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SANATOGA PA – Recent jottings from a reporter’s notebook:

Where Some Of That School Tax Money Goes

Holding a lot of money.

A new detective thriller in paperback at the local bookstore retails for $7 or $8. That steamy romance read just issued in hard cover that you’ve been waiting to lose yourself in will run up to $30. Expensive? Increasingly so.

But it’s chicken feed compared to where the much bigger money is: in textbooks.

The Pottsgrove School District Board of School Directors last week (June 16, 2009) unanimously approved the purchase of hundreds of new textbooks for re-vamped science courses at Pottsgrove High School. It will pay $138 per book for “Introduction To The Human Body,” published with a 2010 date by John Wiley and Sons; $115 per copy for the 2009 edition of “Chemistry, The Central Science,” published by Pearson; and $96 a volume for the 2006 teacher edition of “Holt Environmental Science.”

The cheapest book on the list of 11 different titles costs $58. In all, the board agreed to spend $69,005 for multiple copies of most, at an average cost per title of $83.

The high school doesn’t change science texts every year. Some books this new batch will replace have been in its classrooms for many years, and are well-worn or – worse – outdated. The purchase ensures Pottsgrove’s future cancer researchers, astronauts, and molecular biologists benefit from the latest scholarly knowledge available.

And textbooks now are accompanied by a wealth of additional materials that add to their price tags. Dr. David Ramage, the district’s supervisor of secondary education and assessment, told board members that some come with DVD content to spur student thinking. Many have slides teachers can use in the classroom to guide discussion and better explain concepts.

Most even have full digital versions available online. Because textbooks are kept in the classroom when students go home, online versions give learners access to the material via the Internet from their homes. “That’ll cut down on the wear and tear some textbooks get,” board member April Kontostathis observed.

Maybe reduce future book expenses, too.

No winner here.

Needed: Spull Cheker At Trofy Shop

School board Secretary Phil Keogh reported his embarrassment last week when he learned that, during a high school assembly in which awards and presentations were made to graduating seniors and other students, engraved plaques distributed by the district bore the name Pottsgrove mispelled with an extra “T.”

As in Potts”T”grove.

Worse, Keogh told fellow board members, this was the second consecutive year in which some plaques contained spelling errors.

Red-faced administrators are checking into the problem.

Like Many Signs, This One’s Too True

Seen flashing from the electronic sign board outside the Towne and Country Ace Hardware store on Ridge Pike in Limerick (PA) Township:

Buy Local Or
Bye-Bye Local.

Related (to the Pottsgrove School Board meeting of June 16):

• Rendell Heeds Pottsgrove Demand, Sort Of
• What It Takes To Run A School District
• Store Opens At Upland; District Anticipates Revenues
• District Honors Retiring Teachers

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SANATOGA PA – Weekend activities for Sanatogans (and anyone else!), June 26-28, 2009:

• These events have been added to The Post calendar.

Friday, June 26

The annual Relay For Life of Boyertown PA, to benefit the American Cancer Society, will begin with an opening ceremony at noon in Memorial Stadium at Boyertown Area Senior High School, and end Saturday at noon. Live music by “Black Hat Boris” will be featured on the main stage at 8 p.m., followed by a luminaria ceremony at 9, and the Miss Relay Pageant Finals at 10.

Fore ... a good cause.

An 18-hole golf fund-raiser to benefit the Pottsgrove High School music department will open with registration at 11:30 a.m. and a shot-gun start at 1 p.m., at Blackwood Golf Course, 510 Red Corner Rd., Douglassville PA. Contests will be held for closest-to-pin and longest drive. A raffle and a 50-50 drawing also will be offered.

Up for a challenge? The Amity Chess Club meets from 7-10 p.m. at St. Paul’s UCC Church, 1312 Old Swede Rd., Douglassville PA, for chess matches and lessons at all ages and skill levels. For more information, call 610-385-6324.

A free musical concert by the Upper Darby (PA) Sousa Band will be staged at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Spring-Ford High School, 350 S. Lewis Rd., Royersford PA, in an event sponsored by the Spring-Ford Educational Foundation. The foundation annually conducts a concert to observe Independence Day weekend. The public is asked to enter at auditorium Door 9.

