The Sanatoga Post

POTTSTOWN PA – When players chase after run-away balls at Soccer Field 3 in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township‘s Gerald Richards Park, they now have 17-year-old Matthew Kendra to thank for making their effort a little easier.

Eagle Scout candidate Matthew Kendra presented his finished project, installation of steps at a Lower Pottsgrove soccer field, Monday night to appreciative members of the township Parks and Recreation Board.

Kendra – a Royersford PA resident, an Eagle Scout candidate, and a student at Pottstown’s St. Pius X High School – recently built and installed a new set of timber steps at the field on the southwest side of the park along Buchert Road, Pottstown PA. He officially presented his work, which was part of his Eagle Scout education, Monday (Sept. 28, 2009) to appreciative members of the township Parks and Recreation Board.

The set of 19 steps is constructed of 6-inch-square timber railroad ties,  and is meant to help soccer players retrieve errant balls that hop the field’s fence and roll down a steep embankment on the other side.

The new steps represent the fulfillment of months of planning and coordination. Kendra personally solicited money and supplies for the project himself; of its $1,445 cost, all but $14 was covered by donations. He worked with professional engineers to design the steps, and then organized a group of volunteers for a weekend construction event.

In fact, Kendra said, he had plenty of help from several sources.

• Family members donated cash and materials.
• So did the Pottstown Roller Mills, and Home Depot.
• The township Public Works Department excavated the area.
• And 18 volunteers supplied 20 hours of labor.

In addition to construction, Kendra learned a few things about adversity, too. His volunteer corps raced against inclement weather on the second day of installation, he told board members, and when they encountered a large boulder found in Lower Pottsgrove’s typically rocky soil, the steps had to be built around it.

For its part, the Parks and Recreation Board worked with Kendra and his Boy Scout leader, Rich Wood, in understanding his project, granting permission for the installation, and offering suggestions. Board members, for example, favored step treads of wood, bricks or pavers, rather than dirt or gravel. Kendra made requested changes, and got under way.

Board members inspected his final product Monday, during their September monthly meeting. “Job well done!,” board member Dennis Cimino said on behalf of the group. “We sincerely appreciate your project.”

The township Parks and Recreation Board also is working with several other Boy Scouts of America troops on other projects within it parks. Lower Pottsgrove has more than 200 acres of active and passive recreation area.

Related:

• Board Tromps Outside For Look At Land
• Park Master Plan Discussion On Board Agenda

Photo by Jennifer Corley

Editor’s Note: The Post thanks Jennifer J. Corley for e-mailing the material used in this article. The Post welcomes reader contributions! Got news for us? E-mail The Post.

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Expect a lane closure most of Saturday on 422 East in Oaks PA.

OAKS PA – Bridge inspections along the eastbound side of U.S. Route 422, from Pawlings Road west to Egypt Road (the Oaks exit), will restrict traffic there to the left lane only Saturday (Oct. 3, 2009) between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said in a motorists’ alert.

Similar inspections Saturday during the same period also will close the right shoulder of southbound U.S. Route 202 between Gulph Road and County Line Road in Upper Merion (PA) Township, PennDOT added.

Meanwhile, during the weekdays, the 422Improvements.com website reports these following restrictions will be in effect on 422 as well:

• Nightly through Thursday (Oct. 1, 2009) from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., road re-paving on the eastbound and westbound lanes between U.S. Route 202 in King of Prussia and PA Route 23 in Valley Forge;
• Daily through Friday (Oct. 2, 2009), road reconstruction from 10 a.m. to 5 a.m. on the eastbound lane across Upper Providence and Limerick townships from the PA Route 29 interchange at Collegeville-Phoenixville to the Royersford interchange, with reductions from two lanes to one; and
• Daily through Friday (Oct. 2, 2009), road reconstruction from 7 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the westbound lane across Limerick and Upper Providence townships from the Royersford interchange to the PA Route 29 interchange at Collegeville-Phoenixville, with reductions from two lanes to one.

422Improvements.com is a website of the Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association, with offices in King of Prussia and Pottstown.

Map image from Google

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SANATOGA PA – Halloween candy hasn’t been collected yet, much less eaten. The Thanksgiving turkey, if thought about at all, is at this point simply a to-buy memo on a grocery list that’s at least 40 days away. So who’s considering – now – the best 15 toys of the coming gift-giving season?

