The Sanatoga Post

• Boys Varsity Track at PENN RELAYS, 9 a.m.
• Girls Varsity Track at PENN RELAYS, 9 a.m.
• Coed 8th Track at Perkiomen Valley West, 3:30 p.m.
• Boys JV Baseball at Owen J Roberts, 3:30 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Tennis at Methacton High School, 3:30 p.m.
• Girls 8th Lacrosse at home vs. Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, 3:45 p.m.
• Girls 8th Softball at Scrimmage vs. Arcola Intermediate School, Lower, 3:45 p.m.
• Girls 7th Softball at home vs. Arcola Intermediate School, Lower, 3:45 p.m.
• Girls JV Softball at Owen J Roberts, 4 p.m.
• Girls 7th Lacrosse at home vs. Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, 5 p.m.
• Girls Varsity Softball at Owen J Roberts, 7 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Baseball at Owen J Roberts, 7 p.m.

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LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – There was a constant banging noise heard Saturday (April 18, 2009) as visitors roamed the halls of Pottsgrove High School, and most of them loved the racket.

Better ways to bang a drum were explored Saturday during the Pennsylvania Day of Percussion held at Pottsgrove High School.

The school, 1345 Kauffman Rd., played host during the weekend to the annual Day of Percussion conducted by the Pennsylvania chapter of the national Percussive Arts Society. It’s the world’s largest organization promoting education of, and research for, drummers and percussionists of all ages.

Among those conducting clinics were Chris Deviney, right, principal percussionist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Pottsgrove event introduced Pennsylvania drummers “to an amazing roster of the world’s top percussionists,” according to chapter President David F. Glover, chairman of the music department at Slippery Rock University. Dozens of high school and college drum students and band leaders traveled to the township to attend clinics and concerts conducted by well-known musicians.

The program included hour-long lessons on drum-playing for an orchestra, as well as playing steel pan drums, marimba and drumset. Several music industry vendors set up booths and provided information.

During the afternoon through early evening participants enjoyed concerts by the Alokli West African Drum and Dance Ensemble, the Neshaminy Percussion Ensemble, the Millersville University Percussion Ensemble, and the Tony Miceli Trio.

The chapter paid special thanks to Pottsgrove School District teachers and groups that helped make the day possible, including high school Principal Chris Shaffer, band director Victor Holladay, choral director Cindy Foust, custodians and cafeteria staff members, and the Pottsgrove Music League.

Casually dressed but intent on content, dozens of drum students and instructors filled clinics during the Day of Percussion at Pottsgrove.

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SANATOGA PA – A two-acre change between lot lines and property owners that not only will save a building but make former industrial land more marketable was approved Monday (April 20, 2009) by the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Planning Commission.

Planners gave their blessing, during a monthly meeting in the township municipal building, to a minor subdivision proposal involving Occidental Chemical Corp. and BCW Associates Ltd. on properties at 351 and 375 Armand Hammer Blvd. The proposal reduces Occidental’s parcel from 222.8 acres to 220.9, and increases BCW’s holding from 40.8 acres to 42.6 in the township’s heavy industrial district.

The shift in lot lines and, if later approved by the township Zoning Hearing Board, subsequent zoning variances will allow the parties to retain rather than demolish a building on one lot, according to an Occidental attorney who made the company’s presentation to commission members.

The unanimous approval came at the end of an unusually lengthy commission meeting. During most months planners conclude their business within an hour, allowing them to get home to delayed but not-too-late dinners. But extensive discussions about an assisted and independent living facility proposed to be built near Pottstown Memorial Medical Center involved the group for slightly longer than double its average session.

Related:

• Paired Living Facility Proposed Near Hospital

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POTTSTOWN PA – A new digital mammography machine, one that uses advanced imaging technology to create sharper images that aid in the early detection of breast cancer, has been installed in the imaging services department of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center (PMMC), 1600 E. High St.

A digital mammogram is like a traditional film-screen exam, said Paula Lenane, the hospital’s director of imaging services, in that it uses x-rays to generate images of the breast. However, it takes less than half the time of traditional exams and allows a radiologist to review images while the patient is still in the examination room.

In addition, digital images are easily stored and transferred electronically, eliminating the dependency on one set of original films, which can be misfiled or lost in transit.

The equipment is the Selenia Full Field Digital Mammography manufactured by Hologic.

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KNAUERTOWN PA – Learn basic fishing skills like knot tying, casting, baiting a hook – and taking a fish off one – during a family fishing program May 3 (2009; Sunday) from 9 a.m. to Noon at in the lower parking area at Warwick County Park, 191 County Park Rd. 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. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, call John Spencer at 610-469-1916.

The park is located 3.5 miles west of the intersection of Routes 100 and 23, southwest of Pottstown PA.

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• Boys Varsity Track at Methacton High School, 3:15 p.m.
• Girls Varsity Track at Methacton High School, 3:15 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Tennis at Norristown, 3:30 p.m.
• Girls 8th Softball at Perkiomen Valley West, 3:45 p.m.
• Girls 7th Softball at Perkiomen Valley West, 3:45 p.m.
• Girls 8th Lacrosse at Owen J Roberts, 3:45 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Baseball at home vs. Perkiomen Valley, 4 p.m.
• Boys JV Baseball at home vs. Perkiomen Valley, 4 p.m.
• Girls Varsity Softball at Perkiomen Valley, 4 p.m.
• Girls JV Softball at Perkiomen Valley, 4 p.m.
• Boys Varsity Lacrosse at Daniel Boone, 4 p.m.
• Boys JV Lacrosse at Cancelled – Daniel Boone, 5 p.m.
• Girls 7th Lacrosse at Owen J Roberts, 5 p.m.