The Upper Darby (PA) Sousa Band.

An adult dance and mixer featuring the best hits of the 50s, 60s and 70s will be held June 26 (Friday; 2009) from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Sanatoga PA. Happy hour with drink specials will be conducted until 8:30 p.m. Admission at the door costs $10.

Saturday, June 27

Pro volleyball returns to Pottstown.

The 18th annual Pottsown Rumble volleyball tournament, a two-day doubles event billed as the toughest grass tournament in the nation, will be held Saturday and Sunday (June 27-28, 2009) at Memorial Park, King Street, Pottstown PA. Along with competition at all tournament levels, The Rumble also offers fireworks, food and clothing vendors, an on-site massage therapist, and high-energy music throughout the weekend. For more information, call 610-367-2779 or send an e-mail to the organization.

Visitors to Black Rock Sanctuary can spend this weekend among feathered friends. A free morning bird walk to explore the meadows and wetlands of the park, 953 Black Rock Rd., Phoenixville PA (about 1-1/2 miles north of the borough on Route 113), will be held from 8-10 a.m. Register by calling 610-469-1916 or download the available form.

The Boyertown Farmers Market will operate from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 100 S. Walnut St., Boyertown PA. The market is located in the parking lot of The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, two blocks south of the intersection of Routes 562 and 73. Its farmer-vendors offer a selection of produce, beef, poultry, and baked goods.

The Rob Stoneback Big Band will be featured during a night of swing and big band music beginning at 8 p.m. in Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Sanatoga PA. Tickets cost $20 per person at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m

Sunday, June 28

The annual Canal Day of the Schuylkill Canal Association will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lock 60 on the Schuylkill Canal, on the river just west of Route 29 in the village, and and at St. Michael’s Park, Jacobs Street. A full day of family fun is planned for visitors of all ages to enjoy. It starts with the 22nd annual Schuylkill River Trail Run and Loop Walk, an event for runners and walkers alike. In addition, the Canal Vaulting Championship makes a long-awaited return to the event. There will also be a Decorated Bike parade for kids up to 14 years. Canoe and kayak races are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Other Canal Day events include a flea market; business expo; fishing derby; K-9 rescue demonstration; face painting; and food sales.

The open-air producers’ market sponsored by the Pottstown Downtown Foundation runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the parking lot located at the corner of Charlotte and High Streets, Pottstown PA. Vendors of home-grown fruits and vegetables, as well as crafters and artisans, are expected to be on hand to sell their wares to the public. Free live entertainment will feature local talent. For more information on the weekly event, call the office of Pottstown Main Street Manager Bill Haley at 610-323-5400.

A Classic Car Rally will be held from 1-7 p.m. in the parking lot of the Pottstown Carousel, King Street, Pottstown PA.

The movie western, “The Magnificent Seven,” will be screened from 2-4 p.m. in The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville PA. Tickets can be purchased at the box office. For more information, call 610-917-0223.

The popular Bill Koss Combo is the opening act of Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township's Sanatoga concert series.

The annual free Summer Concert Series of the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Parks and Recreation Board launches at 6 p.m. in the band shell at Sanatoga Park, 200 S. Sanatoga Rd., with the return of what board members say is a perennial crowd-pleaser: the varietal music of the eight-piece Bill Koss Combo. Township residents and their guests are invited to “bring the family, and a beach blanket or chair, and enjoy a night of family-friendly concerts under the stars.” No reservations required. The concerts are sponsored by Exelon Nuclear’s Limerick Generating Station.

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SANATOGA PA – Steel grocery shopping carts – hundreds of them – were scoured and power washed, reconditioned, repaired and re-wheeled Wednesday morning outside the Sanatoga Thriftway, 2190 E. High St., by workers for a New Kensington PA firm that specializes in cart sales and services.

Two technicians from Zampogna Carts Inc. were at work before some of the earliest shoppers arrived for morning coffee at Thriftway’s bakery.

Most shoppers take carts for granted, tugging at them from the end of serpentine lines and rolling them away for their goods. In the process carts get filled with children, banged into displays, shoved against car doors and bumpers, occasionally ridden by teen-agers, and exposed to the elements.

They take a lot of abuse. They get pretty dirty.

