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A home under construction at 342 Canyon Creek Rd., Gilbertsville PA, sits unfinished between already completed properties.

Plastic sheeting protects a finished interior stairway from the elements, even though the doorway and some windows are wide open.

GILBERTSVILLE PA – A property owner on Canyon Creek Road in the Kingston Hill development, less than a half-mile north of the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township border, busily erected an ornamental stone wall outside his front porch early Sunday (April 26, 2009) morning. As neighbors passed by – some walking a dog, some just out for a stroll – they stopped to chat, and the current controversy involving their home builder was the sole topic of conversation.

The public, and specifically thousands of families who bought homes in recent years from Harleysville-based TH Properties (THP), are wondering what their next move can be since the company announced last week it was suspending business operations. Work has stopped on hundreds of homes under construction, including those at Kingston Hill, and some buyers have thousands of dollars tied up in deposits and escrow accounts.

• Speaking out. Representatives of Kingston Hill residents plan to attend tonight’s meeting (Monday, April 27, 2009) of the New Hanover (PA) Township Board of Supervisors to air their concerns and seek township help. Spokespersons for the group apparently were selected yesterday.
• First-known local municipal action. The Limerick (PA) Township Board of Supervisors voted Thursday (April 23, 2009) to proceed against a THP maintenance bond for completion of sidewalks and other public improvements at the company’s Crosswinds II residential development within Limerick, WhatsThe422.com reported. If THP does not finish the work as required by May 19, the bonding agent will be asked to step in and hire others to finish.

THP principals, brothers Todd and Timothy Hendricks, claim the suspension is only temporary as they actively seek to restructure their business. The company held a press conference Friday (April 24, 2009) to address the public outcry and assure buyers and prospects it was attempting to return.

• Put on the spot. During the press conference, Todd Hendricks declined to discuss specific cases when asked by a buyer, whose home is not yet started, how he could get his deposit back, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. It quoted a bankruptcy lawyer who suggested those with money being held by THP might find it difficult to recoup if the company files for bankruptcy protection.

But in the Coddington View development off Farmington Avenue in Upper Pottsgrove (PA) Township, which lies within the Pottsgrove School District, people who live there said during the weekend they doubted it would happen. Despite assurances from township officials that trash pick-ups would continue and their community’s streets would be satisfactorily finished, they say they feel abandoned.

• Getting together. Residents of Coddington View have scheduled a meeting for tonight (Monday, April 27, 2009) at 7 p.m. in Pottstown Middle School, 600 N. Franklin St., Pottstown PA, to discuss concerns in advance of the Upper Pottsgrove (PA) Township Board of Commissioners’ meeting of May 4.
• School district effects? Coddington View is among developments the school district had expected to generate more elementary school enrollments. One taxpayer who has religiously attended district Board of Education meetings regarding renovations to and expansion of Ringing Rocks Elementary School openly wondered Saturday (April 25, 2009) if that building’s need for more classrooms would be affected by THP’s troubles. “Probably not. Somebody else’ll pick it up,” the taxpayer said.

Inside Kingston Hill, one or two infill houses sit unfinished on lots sandwiched between already completed homes with immaculately manicured lawns. Property owners there worried about declining and lost home value, and their future ability to re-sell.

• Holding out hope. There continued to be rampant speculation during the weekend at WheresBuilder.com, a chat website set up for owners of THP homes, over the prospects of THP’s acquisition by Haines and Kibblehouse (H&K Group), one of its creditors and itself a Pennsylvania company with wide-ranging construction interests. H&K Group has not responded or issued a statement.

Related:

• Moving On In The THP Debacle
• Worried THP Owners Looking For Help
• Builder THP Suspends Its Operations
• Bank Reportedly Sues Home Builder

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SANATOGA  PA – Weekend (April 25-26, 2009) jottings from a reporter’s notebook:

Tweet, Tweet Means Come Have Fun

Because communicating with people via Twitter is all the rage these days, particularly among the “plugged-in crowd,” it’s not surprising to find local entertainers are using the popular short messaging service to promote themselves to their fans.

