The Sanatoga Post

SANATOGA PA – Health care news for western Montgomery County residents (and anyone else!), for April 18 (2010) and beyond.

• These events have been added to The Post calendar.

Monday, April 19

Blood drives ahead.

A blood drive conducted by the Miller-Keystone Blood Center is scheduled to be held Monday from 8-11 a.m. in the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce, 152 High Street, Pottstown PA. Appointments are required. For more information, call 610-926-6060.

Tuesday, April 20

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.

The second of twice-monthly meetings for the Grief Support Group sponsored by Pottstown Memorial Medical Center will be held Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Conference Room 1, on the first floor rear of the Chesmont Office Building, 13 Armand Hammer Blvd., Pottstown PA. For more information, call 610-327-7596.

Wednesday, April 21

A meeting of the Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, sponsored by Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m.. For more information, call 610-385-6577.

The second of twice-monthly meetings of the Grief Support Group sponsored by the Pottstown branch of the Freedom Valley YMCA will be held Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Y, 724 N. Adams St., Pottstown PA. For more information, call 610-323-7300.

The second in a free, three-part series of seminars on parenting – featuring speaker Donna Kreiger of Spring-Ford Counseling – will be held Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the YWCA Tri-County Area, 315 King St., Pottstown PA. Kreiger will cover discipline strategies, stress management tips for children and adults, and methods for enhancing a child’s self-esteem. Child care services also are available. For more information, or to make reservations, call 610-323-1888.

A Sleep Apnea Support Group will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Sleep Wellness Center of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, 1569 Medical Dr., Lower Pottsgrove PA. For more information or to register, call 484-945-0111.

Thursday, April 22

A blood drive conducted by the Miller-Keystone Blood Center is scheduled to be held Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at US Axle, 275 Shoemaker Road, Pottstown PA. Appointments are required. For more information, call 610-926-6060.

Saturday, April 24

Pharmaceutical waste collection for residents of Boyertown and other Berks County municipalities only will be held Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at both the Exeter Township Municipal Building, DeMoss Road, Exeter PA, and First Energy Stadium, Route 61, Reading PA.

Montgomery County Community College and the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation will present a children’s dental sealant program Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Community Health and Dental Care, 11 Robinson St., Pottstown PA. Free oral examinations and sealant placement will be provided for children ages 6-14. Space is limited, and examinations are by appointment only on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments can be made by calling 610-326-7405.

Monday, April 26

Free meetings of “Winning Strategies,” the Tobacco-Free Support Group of Phoenixville Hospital, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville PA, are held on the fourth Monday of every month beginning at 7 p.m. For information on its meeting location or to register, call 610-983-1288. The hospital also conducts an eight-session smoking cessation program monthly; it will be held during April on dates yet to be announced. Call the same phone number for information about these sessions.

Tuesday, April 27

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, April 28

A free meeting of the Post-Partum Adjustment Group, usually scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of every month, will be held April 28 (2010; Wednesday) from 6:30-8 p.m. in Suite 300 of Medical Office Building II on the campus of Phoenixville Hospital, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville PA. Registration is required. For more information or to register, call 610-983-1288.

A meeting of the Man-To-Man Prostate Support Group will be held Wednesday at noon in Classroom 1 in the Chesmont Office Building, 13 Armand Hammer Blvd., Pottstown PA. For more information or to register, call 610-327-7662.

Tuesday, May 4

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, May 5

Free skin cancer screenings for anyone not already under the care of a dermatologist will be offered May 5 (2010; Wednesday) from 4-8 p.m. in the Wound Center on the ground floor of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, 1600 E. High St., Pottstown PA, the hospital announced Tuesday (April 6). For more information, or to register for a screening, call 610-327-7662.

Tuesday, May 11

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.

Tuesday, May 18

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.

Tuesday, May 25

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.

Photo from Clipart.com

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POTTSTOWN PA – As real estate prices continue to fall across Southeastern Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation, a result of the recession and slow sales, more owners are challenging municipal assessments of the value of their properties. That spells trouble for many taxing entities, but particularly for school districts that depend most on real estate tax revenues to support their budgets.