So Zampogna’s workers busily counted and inspected Thriftway’s carts, then set about replacing seats and handles where needed, checked and fixed or replaced broken wheels, lubricated and aligned them, removed hazards, took unsalvageable carts out of circulation, and then removed rust and cleaned them with solvent and a pressure washer.

The crew works in areas of the state only during specific times each year. They’ll likely be seen at other local stores as well during the week.

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LIMERICK PA – Three home hazardous waste collection dates within Montgomery County remain scheduled for this year, including one next month at Spring-Ford High School.

Disposal candidate.

Home hazardous waste is generally defined as unused or leftover portions of household products containing toxic chemicals. They often are identified by labels that include the words “warning,” “caution,” “poisonous,” “toxic,” “flammable,” “corrosive,” “reactive,” or “explosive.”

Montgomery County collections of home hazardous waste will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

• July 11 (2009; Saturday) at Spring-Ford High School, 350 S. Lewis Rd., Royersford PA;
• Aug. 8 (2009; Saturday) at Abington High School, 970 Highland Ave., Abington PA;
• Oct. 24 (2009; Saturday) at Lower Merion Transfer Station, 1300 Woodbine Ave., Narberth PA

These dates have been added to The Post calendar.

Collectors will accept used electronic equipment; automotive car batteries, motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, antifreeze, kerosene and gasoline; pesticides and herbicides; household drain and oven cleaners, spot remover, dry cleaning fluid, and rug cleaners; paint products including paint thinner or turpentine, paint remover, oil based paint, furniture stripper and refinisher; and other products including dyes, lighter fluids, concrete or asphalt sealers and swimming pool chemicals.

A limited number of items will not be accepted; call 610-278-3618 for details.

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SANATOGA PA – “Problems with an arcing wire” were cited by Lt. Mike Misiak of the Sanatoga Fire Company‘s fire police crew as the reason for closing a portion of North Pleasant View Road this morning (Wednesday, June 24, 2009) sometime after 4 a.m.

A PECO electric utility crew was on the scene for repairs, Misiak said, but the cause of the problem was not immediately known. Fire company Engine 58-1 also was on the scene. North Pleasant View was blocked from Buchert Road south, and through traffic to and from East High Street was being diverted via Kepler and Sunnybrook Roads.

The road was re-opened by 5:15 a.m.

WASHINGTON DC – If you drive an old car, or if you drive a big car, or if you drive any other car that gets poor gas mileage – say, 18 mpg or less – know that the federal government is smiling upon you … but only if you want to trade that guzzler in for something new and more energy-efficient.

The U.S. Senate last Friday (June 19, 2009) approved what is called the “Cash For Clunkers” program, which according to Reuters News Service would give consumers cash vouchers worth up to $4,500 when they trade in used low-miles-per-gallon vehicles for spiffy new ones that sip rather than swallow fuel. The House has already passed the measure. Once the President signs it into law, it likely will take effect in August.

The program has less to do with saving the environment than it does with saving jobs. Cash For Clunkers is an economic stimulus bill off-shoot intended to help auto manufacturers and dealers move more cars off their lots. Car sales during 2009 are expected to be about half of the 2008 total, so to boost the numbers the government will refund a portion of the purchase price to buyers of new, not used and new-to-you, vehicles.

The federal Transportation Department will administer the program. It plans to create a public website where consumers and dealers can get more information; it will certify “cash for clunkers” dealers, and it will distribute the vouchers.

Again, none of this is expected to happen before August, and the credit may not be retroactive, so licensees who want to take advantage of the offer probably should wait until the details are finalized.

Then, vroom vroom!

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A visitor to Tuesday's meeting on Route 422 inspects regional maps.

POTTSTOWN PA – About 49,000 vehicles travel past Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township on U.S. Route 422 each day, a traffic load 24 percent higher than it was a decade ago, according to regional statistics. If that increase doesn’t worry you, transportation consultant Joe Bucovetsky thinks, maybe you’re among the few lucky enough to walk to work.

Jerry Coyne of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission talked about progress made so far on the Route 422 Corridor Master Plan.

But even for those whose commute consists of just a trek around the block, Bucovetsky said, the jump in traffic mirrors “a heck of a lot of development in just 10 years” which affects local lifestyles, often for the worse. If ignored, he cautioned Tuesday night (June 23, 2009), the long lines of cars snaking their way along 422 during rush hours can only get longer.

