The Sanatoga Post

SANATOGA PA – Pottstown area residents and businesses can safely shred unwanted personal and confidential documents during a free business shred day event to be held  Wednesday (Sept. 22, 2010) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine at the Sunnybrook community office of National Penn Bank, 1830 E. High St., Pottstown PA.

This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Items such as receipts and invoices can be brought to the office to be shredded in a secure manner. Paper clips and staples will go through the shredder, but participants are asked to remove all plastic binders or black binder spring clips. Shredding must be limited to 10 boxes (of a size 16 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 10 inches high) per individual.

For more information, call 610-327-0568.

National Penn and its divisions are hosting shredding events for their sixth consecutive year, and for a second year for mid-week schedules. Last year more than 2,700 people shredded 150,000 pounds of personal documents at such events.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

STOWE PA – A meeting of the Parent-Teacher Organization of the Pottsgrove School District’s West Pottsgrove Elementary School will be held Wednesday (Sept. 22, 2010) at 7 p.m. in the library of the school, 25 Grosstown Rd., Stowe PA.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

POTTSTOWN PA – A blood drive is scheduled in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township by the Miller-Keystone Blood Center for Wednesday (Sept. 22, 2010) from 8 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. at Diamond Credit Union, 1600 Medical Dr., Pottstown PA. Appointments are required to donate blood. For more information or to make an appointment call Miller-Keystone at 610-926-6060.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

The Limerick (PA) Post | The Pottstown (PA) Post | The Main Street Post

Published during the week just ended in The Sanatoga Post:

Saturday, Sept. 18

• Friday Night Football: Pottsgrove Vs. Boyertown
  Pottsgrove’s Falcons were surprised by The Bears with their upset football win at Boyertown’s stadium. See a Post gallery of photos from the game.
• Sanatoga Dinner Raised Funds Against Disease
  The Friday night meal at Sanatoga Court collected money to be used in the battle against Alzheimer’s.
• East Coventry Board Declines 422 Plan Endorsement
  In their second vote on acceptance of the U.S. Route 422 Master Plan, supervisors decided 3-2 against it, despite its sponsor’s request for open-mindedness.
• Keep Healthy Next Week
  A weekly review of free or low-cost local seminars, support groups, screenings, tests and clinics to help you stay healthy and fit, sponsored or conducted by community health care organizations.

Friday, Sept. 17

• Township Firefighters Prepare For October Presentations
  Ringing Hill and Sanatoga fire companies’ volunteers are busy every month, but their public personas will be in demand in just 13 days, as National Fire Prevention Month gets under way.
• It’s (Ugh) Snow Plow Planning Time Again (Sigh)
  Removing snow from Lower Pottsgrove highways can be a tough-enough job even when Mother Nature is kind. But when she turns nasty, well, that’s when additional hired help comes in handy.
• Hiriak Re-Appointed To Planning Commission
  He was returned to the Lower Pottsgrove board for a successive four-year term, with praise and thanks from township commissioners.
• Thrivent Sets Document Shredding For Saturday
  Got some personal or financial documents you’d like to be rid of? Don’t just toss them in the trash, where prying eyes could do you harm. Bring them to Sanatoga and have them ground into bits.

Thursday, Sept. 16

• Lower Pottsgrove Police Will Take Back Prescription Drugs
  The department is participating next Saturday, Sept. 25, in a nationwide initiative to keep unwanted or expired prescription drugs out of the hands of potential abusers.
• Pottsgrove High Lock-Down Ended As Chase Left Area
  High school students were locked inside their building early Wednesday morning as Lower Pottsgrove, Collegeville and other police chased after an alleged assailant and car thief.
• Stuff To Do This Weekend
  In Sanatoga, lasagna’s in the oven, chicken’s on the grill, and Elvis is on the stage. Community days are planned in Oaks, Gilbertsville and Spring City. Drink up (you choose the beverage) at Oktoberfest in Boyertown. Never a dull moment around here.
• Sanatoga’s Fall Chicken BBQ Saturday
  Trust firefighters to cook chicken over an open flame to perfection. Tickets will be available at the East High Street fire hall.
• 24 Hours In Pottstown For Wednesday (Sept. 15, 2010)
  An overview of Pottstown-related news from other websites.
  • Housing Fight Isn’t Over In Pottstown
  • Pottsamucil, The Home Of Low-Income Senior Housing
  • Pottstown Plans Veterans Day Extravaganza
  • Creating A Pottstown Revitalization Library
  • Homeless In Pottstown
• Also, In The Limerick Post …
  • Corvettes Show Saturday Helps Alzheimer’s Research
    If you like fast-looking, deep exhaust note-sounding muscle cars, this may be a place to be during the weekend.