Assessment battles are becoming as much a problem in the Pottsgrove School District as anywhere else.

The district Board of School Directors unanimously agreed Tuesday (April 13, 2010) to spend up to $9,500 to hire a Plymouth Meeting company that will conduct independent appraisals of four commercial properties within the district. Their owners claim the parcels are valued for far more than their current worth.

Neither the owners, or the addresses of the properties in question, were revealed in the board action. District Business Administrator David Nester made it clear, however, that Pottsgrove faces substantial declines in tax revenue, and potentially larger budget problems in the future, if it loses cases pending before the Montgomery County (PA) Board of Assessment Appeals.

Directors authorized the appraisals to be done by Mastroieni and Associates, a firm that specializes in “valuations and appraisals for a wide variety of commercial and industrial properties, hotels, resorts and recreational real estate,” according to its website.

The Mastroieni work product presumably would be used by the district as evidence during appeals hearings to justify current valuations.

“I assume it’s worth spending this amount of money to us,” director April Kontostathis asked Nester before the vote. “It is,” Nester replied with a nod. “We only look like this at large assessment appeals.”

Compared to neighboring school districts like Spring-Ford, which has far more commercial real estate and, consequently, a greater number of appeals in process, Pottsgrove’s not-to-exceed-price of $9,500 seems comparatively tiny.

Spring-Ford’s board in recent months authorized multiple appraisals costing more than $108,000 to fight appeal filings on properties owned by SmithKline Beecham and Quest Diagnostics in Upper Providence (PA) Township, the SEI Investments corporate headquarters in Oaks PA, Springford Country Club and Limerick Aviation in Limerick PA, the Giant Food Store in Royersford PA, and others.

“Do the townships contribute anything to this cost?,” director Fred Remelius wondered. “No,” Nester flatly responded, prompting Remelius to shake his head.

The reason? Townships that make up the school district – Lower, Upper and West Pottsgrove – often aren’t interested. Their budgets represent a fraction of the district’s expenses, they tax real estate at far lower rates, and so they have much less to lose in assessment appeals.

Lower Pottsgrove, for example, was asked during February 2010 to join the district in a settlement conference regarding the value of ChesMont Storage property on Industrial Highway, which had already progressed beyond the assessment board into a court case. Township solicitor R. Kurtz Holloway, during the township commissioners‘ March 1 meeting, explained the district hoped to reach a compromise on the assessment rather than continue the legal battle.

Commissioners needed to authorize the solicitor to participate at an additional cost, they were told, but Holloway suggested they pass on the opportunity. “The school district has more at stake here, and we should be comfortable to just follow Pottsgrove’s lead,” he explained. Commissioners took the advice, and unanimously passed a motion to officially decline the district’s invitation.

Related (to the Pottsgrove School District Board of Directors’ meeting of April 13):

• Ringing Relocation Decision Deferred Again
• Pottsgrove District OKs New Bus Contract, Up 2.2%
• School Board Member Headed For Afghanistan Duty
• Wh’cha Reading? At Pottsgrove, Something Different This Summer

Photo from Swift Economics

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Managing Editor Joe Zlomek.

SANATOGA PA – The Sanatoga Post has been selected as one of several media outlets across the country for inclusion in a national study of the coverage of religion in the news.

Post Managing Editor Joe Zlomek participated Thursday (April 15, 2010) in the project being conducted by the Ohio-based Center for Marketing and Opinion Research on behalf of the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the University of Southern California, and the Bliss Institute for Applied Politics at the University of Akron.

The center’s web-based interview asked in part about The Post‘s role in publicizing and covering events conducted by local churches and religious groups, and stories with religious angles suggested by readers. It published more than a dozen such stories during 2009.

The Post and its parent company, Career Education Media Ventures of Sanatoga PA, were recognized in October 2008 by the Knight Citizen News Network for the value and quality of their interactive local news content, and were listed in the KCNN national directory.