The Collegeville PA rock group, A Voice Cinematic, issued a tweet April 18 to tout its appearance Saturday (April 25, 2009) at The Gallery on High in Pottstown. Reading PA radio station Y102 personality Chuck Corbin used Twitter to invite listeners Tuesday (April 21, 2009) to an on-site gig he was running at an Ashley Furniture store. Fashion model, clothing marketer and pop singer Jordan Pretty – who Corbin manages – was tweeting his beak out last week to attract a crowd for his performance at Lower Pottsgrove’s Club Revive.

The Boyertown PA Public Library used Twitter last week too, to drum up support for a fund-raising party it held at Monkey Joe’s in North Coventry PA.

And Bally PA author Bruce Sarte Jr., who just published a novel titled “Sands Of Time,” depended on Twitter Monday (April 20, 2009) to find venues where he could hold book-signings. He’d prefer Pottstown, Boyertown or Allentown locations, by the way, if you’re interested.

Twittering As Nouveau Reportage

During a meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists this week in Philadelphia, a speaker from Fox News Interactive in New York City suggested editors consider using Twitter as a real-time news-gathering tool. Tweets from the field, the speaker said, would not only generate reader involvement online but also could be assembled as a complete story later. Another benefit, he said: because tweets are limited to 140 characters, including punctuation, it forced reporters to think and express themselves in more concise terms.

So, attempting to be trendy, The Sanatoga Post traveled Sunday (April 26, 2009) to Jake’s Flea Market in sunny and hot Barto PA, 14 miles north of Sanatoga village, to report live about bargains found there. Sure, it’s a lame idea, but we all crawled before we walked.

For this flea market vendor Sunday in Barto, an umbrella was the only way to cope with the sun.

The results, in sequence, dispatched over a period of 72 minutes from The Post’s Twitter account:

• At flea market. Oil mix for a 2-cycle gas engine $5 case. They make 2-cycles anymore?
• 70s at 9 am at flea market. Woman vendor’s here until 2 pm. Oh my Gawd it’s hot awready, she says.
• Flea market deals of the day: anything on the tarp’s a quarter. Nothing I want, tho. Sad.
• Lotta flea market lookers, few buyers. Can you spell e-c-o-n-o-m-y?
• Finally found a hot seller. Guys crowded around a stand moving a ton of golf balls at 3 for a dollar.
• Why does everyone sell CDs from groups you’ve never heard about? Because they suck.
• Guy tells a friend he’s walking with he was up until 2 am today cleaning fish.
• Heard a woman describe herself as a lawn mower wife. “He just drives tractor all day,” she complains.
• Man with a crew cut walks by, carrying a tire iron and smiling. Scary.
• 1949 US Army manual, “Personal Conduct For Soldier,” $2. Cheap, vendor says. Can you use it?
• At a produce stand, 3 pounds green seedless grapes for $2. Tasted ‘em, they’re fine. Sold!
• Time to go home and do real work.
• During bkfst at McD’s, across aisle, man in a suit selling insurance policy to woman in shorts. Really.

They paid how much?

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – The top price paid for a home within the township from Jan. 28-Feb. 3, 2009, was $219,000, the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper reports.

The home is located at 1282 Woodland Ct. This week’s top reported prices were listed Sunday (April 26, 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 PA Borough, immediately to the west was $163,000; Limerick PA Township, east, $407,000; New Hanover PA Township, northeast, none listed; Upper Pottsgrove PA Township, northwest, $282,000; and in North Coventry PA Township, south, $527,000.

Related:

• What They Sold For, Jan. 19-27, 2009
• What They Sold For, Jan. 10-18, 2009
• What They Sold For, Jan. 1-9, 2009
• What They Sold For, Dec. 22-31, 2008
• What They Sold For, Dec. 15-19, 2008
• What They Sold For, Dec. 8-12, 2008
• What They Sold For, Nov. 26-Dec. 5, 2008
• What They Sold For, Nov. 18-24, 2008
• What They Sold For, Nov. 10-17, 2008
• 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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• Girls 8th Lacrosse at Boyertown West, 3:45 p.m.
• Boys 8th Baseball at home vs. Owen J Roberts, Pottsgrove, 3:45 p.m.
• Boys 7th Baseball at home vs. Owen J Roberts, Pottsgrove, 3:45 p.m.
• Girls 8th Softball at Owen J Roberts, 3:45 p.m.
• Girls 7th Softball at Owen J Roberts, 3:45 p.m.
• Boys JV Baseball at Spring-Ford HS, 4 p.m.
• Girls Varsity Softball at home vs. Spring-Ford HS, 4 p.m.
• Girls JV Softball at home vs. Spring-Ford HS, 4 p.m.
• Girls 7th Lacrosse at Boyertown West, 5 p.m.
• Boys JV Lacrosse at home vs. Spring-Ford HS, Pottgrove HS, 5:30 p.m.
• Girls JV Lacrosse at Perkiomen Valley, 6 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Lacrosse (Senior Night) at home vs. Spring-Ford HS, Pottgrove HS, 7 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Baseball at Spring-Ford HS, 7 p.m.
• Girls Varsity Lacrosse at Perkiomen Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Provided by HighSchoolSports.net

