The Sanatoga Post

The dining room at the new Jake's Wayback Burgers, awaiting customers

POTTSTOWN PA – If it’s gourmet hamburgers, fries and milkshakes you’re craving, Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township resident Lynda Hendershot has your date. It’s this Thursday (July 21), the now announced official opening day of Hendershot’s “Jake’s Wayback Burgers” franchise at the Upland Square shopping center at 255 Upland Square Drive, Pottstown PA.

Hendershot’s operation is one of nine of the newest Jake’s locations, and one of four in Pennsylvania. The franchise headquarters is based in Cheshire CT, and as of May (2011) it had licensed 27 restaurants in eight states.

“We passed all our inspections … with flying colors and will be ready to open” on the appointed day, Hendershot proudly declared last Thursday (July 14) from her store’s Facebook page.

Photo from Lynda Hendershot

POTTSTOWN PA – He’s a reader, he’s a library director, he’s a video star, and in his latest incarnation Michael Packard is also a bit of a pitchman.

Pottstown Regional Public Library, 500 High St., Pottstown PA, has written an application – and as part of it, produced a video – to obtain empowerment grant money being distributed by the non-profit Motorola Mobility Foundation. Packard hopes foundation cash will help the library buy electronic tablets such as the Motorola Xoom (a competitor to the iPad and similar devices) that library visitors can use within its building. The video was posted last Thursday (July 7, 2011) on YouTube.

• Watch the video, above, or see it at the YouTube user account of mkplibrary.

He calls it a “mobile patron plan.” The concept, Packard said, allows users to check out a tablet device from a front desk. The user could then find a seat in the library, and use the tablet to read periodicals, access databases, check out e-books, or surf the web within the library’s WiFi (wireless internet) zones. The tablet is then returned to the front desk. The institution is looking to “make the leap” to table technology, he explains in the video.

The foundation “focuses its funding on education, community, health and wellness, and disaster response,” according to its website. Packard’s video does not mention the amount of money being sought.

Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township annually supports library operations on behalf of its residents with a financial contribution. During 2011 it amounts to $60,000.

Photo from Google Images

POTTSTOWN PA – Unwanted computers and their parts, and other electronic items that can sometimes be difficult to dispose of, will be accepted during a rain-or-shine scrap recycling event today (Saturday, July 16, 2011) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. conducted by KenCrest EmployNet at its offices at 21 Robinson St., Pottstown PA. The day is being held in conjunction with 611 Metals Recycling.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Although the recycling project is free, tax-deductible donations will be accepted by KenCrest to support its programs.

611 Metals Recycling reports it will recycle all materials in accordance with EPA regulations. It guarantees that any data left on disposed drives will be wiped clean. For more information, send an e-mail here.

Photo from Google Images

Photos by Glenn Isett and Billy Worrell

A GREAT SUMMER EVENING WITH OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN – Members of the 78th Army Band based in Fort Dix NJ attracted an estimated 350 people to their concert Wednesday night (July 13, 2011) at the band shell in Sanatoga Park, South Sanatoga Road, Pottstown PA. Dark clouds threatened only briefly mid-way through the performance, but quickly dispersed. That made it a perfect night for the rock, jazz, blues, choral, and concert music provided by several groups of the 78th (above), and its entire compliment in the finale. Visitors (below) leaving the outdoor show loudly declared it a success and, perhaps best of all, the band has tentatively discussed making a return engagement next year. The evening was opened by presentation of the colors, thanks to a honor guard provided by the Pottsgrove Post 244 of the American Legion (bottom).  The concert series is conducted by the Lower Pottsgrove Parks and Recreation Board, and is financially underwritten by Exelon Nuclear.

• See a gallery of 19 photos, taken by Glenn Isett and Billy Worrell and generously provided to The Post, below:

POTTSTOWN PA – A sixth annual Bingo fund-raiser conducted by Diamond Credit Union, with offices on Medical Drive in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, and sponsored by Welsh Subaru of Limerick PA, was its most successful ever to benefit local American Cancer Society Relay For Life efforts, the financial intuition reported.

Tables at the Bingo fund-raiser were laden with Coach-brand bags offered as prizes

Last month’s record-breaking event, held at the North Coventry Fire Company hall, attracted more than 230 players and collected more than $10,430, according to Diamond President John Faust. “I was thrilled when I walked into the fire company and saw the packed house. This event has always been a great fund-raiser, but I never expected such a huge show of support. I am thankful to our volunteers who put this event together and made it the best it has ever been,” he said.

The 2011 Bingo theme was “Winner’s Choice,” and allowed players to pick between a Longaberger basket or a Coach-brand handbag as their prize for each regular bingo game. Prizes not chosen were added to a jackpot raffle, which already included a large Longaberger basket and Coach travel bag.

Diamond is the 18th largest credit union in Pennsylvania, and operates two additional offices in Reading. It holds more than $358 million in assets, and serves more than 39,500 members.