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• The Post Adds Two New Features
• Hello From Sanatoga PA

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Want to save some money? Pay your town and county tax bill by April 30, Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Treasurer Jennifer Marsteller advises.

SANATOGA PA – The deadline for filing federal, state, and local income tax returns is today (April 15, 2010) at midnight, and as they do every year, some area residents will hurry into the Postal Service station at Sanatoga Thriftway, 2190 E. High St., Pottstown PA, to get their forms into the mail on time.

Another, usually far less noticed, tax-related deadline is looming for Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township property owners. Their opportunity to take advantage of a 2-percent discount for early payment of township and Montgomery County real estate taxes ends 15 days from today, on April 30.

Township Treasurer Jennifer Marsteller distributed the local tax bills – which are separate from those for property taxes levied by the Pottsgrove School District – on March 1. The official deadline for paying the bills is June 30, more than two months away. But as Marsteller explained last week (April 5, 2010) to Lower Pottsgrove’s Board of Commissioners, many property owners jump at the chance to get their taxes on sale.

“We’ll see a big push” in collection of tax revenues at the treasurer’s office, 1954 E. High St., Sanatoga, during April, Marsteller noted.

Given the current total tax rate of 5.053 mills (0.4 mills for fire services, 1.958 for town, and 2.695 for county) the owner of a property in the township assessed at $150,000 normally would pay about $758 in town and county taxes by June 30. The early payment discount saves about $15: good for an extra bag of groceries, a half-tank of gas, or two tickets to a movie. OK, maybe only one ticket.

Taxpayers, if they notice such things, also will find their bills look physically different than they have in the past. That’s because Marsteller found a new printing contractor to produce the invoices, saving the township itself a few hundred dollars, Commissioners’ President Jonathan Spadt said. “Every little bit helps, and the treasurer’s doing her part too,” he added.

Bill payments may be mailed to or dropped off at Marsteller’s office, the regular hours for which are Mondays from 4-7 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to Noon, the first and third Saturdays of April, May and June from 10 a.m. to Noon, or with an appointment by calling 610-326-6960. For the procrastinators among us who still want a good deal, the office also will be open April 29 (Thursday) from 4-8 p.m., and April 30 (Friday) from 9 a.m. to Noon and 4-8 p.m.

Related (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ April 5 meeting):

• Upper Pottsgrove Follows Lower’s Lead On Pact
• Commissioners Impatient For Sunnybrook Sign Application
• Peee-yew! Whiff The Price Of Trash Pick-Up
• Stop, Thief! Stones, Trees Go Missing From Park Land
• Township Legal Move Saves District Time, Money
• What The Fashionista Politician Wears Now
• Comissioners OK Municipal Plan Changes
• Commissioners Tonight Consider Regional Plan Changes

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POTTSTOWN PA – The decision on where to house Ringing Rocks Elementary School students during the 2010-2011 school year, while their building at 1401 Kauffman Rd., Pottstown PA, is renovated and expanded, has been deferred again until the board’s April 27 (2010) meeting.

“There’s nothing final to present” for the Pottsgrove School District Board of School Directors‘ consideration, district Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis said Tuesday (April 13, 2010), as he briefly addressed the still-unresolved matter of where Ringing Rocks students will be educated.

Before the start of Tuesday's meeting Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis, right, consults with Pottsgrove School District solicitor Kyle Berman, as board Vice President Scott Fulmer, left, looks through paperwork.

Landis had hoped a decision would be made in March, he said earlier.

Work to refurbish the school is expected to get under way later this summer. The school board has looked into three options for Ringing’s population:

• Keeping students on-site while the construction work surrounds them. That’s been rejected by the board as unsafe;
• Moving students into modular classrooms and other facilities at the Pottsgrove Middle School campus, 1351 N. Hanover St. That’s met with strong opposition from parents and affected families; and
• Leasing the St. Pius X High School building, 844 N. Keim St., which will be vacated this summer as its student body is moved to nearby Royersford PA. Many parents favor that option, but the district initially considered it as costly.