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Published during the week just ended in The Sanatoga Post:

Saturday, April 25

• Eyes Have It At Journalism Meeting
  Editors and reporters are in Philadelphia this weekend, trying to make their news products better for readers.
• In Center City, Sk8boarders Everywhere
  Their wheels rolled along many streets, and as they whizzed past it sorta looked like fun.
• Students Exhibit At Ursinus
  The 20th annual student art show opens next week in Collegeville with a public reception. See an accompanying video.
• Pottsgrove Falcons Sports for April 25, 2009
  Who’s playing what, when, and where in the Pottsgrove School District.

Friday, April 24

• State Says No To Keeping Bridge Open
  Pleas to keep at least one lane of the East High Street bridge west of North Sanatoga Road open during its reconstruction have been denied by PennDOT.
• “Now’s The Time” For Park Access
  A Lower Pottsgrove commissioner contends the township should start negotiating for better right-of-way public access to its dedicated open space along the Schuylkill River.
• Valley Forge Commemorates Alliance
  Revolutionary War re-enactors tip their tri-corner hats to Francophiles next weekend in Valley Forge, during an open-to-the-public encampment that honors the French-American alliance.
• Pottsgrove Falcons Sports for April 24, 2009
  Who’s playing what, when, and where in the Pottsgrove School District.

Thursday, April 23

• Worried THP Owners Look For Help
  At Coddington View, which lies within the Pottsgrove School District, and at other TH Properties’ developments, current and would-be home owners air concerns about the builder’s abrupt closing.
• Worthwhile, Maybe Not Exciting, Reading
  Volume 1, Issue 1 of the Lower Pottsgrove Township Authority News has been published. Your free copy’s waiting.
• Stuff To Do This Weekend
  Friday: three – count ‘em, three – student plays and musicals. Saturday: sheep-shearing, environmental education, and kids fun activities. And Sunday: for your health, fresh produce and a leisurely walk. Get going!
• Pottsgrove Falcons Sports for April 23, 2009
  Who’s playing what, when, and where in the Pottsgrove School District.

Wednesday, April 22

• Builder THP Suspends Operations
  The new-home builder with projects in Pottstown, Royersford, and just north of Lower Pottsgrove has stopped work and hopes to financially restructure.
• Drums Echoed Through High School
  Pottsgrove High was the venue Saturday for world-class drummers and percussionists, as the state chapter of the Percussive Arts Society brought its annual event to Lower Pottsgrove.
• Planners Accept Oxy Lot Change
  Lower Pottsgrove’s planning commission OKs a two-acre change in lot lines requested by neighbors in the township heavy industrial district.
• PMMC Installs Digital Mammography
  A new machine in the hospital’s imaging department creates sharper images faster.
• Park Teaches Basic Fishin’
  Admit it: goin’ fishing always sounded like it could be fun. But bating hooks? Handling worms? It’s not bad (really), and a park program next week will prove it.
• Pottsgrove Falcons Sports for April 22, 2009
  Who’s playing what, when, and where in the Pottsgrove School District.