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Related:

• Moving On In The THP Debacle
• What’s Next?, THP Owners Wonder
• Worried THP Owners Looking For Help
• Bank Reportedly Sues Home Builder

HARLEYSVILLE PA – TH Properties (THP), a Harleysville-based builder that until recently was marketing new home construction in a dozen different communities – including Pottstown, Gilbertsville, Royersford, Harleysville, Pennsburg, Macungie, Souderton and Skippack PA, and parts of New Jersey – has suspended its operations and hopes to restructure its business.

THP's Kingston Hill sales center on North Charlotte Street.

THP's window sign announcement, slightly obscured by reflective glass.

A sign found taped Tuesday evening (April 21, 2009) to the window of THP’s sales center at its Kingston Hill development, the company’s project closest to Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, confirmed the substance of a news article published online earlier in the day by The (Lansdale PA) Reporter newspaper.

• Read The Reporter article here.

Kingston Hill is located on the east side of North Charlotte Street (PA Route 663) just north of Bleim Road. The sign in the window of its Victoria model home there, which doubles as a sales center, announced the company’s unhappy news:

“T.H. Properties, a Harleysville, PA, based developer and home builder, has temporarily suspended its operations and is actively exploring options to restructure its business operations. Like other homebuilders across the country, the recession and the collapse of the housing market have had a negative impact on the company’s operations. The company remains committed to an orderly restructuring of its obligations in order to continue its construction and development efforts throughout the region. T.H. Properties would like to thank its loyal vendors, valued employees, existing and prospective homeowners, and the communities with which it has been operating during this difficult period.”

Neither the THP website or its Twitter account, both of which were checked Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., alluded to any problems at the company or made any mention of a business suspension. However, “employees were seen moving office items out of the THP design center” in Harleysville Tuesday afternoon, The Reporter said, and paper covered the windows. (See Editor’s Addendum at bottom).

The company was sued last month by a major lender, Wachovia Bank. The bank is seeking to recover $19.7 million in three separate lawsuits filed against THP and company principals and brothers Todd and Timothy Hendricks.

Financial problems within THP will only heighten the angst felt by some home owners who bought into its developments.

One complained Monday on a public comment website of  “dumpsters overflowing, garbage flying around, muddy streets, over flowing storm sewers, (and) no street lights” at the company’s Biltmore Estate project in Skippack PA. Another, writing April 10 at the same website, predicted “we here at Biltmore are convinced it is only a matter of time before THP is out. They stopped all construction, they stopped cleaning the construction areas, they are not servicing the residents.”

Editor’s Addendum: As of Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., the bottom right corner of the THP website home page included an announcement about the suspension, identical to one posted in the Kingston Hill sales center window.

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A satellite view shows site of the proposed facility relative to the hospital, Diamond Credit Union, and offices on Medical Drive.

SANATOGA PA – Plans to build a multi-million-dollar combined assisted and independent living facility on property between Porter Road and Medical Drive in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, slightly southeast of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, received preliminary approval Monday (April 20, 2009) from the township Planning Commission.

For the developer, LPAL Limited Partnership, that may have been an easy task compared to what could lie ahead.

Southwest elevation drawing of the proposed facility.

Two members of the township Board of Commissioners – which has final say over whether the project can be built – were in the audience for the planners’ review and said they would demand more detail about the facility before considering if construction can proceed.

The planning board held its monthly meeting in the township municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd.

Plans presented by LPAL President Robert Basile of Douglassville PA are almost 10 years old, but little changed from when they were first delivered to township planners during November 2000. They call for a 52,000-square-foot building on about 8 acres at 125 Porter Rd., currently occupied by a fortress-like equipment bunker originally built for AT&T.

The building would contain a three-story section of 76 assisted living beds, intended to house primarily elderly patients who need regular help with daily activities; as well as a five-story section of 92 apartment units for people who could care for themselves independently. The somewhat J-shaped structure would be built in part atop the bunker’s foundation, which was once said to have been created to withstand a direct hit by a bomb.

Its main entrance would be from the cul-de-sac at the end of Medical Drive, sandwiched between other entrances for the Pottstown Scanning Center, Diamond Credit Union, and an office building.

Planners, relying in part on recommendations from township engineers Bursich Associates, expressed concerns Monday about:

• Traffic congestion on Medical Drive and, specifically, at the proposed facility’s entrance. Bursich President Scott Exley described the accident potential there as “a free-for-all.” Board members said they hoped Basile would work with the township and neighboring owners to create a unified entrance to his and adjacent properties.
• Milling and re-paving of a 200-foot section of Porter Road, a portion of which would be disturbed during construction. A Basile engineer said he considered the roadwork “unnecessary.” Planners disagreed, saying they preferred milling because road damage seemed likely; and
• The quality and appearance of exterior building materials to be used in the project. Planners requested a more detailed architectural rendering of the proposal than the decade-old black-and-white drawings Basile supplied. His attorney, Stephen Kalis, said his client thought it premature to spend money on elevation details, and suggested instead that Basile provide photos and renderings of similar projects his firm had already built. Planners acknowledged they wanted to see those items.

Whether those substitutes placate township commissioners, however, is another question.

Commissioners’ President Bruce Foltz and Commissioner Anthony Doyle attended the meeting, and after Basile left both said the lack of an architectural rendering was unacceptable. “I want some assurance, to nail them down, on what the building’s going to look like and that we’ll be happy with it,” Doyle said. “I have a hard time understanding why they can’t come up with something for us to see,” Foltz agreed.

Satellite-map composite image from Google Maps; labels by The Post
Elevation drawing from Lower Pottsgrove Planning Commission documents

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