As of the board’s meeting, which was held in the Ringing Rocks cafeteria, the district was “still doing environmental testing at Pius,” Landis said, to determine its usability, and also “is still working with real estate people” representing the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which owns the high school.

Also Tuesday, directors agreed to submit an additional round of Ringing Rocks construction planning documents, known as PlanCon Part F, to the state Department of Education for approval. “This doesn’t obligate us to do anything, right?,” board Treasurer Fred Remelius asked; Landis assured him it did not.

Only board member Robert Lindgren opposed the PlanCon submission, as he has previously. Lindgren has tried, so far without success, to convince board colleagues to scale back the size and scope of the project.

Rod Frey, representing Gilbert Architects Inc. of Lancaster PA,  hired by the board for the Ringing re-design, was present at Tuesday’s meeting but did not speak publicly.

Board Vice President Scott Fulmer, who opened the meeting, announced the board earlier in the evening met in an executive session “to discuss a real estate matter.” He did not specify if it was related to the Ringing Rocks relocation.

Related (to Ringing Rocks Elementary School renovations):

• Township Legal Move Saves District Time, Money
• Economic Tales, Exec Sessions, And Long Night At Pottsgrove
• Geothermal Now ‘Locked’ Into Ringing Re-Build
• How Estimated Costs For Ringing Shape Up
• Less Is More In School Project, Planners Learn
• Bids Sought For Ringing Project Asbestos Removal
• Ringing Relocation Decision Possible In Two Weeks
• Restaurant, Ringing Projects Win Conditional Uses
• Ringing Rocks, Restaurant Hearing Topics Tonight
• Pottsgrove Student Enrollment: Up? Yes. Down? Yes Again
• Green Discussion At Ringing Results In Red Faces
• Pottsgrove, Archdiocese Still Discussing Pius Lease
• Ringing Rocks Relocation Discussion Set For Tonight
• In The Ringing Rebuild, Whither Pius?
• Ringing Rocks Relocation Plan: Modulars At MS
• Ringing Rocks Construction Cost Hearing Tonight
• Planners OK Ringing Rocks Land Sketch
• District Sets Dec. 3 Hearing On Rocks Budget
• Pottsgrove Asks State Help To Pay For Ringing Re-Build
• As School Opens, Progress On Ringing Rocks’ Project
• Surprise Enrollment Spurs Demographic Interest
• District Assembles Ringing Rocks Planning Team
• District OKs Architect Negotiations
• Consensus On Ringing Renovations: $16M
• Ringing Rocks Proposals Aired Tuesday
• Ringing Rocks Re-Examined April 14
• Pottsgrove To Trust-But-Verify On Ringing Plans
• Ringing Rocks Plans Take Another Step
• No Shortage Of Ideas At Pottsgrove Meeting
• Weigh In On Pottsgrove Renovations
• Framing The Rocks Discussion
• Response Mixed To Pottsgrove Improvements
• District Invites Public For Study Results
• A Different Rocks, But Only As A Concept

Related (to the Pottsgrove School District Board of Directors’ meeting of April 13):

• Pottsgrove District OKs New Bus Contract, Up 2.2%
• School Board Member Headed For Afghanistan Duty
• Wh’cha Reading? At Pottsgrove, Something Different This Summer

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Lined up and waiting for students.

POTTSTOWN PA – Buses in the Pottsgrove School District will keep rolling during the 2010-2011 school year at an additional cost of about 2.2 percent, under a new contract with CMD Services Inc., 902 Farmington Ave., Pottstown PA, unanimously approved Tuesday (April 13, 2010) by the district Board of School Directors at its meeting at Ringing Rocks Elementary School.

Board members accepted, without comment, a schedule that pays CMD a management fee of $113,0000 during the next school year, an increase of $2,400 or 2.17 percent over the current-year rate.

