GRATERFORD PA – The Pottsgrove High School Falcons football team capitalized on turnovers Friday night (Sept. 25, 2009), and won 28-7 in their Pioneer Athletic Conference game against the Perkiomen Valley High School Vikings at Perk Valley’s stadium off Route 29 in Graterford PA. The Falcons, now 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the PAC-10, play Pottstown next week.
INSECTS MORPH, KIDS LEARN – Fascination crosses the faces of students earlier this week at Pottsgrove Middle School, 1351 N. Hanover St., Pottstown PA, as they watch a caterpillar form its pupa during teacher Gary Reichenbach’s science class. They’ll later also write about what they saw, Middle School Principal Dr. Bill Ziegler said in an e-mail distributed Friday (Sept. 25, 2009), during the language arts classes of teacher Eileen Edling. Assignments in different classes focused on a single activity like the insect’s life cycle helps reinforce lessons learned in both, Ziegler indicated.
GILBERTSVILLE PA – Lower Pottsgrove’s congressman, Rep. Charlie Dent (PA 15th Dist.), and members of his staff will visit the village to meet with constitutents Monday (Sept. 28, 2009) from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Gilbertsville Fire Company hall, 1454 E. Philadelphia Ave., Gilbertsville PA. Those wishing to talk with Dent should call either his Montgomery-Berks County office, 215-541-4106, or Lehigh Valley office, 610-861-9734, for an appointment.
Water aerobics classes for members of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center’s Senior Circle group will begin at 2 p.m. in the Boyertown Area YMCA, 301 W. Spring St., Boyertown PA. For more information, call 610-327-7699.
A blood drive will be held from 8-11 a.m. and 2-6:30 p.m. at Final Results Fitness, 1100 Grosser Road, Gilbertsville. Appointments are required and may be made by calling the blood center at 610-926-6060.
Tuesday, Sept. 29
A blood drive will be held from 8-11 a.m. at Phoenix Rehabilitation, 780 Main Street, Royersford. Appointments are required and may be made by calling the blood center at 610-926-6060.
The weekly meeting of the Domestic Violence Support Group sponsored by Pottstown Memorial Medical Center is held every Tuesday evening. For more information on times and locations, call 610-970-7363.
Wednesday, Sept. 30
A gentle yoga class for members of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center’s Senior Circle will begin at 9 a.m. at Villa At Morlatton in Douglassville PA. It offers 70 minutes of yoga for flexibility and relaxation. For more information, call 610-327-7699.
Friday, Oct. 2
A blood drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. at Creative Health Services, 11 Robinson Street, Pottstown . Appointments are required and may be made by calling the blood center at 610-926-6060.
Free dental screenings are offered weekly on Friday mornings by appointment beginning at 9 a.m. in the Boyertown Multi-Service Center, Spring Street, Boyertown PA. Patients interested in this service must call Community Health and Dental at 610-326-7405, and not the Multi-Service Center, to schedule an appointment. Patients will be informed of the dentist’s findings following the screening.
SANATOGA PA – Bruce Foltz, president of the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Board of Commissioners, is a licensed electrician. Commission member Stephen Klotz is a licensed contractor. Both think new consumer-friendly restrictions on building industry tradesmen, already imposed on them by other municipalities, should be policy in their own as well.
For consumer protection, the state now requires most contractors to be registered.
Foltz and Klotz led a discussion Thursday night (Sept. 24, 2009), during the board’s second September meeting, that ended in a request to township Solicitor R. Kurtz Holloway to determine if Lower Pottsgrove can deny issuing a building permit to any tradesman who is not registered with the state.
It’s a good requirement, Foltz and Klotz claimed, because it instills consumer confidence. At the very least, the program intends to help identify and find rip-off artists. “It’s a way for home owners to know a contractor’s work is valid,” Holloway agreed.
In fact, state registration is considered by some neighboring municipalities as such a seal of approval that Foltz said they won’t issue permits to builders without seeing their registration cards.
Lower Pottsgrove, on the other hand, issues permits to Pennsylvania registrants or, if not signed up with the state, allows them to register with the township itself. That system works well, Codes Director Keith Place told commissioners, because Lower Pottsgrove’s standards for contractors are actually more stringent than those of Pennsylvania.
Maybe so, Foltz noted, “but I’d want us to be uniform with what other townships are doing.” Which is where attorney Holloway’s research enters the picture.
Responding to issues he raised, board members asked Holloway to look into whether the township can refuse to issue building permits to those not registered with the state, and dispose of its dual system. “The questions is, do we have the power to be an enforcer, and I don’t yet know that we do,” the solicitor said. He’s expected to report back to the board next month.
Do-it-yourselfers working on their own properties are exempt from registration, by the way. So are pros whose jobs earn $5,000 or less in a calendar year. Both, however, still must obtain building permits when and where necessary.