Wednesday, Sept. 15

• Green, Or Maybe Now Brown, Grass Still A Hause Ave. Problem
  Despite a summer drought, grass clippings blown into a Sanatoga street are still causing neighbors to call a Lower Pottsgrove commissioner with complaints.
• PennDOT Proclaims 422 Rehab Project Completed
  The restoration of 4-1/2 miles of U.S. Route 422 between Collegeville and Royersford is officially finished, the state highway agency said Monday.
• 15th Congressional District Candidates Face Off
  Three candidates fighting to represent Lower Pottsgrove Township and the rest of the 15th Congressional District faced off for the first time Monday night in a candidates’ forum. (This story is published by WFMZ-TV, Allentown PA, and is hosted on its website).
• College Hosts 16th Annual Tech Conference
  Teaching about and with technology is no easy task, despite its tremendous impact on daily living. An annual conference hosted by Montgomery County Community College aims to make it easier.
• 24 Hours In Pottstown For Tuesday (Sept. 14, 2010)
  • Gilbertsville Teen Tells Of Making Women’s Baseball Team
  • Pottstown Senor Housing A Tough Vote Made Tougher
  • Landlord-Homeowner Solidarity Is Essential to Pottstown
  • Open Doors 2010: Pottstown Feels the Love
  • Time to Go Fishing; Pottstown Bloggers Call A Halt
  • A Mammoth Message In Worry Over Water
• Also, In The Limerick Post …
  • Federal Indictment Charges Former Limerick Supervisor, 2 Others
• 24 Hours In Limerick For Tuesday (Sept. 14, 2010)
  • Feds OK Emergency Drought Relief For PA Farmers
  • Unemployment Filings Average One for Every Six Pennsylvanians
  • PA Average 2010 Sat Scores Show Little Change
  • Promoting The Schuylkill River Art Exhibit

Tuesday, Sept. 14

• Pass The Excedrin. It’s Budget Time In Lower Pottsgrove
  With the start of fall, and the new year only slightly more than three months away, the work of creating the township’s next annual budget begins in earnest.
• Lower Pottsgrove Officer Chosen For FBI Academy
  Lt. Michael Foltz, the police department’s second-in-command, is headed to months of special training in Quantico VA beginning in January.
• Digging’s Done, Now Real Work Starts At Ringing
  The Pottsgrove School District officially launched its renovation of Ringing Rocks Elementary School with ground-breaking ceremonies Thursday. Grown-ups responsible for its planning, and kids who will benefit from it within 18 months, both got to throw some dirt in celebration.
• Also, In The Pottstown Post
  • Radiography Students, Every One of 13, Pass Exam
    A Montgomery County Community College program enjoys a 100-percent success rate.
• Also, In The Limerick Post
  • Safe Indoor Emergency Lighting May Be Just Outside
    If the power goes out candles and flashlights may not be handy, and an open flame might even be dangerous. Limerick’s police chief offers an alternative you may not have considered when all goes dark.

Monday, Sept. 13

• H&K Asks Lower Pottsgrove For A New Digital Sign
  The construction materials and contracting company, which operates the Pottstown-Sanatoga Trap Rock Quarry, wants to replace an existing sign with something more modern and digital.
• What They Sold For
  A weekly review of top prices paid for real estate in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township and surrounding municipalities.
• Pottsgrove Falcons Sports For Sept. 13-20, 2010
  Who’ll they’ll play, what, when, and where this week.
• Conklin’s Comedy Benefits Local Meals Program
  The WIP Radio announcer and “man of a thousand voices” will do a show to raise funds for the Sanatoga-based Meals On Wheels program.
• Also, In The Pottstown Post
  • Chamber Welcomes 11 New Business Members
    The Pottstown-based TriCounty Chamber of Commerce introduced them last Thursday during its first membership breakfast meeting of the fall.
  • Berkshire Commons Sale Assists Research
    The assisted living facility in Exeter will hold a community sale to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.
• Also, In The Limerick Post
  • Exelon, East Coventry Work On Frick’s Lock Pact
    They’ve been considering an agreement, primarily in executive sessions, to create a historic district. It’s on the East Coventry board agenda tonight (Monday) for public discussion, a supervisor said.
  • One-Day Master Gardener Sessions Opened
    Montgomery County Cooperative Extension volunteers are willing to share their knowledge for better gardening now and next year.
  • Valley Forge Mothers Meeting Wednesday
    The club that caters to families of twins and triplets will gather at the Valley Forge fire hall.

Sunday, Sept. 12

• The Post Week In Review
  For Sept. 5-11, 2010

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

BOYERTOWN PA – The Bears of Boyertown High School forged an early Pioneer Athletic Conference football upset Friday night (Sept. 17, 2010), with a 34-28 win over the Pottsgrove High School Falcons in Boyertown PA.

