert Architects of Lancaster PA to no more than 6 percent of the project’s total cost, or create potential financial incentives if the firm met specific goals. Among board objectives: maintaining project quality while bringing it in under estimated costs, and completing the project ahead of schedule.

What they want to avoid, board members repeatedly expressed, is a situation like the one in which the Spring-Ford Area School District now finds itself: at odds with its architect over fees because, in the current economy, construction expenses fell significantly below estimates.

“There’s got to be a way to word the contract to offer incentives to be cost-effective,” director and board Treasurer Fred Remelius suggested. “In light of what’s happening in Spring-Ford, that’s an excellent idea,” board President Michael Neiffer agreed.

Director Robert Lindgren, however, cautioned that construction quality must be a priority. “The architects need an understanding that we want a building … that’s going to last in the long term, not something we’ve got to fix 10 years later,” he said.

Lindgren also is determined to avoid glitz, glamor and trendiness. “I really want us to move away from state-of-the-art in terms of fads” in Ringing’s proposed construction, he told board colleagues, “and stick with what’s worked over time. I want our kids to get awards. I don’t care if our buildings get awards.”

Once negotiated, the board must approve any contract with Gilbert before it takes effect. Even after approval, Nester noted, the board could choose to decide not to continue with Ringing’s renovations and pay the architects only for work completed to that point. “But there is an expectation that if we enter into an agreement,” Nester said, “there will be a project.”

Related:

• Consensus On Ringing Renovations: $16M
• Ringing Rocks Proposals Aired Tuesday
• Ringing Rocks Re-Examined April 14
• 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

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SANATOGA PA – If it seems as though there’s an unusual increase in the number of limousines entering and leaving the grounds of Sunnybrook Ballroom during recent weekends, it’s because the venerable dance hall has become a popular venue for an ages-old tradition: the high school prom.

He's doing the driving Friday.

The ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Road, plays host Friday night (May 1, 2009) to the prom of Lower Pottsgrove’s St. Pius X High School. Lucky Pius juniors and seniors who plan to attend will be able to leave school Friday after their fourth-period classes to prepare for the night’s big doin’s.

On Saturday, (May 2, 2009) just 24 hours later, Sunnybrook welcomes the Oley Valley Senior High School prom. Then on May 16 (2009; Saturday), it will be home to the similar event scheduled by Emmaus High School; and on May 29 (2009; Friday), for the prom-goers from Boyertown Area Senior High School.

Owen J. Roberts High School held its prom at Sunnybrook earlier, on April 24 (2009).

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