Buckovetsky, one of several associates with the engineering firm of McComick Taylor, and several other representatives of local and county government agencies, contended during a meeting in Pottstown Middle School that while doing nothing about congestion on 422 is an option, it probably isn’t the best one.

What’s better? Getting the public’s answer to that question was the whole purpose of the meeting. Comments and complaints heard this week, in addition to those aired at meetings in February, all are helping to shape final recommendations for what is being labeled by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission as the Route 422 Corridor Master Plan, which could be released late this year.

• A similar meeting is scheduled tonight (Wednesday, June 2, 2009) from 6:30-9 in Spring-Ford Area High School, 350 S. Lewis Rd., Royersford PA. The public is again invited to attend.

The crowd faced by engineer Joe Bucovetsky was small but vocal.

Planners already know that, of 10 different strategies they might use to solve traffic woes on 422, members of the public like two best: fixing the road and its interchanges to help manage the load, and extending passenger train service west from Norristown. The price tags for those two items: roughly $600 million and $500 million, respectively.

Montgomery County (PA) Assistant Planning Director Leo Bagley answered audience questions on rail service.

Attendance at the Pottstown gathering was relatively light, but vocal. Many applauded and cheered when James Prendergast, a candidate for election to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners, railed against the notion of imposing tolls on the four-lane highway to pay for road improvements and mass transit.

They seemed to be more accepting, however, of proposed land use changes and other regulations that would concentrate growth in the 25-mile corridor, stretching from King of Prussia to Reading, in specific areas and reduce sprawl. “A backward-looking town or region won’t attract economic development,” said Pottstown resident Bonnie Heath. “We’ve got to keep working on this process.”

Related:

• Tech Used To Draw For 422 Meetings
• Route 422 Toll Meetings Next Week
• 422 Repairs, Delays Start Tuesday
• 422 Proposal, Like Traffic, Creeps Ahead
• Got A Route 422 Idea? Time To Air It
• Train Service On The Front Burner Once More

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HARRISBURG PA – Pennsylvania career professionals like doctors, lawyers, or accountants – and anyone else who needs a state license to do their jobs – take note: the tax man is looking over your shoulder.

Armed with lists of licensees who owe outstanding or unpaid state taxes, the PA Department of Revenue is ready to ask state supervisory agencies to consider taking action against license holders unless they make arrangements to pay up.

It’s apparently happening already with licensees governed by the state Insurance Department.

Mark Vessella, deputy commissioner of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) – the agency that issues licenses to a majority of state professionals – recently confirmed impending enforcement of an executive order that requires “all applicants seeking to receive or renew various state licenses, permits and registrations (to be) compliant with their state tax obligations.”

Vessella’s acknowledgment follows distribution of a May 21 (2009) letter to a group of Pennsylvania insurance licensees. They were notified by the Insurance Department that they were “not compliant with Pennsylvania taxes,” according to Revenue Department records.

“Please be advised,” the letter continued, that the Insurance Department “may consider appropriate enforcement action” if licensees failed to comply, including but not limited to “cease-and-desist orders, imposition of a civil penalty, and/or licensure action.”

Letter recipients were told to contact the Revenue Department within 20 days “to avoid enforcement action and resolve your tax issues.”

Like the Insurance Department, BPOA “also will be sending letters to licensees who the Revenue Department advises is not compliant with Pennsylvania taxes,” an attorney with one of its supervisory agencies reported last week.

That means, sooner or later, tens of thousands of licensees all are due for similar tax scrutiny.

Pennsylvania’s business-related licensing boards and commissions, supervised by BPOA, include Accountancy, the Architects Licensure Board, Auctioneer Examiners, Barber Examiners, Certified Real Estate Appraisers, Cosmetology, Crane Operators, the Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, Funeral Directors, Landscape Architects, the state Real Estate Commission; Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons; and the Navigation Commission for the Delaware River and its Navigable Tributaries.

State health-related licensing boards and commissions, also supervised by BPOA, include Chiropractic, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Podiatry, Psychology, Speech-Language and Hearing Examiners, Social Workers; Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors; and Veterinary Medicine.

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