In addition, the district will pay CMD drivers an hourly rate of $16.70, up 2.45 percent from $16.30; and will pay $60.70 hourly for maintenance and labor work, up 2.01 percent from $59.50. The usage cost for buses, $67, and for vans and a food truck, $43.50, remains unchanged.

For separately contracted vehicles under the CMD agreement, the district will pay slightly more in mileage costs, 86 cents per, up 1.18 percent from 85 cents; and in hourly labor, at $27.15, up 2.45 percent from $26.50.

The district’s 2009-2010 budgeted public and non-public transportation costs totaled about $2.2 million, and represented about 4 percent of its overall expenses, according to budget documents.

CMD has been the district’s busing contractor for many years. Founded in 1979, it is privately held and employs about 75 full- and part-time workers, according to a Manta business report.

Related (to the Pottsgrove School District Board of Directors’ meeting of April 13):

• School Board Member Headed For Afghanistan Duty
• Wh’cha Reading? At Pottsgrove, Something Different This Summer

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SANATOGA PA – Weekend activities for western Montgomery County residents (and anyone else!), April 16-18, 2010:

• These events have been added to The Post calendar.

Friday, April 16

The fifth annual Healthy Lifestyles Expo, an event that allows visitors to explore Tri-County area community services, participate in scheduled activities, and learn more about living a healthier life, will be held April 16 (2010; Friday) from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Montgomery County Community College, 101 College Dr., Pottstown PA. The event is free and open to the public.

“Into the Woods,” the Stephen Sondheim musical of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, will be presented by students of Daniel Boone High School in Birdsboro PA on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students.

“Curtains,” the spring musical production of the St. Pius X High School theater department, will be presented Friday and Saturday, as well as on April 23 and 24, at 7:30 p.m. on the stage in Father Doyne Hall in the high school, 844 N. Keim St. Pottstown PA. Another performance will be held April 25 (Sunday) at 2 p.m. Tickets for the evening performances will be $15 for reserved seating, $10 for general seating, and $8 for elementary age and Blue and Gold Card holders. A free-will donation will be received at the Sunday matinee.

Shorty’s Sunflower Café will host its annual Wheels On Meals fund-raiser, to help pay for meals for local senior citizens and shut-ins, daily through April 18 during regular business hours at the restaurant, 1494 N. Charlotte St., Pottstown PA. The café is open Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A concert by US Rails featuring folk, pop and rock of the ’60s and ’70s will be presented Friday at 8 p.m. in the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, 245 E. High St., Pottstown PA. The group will also perform some of the newest hits of top groups from around the world. Tickets for this one-show-only appearance range from $13 to $17. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information, call 610-970-1199.

The TriCounty Community Network has scheduled evening of dancing as a fund-raiser Friday beginning at 9:30 p.m. in the Viva Bistro and Tapas Lounge, 901 Hill Ave. and N. Park Rd., Wyomissing PA. The event features the band “Groove Dawgs,” playing songs from the ’60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The $10 cover charge supports TCN, a local nonprofit dedicated to addressing social, health and environmental issues in the tricounty area of southern Berks, northern Chester and western Montgomery counties. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

An exhibit called “Ecoart,” which focuses on artworks created from recycled, uncycled and salvaged materials, will be on display Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday  from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Gallery on High, 254 E. High. St, Pottstown PA. The show also includes more traditional two-dimensional work focusing on art and the environment.

Registration is under way for the 15th annual summer basketball league operated by a partnership of Phoenixville Area Positive Alternatives (PAPA)  and the Phoenixville Area Recreation Department. Registration forms completed and submitted before April 30 (2010) will qualify for registration fee discounts. For more information, call Sandy Booth at 610-983-4110, or Dolly Winston at 610-933-7728.

Saturday, April 17

An annual auction fund-raising event that benefits animals and services of the Humane Society of Berks County (PA), and which features a complimentary beer and wine bar hosted by Sly Fox Brewing Company of Royersford PA, will be held April 17 (2010; Saturday) at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wyomissing PA. Called “Art for Arf’s Sake,” the auction offers “the best of local, regional and national art, and other nifty things,” with proceeds going to the society. Tickets cost $40 per person and can be ordered using an online form or by calling 610-921-2348, Ext. 99.