• See a selection of photos from the game, below.
• Read about the game in today’s (Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010) edition of The (Pottstown PA) Mercury newspaper.
• See a selection of photos from Boyertown’s perspective in today’s edition of The Pottstown Post.
• See all 89 photos taken by The Post during the game.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

SANATOGA PA – Eric Burt (above), chef manager at the Sanatoga Court assisted living community, became accustomed Friday night (Sept. 17, 2010) to seeing “goo” and hearing “oooh!,” as visitors dived into his lasagna.

The goo – thick, creamy, flavorful and fully melted mozzarella cheese – was followed by the oooh, a universal sound of satisfaction, as patrons enjoyed dinner at the Evergreen Road, Pottstown PA, facility’s fund-raiser to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Sanatoga Court Executive Director Tracey Aungst said she hoped the meal would collect several hundred dollars in ticket sales and donations to help fight the disease.

The meal, which also included salad, garlic bread, beverages, and tiramisu for dessert, was served in Sanatoga Court’s second-floor dining area, which was specially decorated for the occasion.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

SANATOGA PA – Health care news for western Montgomery County residents (and anyone else!), for Sept. 19-25 (2010) and beyond.

• These events have been added to The Post calendar.

Sunday, Sept. 19

A peer-led meeting of Resolve, the National Infertility Association support group, is scheduled to be held weekly on Sundays beginning at 2 p.m., sponsored by Phoenixville Hospital, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville PA. Registration is required. For more information or to register, call 610-917-0006.

Blood pressure screenings are scheduled Monday.

Monday, Sept. 20

Blood pressure screenings conducted by staff members of the Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown will be held on Sept. 20 (2010; Monday) from 10 a.m. to Noon at the New Hanover Luthern Church, 2941 Luthern Church Rd., Gilbertsville PA.

Wednesday, Sept. 22

Blood pressure screenings conducted by staff members of the Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown will be held on Sept. 22 (2010; Wednesday) from 10 a.m. to Noon at the Pottstown Area Senior Center, 724 N. Adams St., Pottstown PA.

A free meeting of the Post-Partum Adjustment Group, scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of every month, will be held Sept. 22 (2010; Wednesday) from 6:30-8 p.m. in Suite 300 of Medical Office Building II at Phoenixville Hospital, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville PA. Registration is required. For more information or to register, call 610-983-1288.

Thursday, Sept. 23

A well child clinic conducted by staff members of the Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown will be held on Sept. 23 (2010; Thursday) from 8:30-10:15 a.m. at the VNA Building, 1963 E. High St., Pottstown PA.

Blood pressure screenings will be conducted by staff members of the Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown on Sept. 23 (2010; Thursday) beginning at 2 p.m. at Manatawny Manor, 30 Old Schuylkill Rd., Pottstown PA.

Project Prevention, a community service of Phoenixville Hospital that offers blood pressure screenings, diabetes education and health-related referrals through an on-site nurse and case manager, will be held Sept. 23 (2010; Thursday) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First United Church of Christ, 145 Chestnut St., Spring City PA.

Project Prevention, a community service of Phoenixville Hospital that offers blood pressure screenings, diabetes education and health-related referrals through an on-site nurse and case manager, will be held Sept. 23 (2010; Thursday) from 10 a.m. to Noon at The Bard Center, 410 Washington St., Royersford PA.

The monthly meeting of the Visually Impaired Support Group, sponsored by Phoenixville Hospital, will be held Sept. 23 (2010; Thursday) from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the annex at Phoenixville Hospital, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville PA. For more information or to register, call Gail at the Montgomery County Association for the Blind at 215-896-5989.

Dr. Glenn Lipton will speak on “Solving Shoulder Pain” during the Pottstown Memorial Medical Center Senior Circle’s “Dinner With The Doc” series Sept. 23 (2010; Thursday) beginning at 6 p.m. in the classrooms at the Chesmont Office Building, Armand Hammer Boulevard, Pottstown PA For more information or to register, call 610-327-7699

Friday, Sept. 24

Blood pressure screenings will be conducted by staff members of the Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown on Sept. 24 (2010; Friday) from 1-3 p.m. at the Coventry Mall, Routes 100 & 724, Pottstown PA.

A two-day safe driver course for persons age 55 and older will be offered Sept. 24 and 25 (2010; Friday and Saturday) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day in Room 300 of Medical Building II at Phoenixville Hospital, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville PA. Successfully completing the program may provide a reduction in some car insurance premiums. Registration is required. A fee of $12 will be charged to members of AARP; $14 must be paid by non-members. For more information, call 610-983-1288.