Tuesday, April 21

• Paired Living Facility Proposed Near Hospital
  A combined assisted and independent living facility, first proposed during 2000 for Lower Pottsgrove property near PMMC, re-emerged at Monday’s planning board meeting.
• Celebrating Earth Day 2009
  Wednesday is The Big Day, but there’s a week’s worth of events planned reflecting all things green. Several are happening in Lower Pottsgrove and its surroundings.
• Elementary Band Plays Wednesday
  Toot a horn, bang a drum. Students from Pottsgrove’s three elementary schools will assemble for a concert worth hearing tomorrow night at the Middle School.
• Tree Health Taught At Park
  There’s a right way and a wrong way to plant a tree. Guess which you’ll learn Saturday in nearby Knauertown?
• Next Month With The Homeschoolers
  They meet with a program during early May in the Pottstown Public Library.
• Pottsgrove Falcons Sports for April 21, 2009
  Who’s playing what, when, and where in the Pottsgrove School District.

Monday, April 20

• What They Sold For
  A weekly review of top prices paid for homes in Lower Pottsgrove and surrounding communities.
• Caps Were All The Rage
  Fashion statements in baseball? Several were made Saturday as the Pottsgrove Little League took to the fields at Sanatoga’s Gerald Richards Park.
• Notebook Worthy
  It really can be who you know that counts. The bathrooms can count most. The school district is rewarded when bidders count more than expected. And farewell to a man on whom our area often counted.
• Schwenksville Visitors Enjoy The Rural Life
  The simple things in life matter most during a Saturday event at one of Montgomery County’s historic parks.
• Dogs, Owners Revel In Bark For Life
  It was woof, woof, ca-ching, ca-ching for the American Cancer Society, as its third annual pet-based local fund-raiser circled Sanatoga’s Sunnybrook Ballroom.
• Pottsgrove Falcons Sports for April 20, 2009
  Who’s playing what, when, and where in the Pottsgrove School District.

Sunday, April 19

• The Post Week In Review
  For April 12-18, 2009.

Making readers comfortable with keys and screens is the challenge facing news editors this weekend.

PHILADELPHIA PA – Although they lacked training in optometry, a group of journalists gathered Friday afternoon (April 24, 2009) at Temple University’s Center City campus, determined to ease the strain on your eyes as you read these words.

Because pixels are replacing print in the world of digital news, reporters and editors in Pennsylvania and across the country are thinking about how they can make the reading experience more comfortable for subscribers.

Internet news website operators believe more white space and less clutter on computer screens will help. They hope to use larger type, and write shorter sentences too.

Those and other suggestions flew about discussion rooms for several hours as regional members of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) – including representatives of The Sanatoga Post and The Limerick Post – met in Philadelphia for an annual conference.

They were thinking about their own futures, too. More than a few swapped stories of colleagues who lost jobs or changed professions due to newspapers’ declining fortunes.

Not surprisingly, seminars during the first day of the two-day event carried titles like “Investigative Reporting On A Budget,” and “From Full-Timer to Freelancer: Making The Leap From In-House Security to Who Knows What?” Both attracted large audiences.

The conference also had brighter moments. Along with industry veterans, most meeting rooms held a healthy mix of journalism students. Several expressed optimism about their job prospects in the next 12 months.

The younger reporters seemed to come equipped to the technological teeth. Almost all carried cell phones and sent text messages as they walked the sixth-floor halls at Temple. A few took photos of each other and swapped them by e-mail.

Saturday’s (April 25, 2009) SPJ sessions move to Temple’s original campus in Northern Philadelphia. On the schedule are topics that include “Ethics In The Digital Age” and “Legal Issues In A Multimedia World.”

Photo from Clipart.com

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He's about 2 feet high off a 4-foot ledge.

PHILADELPHIA PA – No matter where people were Friday afternoon (April 24, 2009) in Center City Philadelphia, it seemed, the skateboarders were there too.

They were polite. They were quiet, except for the sound of their skate wheels rasping against concrete, asphalt, granite  and marble. They were careful to avoid nearby pedestrians. And they appeared omnipresent.

Few risks here except stumbling. Their challenge was just a curb.

COLLEGEVILLE PA – The 20th annual exhibit of artwork by students at Ursinus College will open Wednesday (April 29, 2009) with a reception from 5-7 p.m. in the college’s Ritter Art Studio at the campus on Main Street.

• Watch a 0m:50s video, created by Ursinus College and hosted at YouTube, about the show. Press the “play” button, above.

The annual exhibition of more than 125 works by the college’s art majors features painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and photography.

Admission is free. For more information, call 610-409-3500.

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