The annual children’s clothing, toy and equipment sale conducted by the Valley Forge Mothers of Twins and Triplets Club, will be held Saturday  from 9 a.m. to Noon at Green Tree Church of the Brethren, 1078 Egypt Road, Oaks PA.

• “Curtains,” the musical in Pottstown, see Friday’s listing.
• “Into The Woods,” the musical in Birdsboro, see Friday’s listing.
• Wheels On Meals fund-raiser in Pottstown, see Friday’s listing.
• Ecoart exhibit in Pottstown, see Friday’s listing.

The American Cancer Society Bark For Life, a one-mile dog walk and cancer fund-raiser, will begin at 9 a.m. in the Limerick Community Park, Swamp Pike and Ziegler Road, Limerick PA. After the walk, participants will enjoy music, dog games, caricatures, Best in Show canine pictures, children’s games, food, and much more.  Activities will conclude at 1 p.m. For more information, call Angie Henderson at 484-614-9758.

Horses 101, an educational program intended to help horse enthusiasts – including those involved in show, trail riding, and new owners – of all experience levels prepare for spring, will be held Saturday  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Montgomery County 4-H Center, 1015 Bridge Road (Route 113) Collegeville PA. Program registration costs $5 per individual or $10 per family. For more information or to register, call 610-489-4315.

A day of family fun activities on Philadelphia Avenue, and Chestnut and Washington Streets in Boyertown PA will be held by Building A Better Boyertown on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be carnival games, live alpacas, a moon bounce, jugglers, caricatures, activities and prizes at Zimmers Pets, 51 E. Philadelphia Ave.

A YMCA Healthy Kids Day will be hosted Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Boyertown Area YMCA, 301 W. Spring St., Boyertown PA. Mini classes, a youth wellness center and portable skate park will be offered as part of the event. Tours of the YMCA will be available.

Cub Scouts can complete requirements to obtain their Wildlife Conservation Belt Loop during a special course being scheduled for Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m. in the office of Warwick County Park, 382 County Park Rd., Pottstown PA. Participants will learn about what natural resources are and why it is important to protect and conserve them; producers, consumers, and decomposers in the food chain; and endangered species and how they came to be endangered.  Scouts also will be able to build a bluebird nest box. A materials fee of $10 will be charged per bluebird box kit.

The WPAZ Preservation Association presents “Separate Ways,” the ultimate Journey tribute band, Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. in Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Pottstown PA. Tickets at the door are $37 per person.

“A Night at the Opera,” a performance featuring faculty artists from the Community Music School, will be offered at 8 p.m. on April 17 at CMS, 775 W. Main St., Collegeville PA. Vocal and instrumental music from some of the world’s best-loved operas will be presented.

Sunday, April 18

The fifth annual Girls With Gears: A Women’s Cycling Event will begin Sunday at 7 a.m. in Limerick Community Park, Limerick PA. The event, focused on raising awareness of women’s heart disease, is presented by Bikesport of Trappe and CAROL for Heart. The event offers bike rides for everyone, from beginner to experienced riders, with rides of 10 , 25, 40 and 62 miles. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the event ends at 2:30 p.m.

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THANKS FOR HIS SERVICE, TO DISTRICT AND NATION – Robert Lindgren, right, a member of the Pottsgrove School District Board of School Directors for several years during two different periods, announced Tuesday (April 13, 2010) during the board’s meeting in Ringing Rocks Elementary School that he would resign from the position so he could serve as a reservist with U.S. armed forces on a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan. “They were looking for a few good men, and they haven’t found enough of them, so they decided to settle for me,” Lindgren joked, as he made the decision public. Given the length of time he would be overseas, and the short period left in his current term upon his return, Lindgren said he thought tendering his resignation would be “more prudent than a leave of absence.” School board President Michael Neiffer, left, said Lindgren had told fellow directors of his impending departure two weeks ago, and on Tuesday presented him with gifts from the board. “You’ve been an asset to your family, our community, and this board, and we wish you all the safety possible,” Neiffer said, as he, board members and the audience gave Lindgren a standing ovation.