Your neighborhood K-Mart store, found locally in the Sanatoga Shopping Center on East High Street as well as in dozens of other locations across Pennsylvania.

K-Mart corporate headquarters in Hoffman Estates IL, in a press release Tuesday (Sept. 29, 2009), said it would start the holiday shopping season early by naming its “Fab 15 Toy List.” The list features what the retailer calls “the hottest toys for the season” which also “deliver the best long-term play value.”

According to K-mart, that means kids should like them longer than it takes to unwrap them. Drum-roll, please, for the 15:

• 15. Trio Kings Castle
• 14. Transformers Bumblebee Helmet
• 13. Sesame Street Tickle Hands Elmo
• 12. Paperoni Deluxe Studio
• 11. Nerf n Strike Raider
• 10. Moxie Artitude Airbrush Gallery
• 9. Liv Dolls
• 8. Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center
• 7. Laugh & Learn Learning Farm
• 6. Holiday Barbie
• 5. Handy Manny’s Repair Shop
• 4. Dora Loves Puppy
• 3. Chixos Design Luxury Loft
• 2. Bakugan 7-in-1 Maxus Dragnoid, and
• 1. Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo

That top choice, by the way, merits an explanatory mention. Toy manufacturer Hasbro, which makes and markets Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo, said in its own press release that the doll “loves to drink juice from her bottle and, when she’s all done eating, pees and poops just like a real baby!”

K-Mart selected these particular toys, its Senior Vice President Dev Mukherjee claimed, because each “promotes creativity, role play and a level of play that keeps kids engaged.” He also was surprisingly candid in stating his hope that parents would take advantage of layaway and buy before a holiday rush.

Toys on the list range in price from $11 to $100. They’re available for purchase from the Sanatoga store, 2200 E. High St., Pottstown PA – corporate management promised – or online.

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You gotta be in it for them to win it.

HARRISBURG PA – Oct. 5 (2009; Monday), only six days from now, is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 municipal elections, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortes reminded the public Tuesday (Sept. 29, 2009). Registration materials and instructions are available for download at the state’s voter education website, VotesPA.com.

Elections statewide feature a variety of local and county races, as well as candidates for supreme, superior, common pleas and municipal court seats.

In Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, voters will be asked to choose candidates for township commissioners, treasurer, and constable; Pottsgrove School District directors, and Montgomery County (PA) district magistrate. Many seats are either uncontested or likely will be filled by primary election winners who cross-filed as both Republicans and Democrats.

Those hoping to register to vote in Pennsylvania must be:

• a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election;
• a resident of Pennsylvania and of the election district in which they want to register and vote for at least 30 days before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election; and
• at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

Applications from eligible Pennsylvanians who need to register, change their address, or change their political party affiliation must be postmarked or personally delivered to the county board of elections no later than Oct. 5. Applicants should contact the board if they do not receive confirmation within 14 days of sending the application.

Residents may also apply to register to vote at offices of the state departments of Public Welfare and Health; the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s photo and driver license centers; Armed Forces recruitment centers; clerk of orphan’s courts or marriage license centers; area agencies on aging; student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education; offices of special education in high schools; and Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated complimentarypara-transit providers.

Photo from Clipart.com

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STAYING HEALTHY, FOR FREE – Dozens of visitors Saturday (Sept. 26, 2009) streamed in and out of the Colonial Room at Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Pottstown PA, as Pottstown Medical Specialists Inc. conducted a health and wellness festival that was open to the public. PMSI offices, public and non-profit health agencies, and even medical and pharmaceutical manufacturers were represented in the packed event, which offered a variety of screening and testing services, product samples, and helpful literature at no charge. Several area physicians and health experts also served as guest speakers. Outside Sunnybrook, an ambulance displayed its equipment, and a blood drive was conducted by the Miller-Keystone Blood Center.

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Jerry Blavat

SANATOGA PA – Philadelphia rock ‘n roll oldies icon Jerry Blavat, “the Geator with the Heater,” will be the host of a record hop Oct. 10 (2009; Saturday) from 7 p.m. to midnight in Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling the Sunnybrook box office Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon, or from 1-4:30 p.m. at 484-624-5186.

Photo from Sunnybrook Ballroom

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Members of the Parks and Recreation board stand in a circle Monday night as they discuss prospects for future uses of Gerald Richards Park.

Board members examine park space near Pebble Beach Lane.

SANATOGA PA – Out of the office, into the field.