Meanwhile, the state registration system is taking a toll on the township in other ways. Place reported that revenues from the township registration program have fallen dramatically since the state’s began. Registration fees, which amounted to $23,000 during 2008, according to township Assistant Manager Alyson Elliott, and which were budgeted this year to hit $31,000, probably will fall about 22 percent – $7,000 or more – short of that goal.
The outlook for next year is even worse, Place said. Only $12,000 is budgeted for 2010, Elliott reported, which represents a 52-percent drop from previous years.
The board meeting, in the township municipal building on Buchert Road, Pottstown PA, started an hour earlier than usual for a pension plan presentation. Commissioner Jonathan Spadt was absent.
LIMERICK PA – Workers are scheduled to fan out next week across a 10-mile radius from Exelon Nuclear’s Limerick Generating Station (LGS) to start the first stage of an effort that will replace all 165 of the facility’s emergency sirens with new horns that include battery back-up.
An aerial view of Limerick Generating Station
Installation of the new sirens begins next year. Contractors must first visit and identify features of each existing siren. That’s the work which gets under way within days, and could take up to two months to complete, LGS spokesman Joseph Szafran said Thursday (Sept. 24, 2009).
The new and old sirens will run concurrently for a four-month period to ensure they operate properly. The project is not expected to be finished, and existing sirens removed, until 2011.
“The sirens are an important part of our emergency plan,” Limerick Site Vice President Chris Mudrick said, and they benefit the three counties that can use the sirens for any emergency.
The battery back-up adds an additional layer of confidence to the area’s emergency preparedness system, he added. “While we are confident in our current siren system,” he said, “the model we currently use is nearing the end of its service life.” The project proactively replaces all sirens with the “best available technology,” according to Mudrick.
Warning sirens are one of several methods used by emergency management authorities to provide emergency notifications. Individual counties may activate the sirens to warn community residents of fires, floods, tornadoes, hazardous material releases or, yes, nuclear energy plant events. The sirens are not a signal to evacuate, Szafran noted, but to tune to the local Emergency Alert Station.
During the assessment and replacement work, contractors from New Jersey-based ANS Services may seek permission from private property owners to approach a siren. Szafran said any worker asking to enter a property should produce a company photo ID upon request.
Stink bugs, apparently. Experts this week (Sept. 22, 2009) said the bugs, named for the unpleasant odor they emit when squashed, are a growing nuisance in Pennsylvania.
Stink bugs arrived in the Allentown PA area up to 10 years ago from Southeast Asia, Penn State entomologist Steve Jacobs explains. They have slowly been making their way south since then, spreading across the state. Shaped like beetles, they can fly into homes in great numbers.
As evening temperatures drop throughout September and October, the bugs can be expected to sneak inside homes to find a warmer spot for winter, according to Phil Pierce, technical services manager for New Jersey-based Western Pest Control. They do not bite or sting, but they can remain dormant in walls during winter and potentially create a stinky mess as they emerge next spring.
Pierce suggested that, to stop stink bugs from taking up residence, home owners should eliminate their entry points while it’s still warm outside.
Seal holes, cracks and gaps in and around siding, chimneys, air conditioning units and ceilings, as well as underneath fascia boards, with a high-quality, weather-resistant sealant. He also recommends installing kick plates, door sweeps or sheet metal underneath exterior doors, and weather stripping around doors and windows.
Hungry for something yummy? Team Phoenix of the Boyertown Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society will hold a bake sale fund-raiser from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Exit 29 near the arcade in the Zern’s Farmers’ Market, Gilbertsville PA. On the table for purchase will be homemade pies, cakes, cookies and brownies. The sale continues Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. or until sold out. For more information, call Linda Weller at 610-587-7763. (This event from The Community Connection)
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.
Saturday, Sept. 26
A fall festival and craft show that benefits the Boyertown Area MultiService and the homeless initiative of Ministries at Main Street will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Church, 527 Hoffmansville Rd., Bechtelsville PA. The day’s events begin with a pancake and sausage breakfast from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and end with a country ham dinner from 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets for either are available at the door. For more information, call Heather Stanton at 610-845-7875 or 610-223-5363. (This event from The Community Connection)
A children’s clothing and equipment sale sponsored by the Valley Forge Mothers of Twins and Triplets Club will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Green Tree Church of the Brethren, 1078 Egypt Rd., Oaks PA. The sale is open to the public.
Have some family fun, and see some of the best artisans in the region, during the Fall Craft Festival scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Sanatoga PA. There will be rides for youngsters, a display of historical memorabilia and a World War II house, and a bicycle safety and child fingerprinting booth. In addition, more than 40 vendors will display their wares, and food will be available.
The Mouns Jones House at Morlatton Village.