Sunday, Sept. 26

A peer-led meeting of Resolve, the National Infertility Association support group, is scheduled to be held weekly on Sundays beginning at 2 p.m., sponsored by Phoenixville Hospital, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville PA. Registration is required. For more information or to register, call 610-917-0006.

Monday, Sept. 27

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. in the hospital cafeteria. For information or to register, call 610-983-1288.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

Company statistics from the latest fire marshal's report, delivered Sept. 7 (2010) to the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Board of Commissioners.

SANATOGA PA – From a public perspective, the biggest month of the year for the Sanatoga and Ringing Hill fire companies – the all-volunteer organizations that protect Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township residents from fire, accidents and other hazards – is only 13 days away.

October is National Fire Prevention Month, specifically chosen because the Great Chicago Fire that engulfed and destroyed a large portion of the Illinois city occurred Oct. 9, 1871. Within it is Fire Prevention Week, observed this year from Oct. 3-7. That’s when the men and women of both companies will be on the road, teaching Pottsgrove School District students and township home owners about what they do, how they do it and, frankly, how much they would prefer to do it less.

Ringing Hill volunteers will bring equipment and trucks to Pottsgrove schools during the week, according to a report submitted last week (Sept. 7, 2010) by Fire Marshal Lew Babel to the township Board of Commissioners. Visits to child day care facilities and private schools will be handled this year by Sanatoga volunteers.

In addition, members of both companies will be involved in public presentations scheduled for:

• Oct. 2 (Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Home Depot, 295 Armand Hammer Blvd., Pottstown PA;
• Oct. 7 (Thursday) from 7-9 p.m. in the Suburbia Shopping Center, 86 Glocker Way, Pottstown; and
• Oct. 10 (Sunday) from noon-4 p.m. at the Limerick Fire Company (Station 54), 390 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick PA.

Those tasks are in addition to their regular duties, which include monthly training, assisting community organizations, and providing emergency and firefighting assistance, Babel’s report noted.

During July 2010, the most recent month in which statistics for both companies were available (see the table at top), the township’s combined pool of firefighting volunteers put in a total of 574 man hours, the equivalent of two full-timers working 9-1/4 hours a day for the 31-day period without receiving a dime of pay.

Related (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ meeting of Sept. 7):

• Township Firefighters Prepare For October Presentations
• Lower Pottsgrove Police Will Take Back Prescription Drugs
• Green, Or Maybe Now Brown, Grass Still A Hause Ave. Problem
• Lower Pottsgrove Officer Chosen For FBI Academy
• Township Approves Planning Map Changes
• Commissioners OK Tax-Reduction District Research
• ‘Patient Investigator’ Township’s Officer Of The Year
• Lower Pottsgrove To PennDOT: Good Job, Guys
• Township Examines Tax-Break District Potential

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

Lower Pottsgrove is already thinking ahead.

SANATOGA PA – As if we needed a reminder of what’s due from Mother Nature in the months ahead, Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township last week announced – as it does every year – that it would look to sign contractors for their help in clearing streets and roads of snow and ice during the winter.

The Board of Commissioners gave its unanimous approval last week (Sept. 7, 2010) to Manager Rodney Hawthorne’s annual request to seek bidders for snow plowing duties that supplement work done in township equipment by its employees.

The township has about 100 miles of public road, of which 25 miles are maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). To clear the remainder Lower Pottsgrove hires independent plow owners as needed, particularly during heavy accumulations, to ensure roads are cleaned in a timely manner.

It’s not cheap. Hiring contractors in past years has cost the township between $70 and $150 an hour per truck, depending on individual bids accepted and the size of trucks used.

Between three and five companies are expected to submit bids, which will be due in coming weeks. Although the township probably will rely first and most often on the most acceptable lowest-cost bidders, Hawthorne told board members all submitted bids are likely to be entertained … because you never know when Mother Nature will decide to send a wallop our way.

Photo from Google Images

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS

SANATOGA PA – Nicholas F. Hiriak of Overlook Drive, Pottstown PA, has been re-appointed as a member of the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Planning Commission.

The township Board of Commissioners voted unanimously last week (Sept. 7, 2010) to return Hiriak to the planning board for a successive four-year term. His current term is due to expire Dec. 31, according to the township website. “He’s done a great job there, and we’re happy to have him,” board President Jonathan Spadt said. Commissioner Michael McGroarty, himself a former planning board member, echoed similar comments.

Hiriak works as finance director for Upper Merion (PA) Township.

The five-member planning commission hears details of and makes recommendations to the Board of Commissioners on land use and related proposals in the township. It usually meets on the third Monday of each month in the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail. Share this article.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.
Find The Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Technorati, Flickr, YouTube, and RSS