For people accustomed to working indoors throughout a day, that trek might be something they only dream of. Members of the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Parks and Recreation Board put the adage into action Monday night (Sept. 28, 2009).

They left the conference room in the municipal building at 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA, and walked across the highway to Gerald Richards Park for a first-hand look at, and discussion of, its future.

The volunteer board oversees park use and helps guide Lower Pottsgrove recreation programs. It also makes recommendations to the township Board of Commissioners regarding park land, and it was in that role that board members stepped south from the Richards’ park frontage on Buchert Road, all the way to its opposite end near Pebble Beach Lane, to talk about the needs of years to come.

Of primary interest was a request to create a new T-ball field for young baseball players near the park’s southeast corner. It’s only a consideration for now, and may yet be some time away. “There’s no money for it,” township Assistant Manager Alyson Elliott reminded board members, “not now, and certainly not in next year’s budget.”

The ball field request, the park’s drainage problems, and its use by the residents of surrounding neighborhoods all were covered during the half-hour stroll. “It’s easier to envision things when you can see the property like this than on a map,” Elliott told the group.

Board members agreed. It’s not the first such tour they’ve taken, nor is it likely to be the last, but most indicated they see something different every time they get out.

Once done they headed back to the municipal building, and the conference room, for the remainder of their regular monthly meeting.

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ALTOONA PA – A vision of the railroading future was unveiled Monday (Sept. 28, 2009) in western Pennsylvania, by the company which keeps freight moving along rail lines that cut across the southern width of Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township.

A schematic showing how more than 1,000 batteries are arranged in the new Norfolk Southern locomotive unveiled Monday.

An Altoona PA-based locomotive shop was the site chosen by Norfolk Southern Corp. to show off its latest addition in alternative energy train technology, a 1,500-horsepower prototype switching locomotive that relies solely on rechargeable batteries for power.

Called the NS 999, the plug-in, entirely electric locomotive uses 1,080 12-volt lead-acid batteries to work in railroad switching applications with zero exhaust emissions. It also relies on energy from its brakes, when applied, to replenish its batteries. When fully charged, the NS 999 is able to operate three shifts before it needs recharging.

Norfolk Southern owns and operates railroad tracks that parallel the Schuylkill River and pass east-to-west across the township and Pottstown PA. Regional planning groups hope those same tracks will someday carry revived passenger train service from Norristown to Reading, and relieve traffic congestion on U.S. Route 422.

Monday’s focus, however, was on energy efficiency of a different kind.

“Sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint are solid business objectives that also provide enormous benefits to the communities we serve,” Norfolk Southern President Wick Moorman said during the introductory ceremonies, which were attended by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The locomotive was developed, in part, with federal funding and in a partnership between Norfolk Southern and the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Railroad Administration, and Penn State University.

Norfolk Southern schematic from Brookville Equipment Co. forum

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PHILADELPHIA PA – O’Neill Properties Group -  the real estate firm that proposes to develop the Gateway At Sanatoga shopping complex in Limerick (PA) Township – said Monday (Sept. 28, 2009) it will party in mid-October to top off a steel building skeleton at the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market, which in 2010 is expected to become the nation’s largest fully refrigerated warehouse.

Tight quarters at the existing Regional Produce Market in Philadelphia.

O’Neill representatives announced the developer would serve lunch and refreshments Oct. 14 to celebrate the latest phase of construction for the 667,000-square-foot cold storage building. Philadelphia city officials, produce market representatives, the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., and even the Philadelphia Eagles Pep Band will be on hand, according to a company press release.

Topping off is a long-established ritual in the construction industry, in which a final piece of steel for a building’s frame is ceremoniously put into place. The building being created by O’Neill will also be constructed of concrete and 5-inch-thick insulated metal panels to maintain the required refrigeration.

O’Neill, based in King of Prussia PA, is involved in a variety of development projects across the Greater Philadelphia area. They include the shopping center planned for mostly vacant acreage at Evergreen and West Lightcap Roads in Limerick, just east of its municipal border with Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, and west of the Philadelphia Premium Outlets.

Photo by PennPraxis via PlanPhilly.com

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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT – Players for St. Pius X High School, Pottstown PA,  football were on the field Saturday morning (Sept. 26, 2009) at Coach Mich Stadium, being run through their paces and drills by coaches. The balmy, breezy weather made it a near-perfect day to get work in with pads on, but earlier rain brought out plenty of bugs too. More than one coach was seen calling for a spray can of insect repellent.

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