The Mouns Jones Harvest Festival, conducted by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County, opens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Morlatton Village, Old Philadelphia Pike, Douglassville. Buildings in the historic village will be open to the public, and re-enactors will stage activities from the time of the Mouns Jones family, which settled the area in the 1600s. Author Charles J. Adams III will tell haunting tales to kids and adults alike. Admission costs $2. (This event from AroundTown)
It’s Upper Frederick Township (PA)Community Day, rain or shine, with activities planned from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the township building, Route 73 and Neiffer Road, Obelisk. For more information, call 610-754-6436. (This event from The Community Connection)
Today also is Limerick Community Day, with events planned from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Limerick Community Park, Swamp Pike & Ziegler Road, Limerick PA. The Spring-Ford Area High School Marching Band opens the festivities, followed by concerts at 11 a.m. from The Mango Men, at 1:30 p.m. by the Radio Disney Road Crew, and at 3:30 p.m. by the Blue Route Band. (This event from WhatsThe422.com)
Trappe Borough Day, a borough-sponsored festival of all-things-Trappe that was canceled by inclement weather two weeks ago, has been re-scheduled for throughout today at Trappe Water Works Park, West First Avenue, Trappe PA. For more information, call Stu Strauss at 484-902-0393.
A community health fair that offers free screenings, demonstrations, and physicians’ lectures will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Colonial Room at Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Sanatoga PA, under the sponsorship of Pottstown Medical Specialists Inc. Free screenings include vision, blood pressure, bone density, asthma/COPD, blood sugar, posture and flexibility and strength. Demonstrations include Reiki, chair massage and cardio-pulmonary resusitation. Educational programs get under way at 9:30 a.m.
The Boyertown PA 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 grand opening of the new assisted living facility of the Villa at Morlatton will be held from noon-3 p.m. at the retirement community, 1152 Ben Franklin Pkwy. East, Douglassville PA. The celebration takes on an Oktoberfest theme, and will feature German food and live entertainment by The Ringgold Band. The event is free. For more information, call 610-385-5002.
Folk singer-songwriter and Pottstown area native Deirdre Flint will perform at the inaugural Meals on Wheels Benefit in the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, 245 High St., Pottstown PA. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception, raffles and bucket auctions, and Flint’s performance follows at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person at the door. (This event from Pottstown’s Blog)
A murder mystery dinner theater presentation titled “Lucy and Ethel’s Outrageous Adventure,” produced by White Rose Productions of Whitehall PA, will be staged beginning at 7 p.m. in the Quality Inn, 61 W. King St., Pottstown PA. The light-hearted play is loosely based on characters from I Love Lucy television program. Tickets cost $65 per person or $120 per couple, and include dinner, entertainment, tax and gratuity. For more information, call the Quality Inn at 610-326-6700.
Don’t let the potential for competition be a deterrent, Eisenhower warns. Job seekers “should dress to impress and bring plenty of resumes,” she said. And browsing the field won’t cost a dime: the job fair is free to all those looking for work.
As of Wednesday (Sept. 23, 2009), companies participating in the job fair included:
Abraxas Youth and Family Service
Antonelli Medical & Professional Institute
Bayada Nurses
Berks & Beyond Employment Services, Inc.
Chestnut Knoll Assisted Living and At Home Services
Genesis HealthCare
iSIGN
Montgomery County PA CareerLink
National Penn Bank
New York Life Insurance Company
PACE Institute
PeopleShare Inc.
PetSmart
Pottstown Memorial Medical Center
Salvation Army
Sanatoga Water Conditioning
Southeastern Veterans Center
Ultraflex Systems Inc.
The job fair also represents a bargain for those hiring, Eisenhower acknowledged. It lets them “build connections right here in the community in one day, and one easy step” by allowing them to meet face-to-face with potential employees, collect resumes, and conduct on-site interviews all in the same venue on the same day.
Carousel building construction under way last month.
The association of carousel ride devotees is conducting its 2009 convention in Philadelphia this week. Part of its activities Thursday include what association members call their “Philadelphia Friedom Tour” (the purposeful spelling will be explained momentarily) of Pottstown’s carousel, as well as others in Allentown, Hershey, Perkasie, Pen Argyl, Lahaska, and Philadelphia PA, and Thorofare NJ.
The tour is named for Frederick Fried, an association co-founder.
That Pottstown’s budding carousel enterprise is a stop on the tour is considered a mark of respect for efforts of the Carousel At Pottstown Inc. board of directors. Promotional material for the convention notes that, because the Philadelphia area is home to so many carousels – the industry was practically born here – organizers decided “to skip a few” in creating the tour.
The Pottstown carousel board has already raised more than $1 million for the project.
The non-profit corporation, formed in 2000, points to similar operations elsewhere that attract up to 225,000 riders and even more visitors annually. It hopes the same is possible downtown, and is renovating the former Metal Weld Building located between High at King Streets at Manatawny Creek, to house its restored 1905 ride.
During the tour, according to convention literature, association members can expect to “see carousels that are used hard every day … carousels beautifully restored … carousels that barely have paint, awaiting help, and … communities who realized what they had and have preserved their carousels for the future.”
"I Went To Lower Pottsgrove Elementary"
The Facebook page for alumni of the school that once was located on North Pleasantview Road in Sanatoga, but is now home to Coventry Christian Academy.