Related (to the Pottsgrove School District Board of Directors’ meeting of April 13):

• Wh’cha Reading? At Pottsgrove, Something Different This Summer

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BEING LATE MEANS DAILY FINES – In what sounded like a tip of its hat to the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Board of Commissioners, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Tuesday (April 13, 2010) that the contractor refurbishing the East High Street, Pottstown PA, stone-arch bridge which crosses Sanatoga Creek near Cutillo’s Restaurant would be fined $9,400 daily for each day the bridge was closed after Aug. 31. Commissioners voiced concerns in recent months that bridge detours would still be in effect after school started in the Pottsgrove School District. The repair agreement with Crossing Construction Company Inc. of Washington Crossing PA is intended to ensure that doesn’t happen, PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said. Orange spray-painted pavement markings, above, indicated Tuesday where construction crews might begin their work next week as repairs get under way.

Traffic lane shifts across the bridge during weekdays (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and some weekends (6 p.m. Fridays to 6 a.m. Mondays) will be necessary beginning Monday (April 19). The bridge will then be closed from June through late August. A posted detour will take motorists over Evergreen Road, Route 422 and Armand Hammer Boulevard.  “While the majority of the work will be done under traffic, we must close the bridge for two months to safely rebuild major portions of the bridge,” Toaso said. Structural problems with the bridge were clearly visible Tuesday along its north wall, where cracks, missing pieces of stone, and an outward bulge from bottom to top are evident.

Related (to the East High Street bridge):

• PennDOT To Fine Contractor For Bridge Work Delays
• Traffic Pattern Shifts Ahead At High Street Bridge
• State Says High St. Bridge Repairs To Cost $2.2M
• PennDOT Offer Sanatoga Bridge Work Timeline
• Details Are In That Pesky Paperwork
• PennDOT Set For Meeting On Bridge Work
• Missing Walks Latest Bridge Complaint
• Will Road Be Closed When School Re-Opens?
• State Says No To Keeping Bridge Open
• Township Looks To Pols For Bridge Help
• Bridge Closing Threatens Businesses, Board Says
• Sanatoga Bridge Closing This Spring
• Bridge Repairs Next Year

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LIMERICK PA – Whatever “action” members of the group calling itself Footprints For Peace has in mind when it arrives in the Pottstown area next week, it likely will be limited.

Footprints For Peace members during an earlier stop in Zanesville OH.

The organization, which advocates the United States become a nation free of nuclear weapons and nuclear power generation, announced last week its plans to visit Pottstown and Limerick during a walk that began in February at Oak Ridge TN, and will end in early May at the United Nations in New York City. The event includes a stop, and some form of demonstration, at or near Exelon Nuclear’s Limerick Generating Station, the group said last week on its website.

Its day-by-day schedule specifically notes the group is due to walk from Shillington PA, outside Reading, to Pottstown next Monday, April 19. It will observe a “Rest Day Action At Plant” on Tuesday, and then leave Pottstown Wednesday for Hereford PA. The walkers are traveling about 17 to 18 miles daily.

Media coverage of the group’s activities so far indicates it is small – varying between 10 and 20 walkers on any given day – friendly, and welcomed by church and civic organizations which provide nightly food and shelter. Its arrival at Pennsylvania locations merited reports:

• April 1 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review;
• April 7 by The Almanac in McMurray PA and
• The Black and Magenta, the student newspaper of Muskingum University in New Concord OH; and
• Yesterday (April 13) by the Cumberland County (PA) Sentinel, and the
• Harrisburg Patriot News.

According to the above reports, most of the walkers’ efforts so far focus on education and public discussion, primarily though slide shows and films presented at church halls and community centers.

Related:

• Anti-Nuclear Protesters Claim They’re Coming To Limerick

Photo from WHIZ-TV, Zanesville OH

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