POTTSTOWN PA – Free prostate screenings to help in the early detection of prostate cancer will be offered on three dates this fall – Sept. 19 (2011; Monday), Sept. 20 (Tuesday), and Sept. 22 (Thursday) – by Pottstown Memorial Medical Center (PMMC) at the hospital, 1600 E. High St., Pottstown PA.

Advance registration is required due to a limited number of appointments available, and blood work for the test must be drawn between Aug. 15 and Aug. 31 at a participating PMMC laboratory.  For more information or to register, call (610) 327-7092.

One in six men will develop prostate cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American men. Early stages of prostate cancer may not cause any symptoms, so yearly medical checkups are important, the hospital said Monday (July 11) in announcing its offer.

Age is the biggest risk factor of prostate cancer, with the likelihood of diagnosis greatly increasing after age 50; however, some men are at a higher risk.  African Americans are diagnosed 60 percent more than white American men, and should begin screening as early as age 35.  A man’s chance of diagnosis doubles if he has a father or brother with prostate cancer, so men with a family history of the disease should also begin early screening, the hospital said.

Healthy diets and exercise also can lower risk for the disease. Foods such as tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit are especially beneficial because they contain lycopenes, which are antioxidants, and have been linked to prostate cancer prevention.

All men over the age of 40, and those who are 35 and identified as high risk, are strongly encouraged to register, the hospital added.  PMMC’s free prostate screening consists of two parts:  a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) performed by a trained physician.

LIMERICK PA – If you’re a Costco Wholesale fan, mark your calendars for Aug. 17 (2001; Wednesday) at 8 a.m.

That’s the tentative date and time, according to Rob Leuck, vice president of Costco Pennsylvania operations, to open the company’s new store on West Lightcap Road, Limerick PA, in the first phase of the Gateway at Sanatoga shopping center. Costco is rushing to meet that deadline, with much of its effort being headed by store General Manager Scott Riekers, Leuck said Wednesday (July 13) by phone.

A store opening invitation issued by Costco for one of its locations in New York state

Leuck confirmed the Limerick store was intended to be among eight opened by Costco before the Aug. 28 end of its current fiscal year, as reported Wednesday by The Post, “but we’ve got a lot to get done before then,” he said.

The store expects to employ about 175 people, most of whom should be trained and ready to serve the public by that date too, Leuck noted. Although the company continues to take job applications at its employment website, its hiring for Limerick is “almost complete,” he added.

The company has yet to announce specific plans for opening day; they are likely to be made public in coming weeks.

Costco promotes itself as a goods-and-services business open only to members. It offers “lower prices and better values by eliminating virtually all … frills and costs historically associated with conventional wholesalers and retailers,” Jim Sinegal, the company’s chief executive officer, tells investors.

The new location is sure to attract new followers. However, a percentage of its local sales also will come from current members who consider Limerick more convenient than traveling to its store in King of Prussia PA, 18 miles east.

Costco offers three types of membership levels:

• Gold Star members pay a $50 annual fee. The level is available to individuals who do not own a business, and includes a free spouse membership.
• Business members qualify by owning or operating a business. They also pay a $50 annual fee to shop for re-sale, business and personal use, and it also includes a spouse card. Business members may buy up to six additional membership cards at $50 each for their partners or associates.
• Executive members pay a $100 annual fee. They receive business member benefits, year-end rebates on most purchases, and the ability to buy a variety of discounted consumer and business services.

Internationally, with 583 warehouses, Costco said it served 62.6 million card-holding members as of June 9 (2011).

Related (to the Gateway At Sanatoga project):

• Limerick Costco’s Tentative Opening Planned For Aug. 17
• Costco Open By Aug. 28 (Maybe); Surest Sign: Hiring Now
• Buying Spree: Gimme A Steak, Those Shoes, That TV
• Structural Steel On Its Way Up At Limerick Costco Site
• Costco Construction Still Aiming For A Spring Opening
• Contractor Agrees To End Night Work At Sanatoga Gateway
• Sanatoga Gateway’s Overnight Noise Near An End
• Beep!-Beep!, No Sleep For Residents Near Gateway Site
• Pipeline Being Moved At Sanatoga Gateway
• What Gateway At Sanatoga Marketing Says About Us
• Before Demise, Limerick Homes Get Firefighters’ Farewell
• Ground Clearing Begins At Sanatoga “Gateway”
• Developer Sets New Costco Date: Spring 2011
• New Activity Stirs For Gateway At Sanatoga Project
• Costco Approved Without Traffic Improvements (WhatsThe422.com)
• Sanatoga Gateway Endorsed By Limerick Planners (WhatsThe422.com)
• Sanatoga Project Faces Limerick Zoning Decisions
• Sanatoga Shopping Project On Limerick Zoning Agenda
• More Web Searches Seek ‘Sanatoga Springs’
• Board Approves Interchange Mapping Costs
• Sanatoga Springs Promotion In Flux
• Townships Agree To Interchange Planning
• Township Interviews For ‘Bigger Picture’
• Missing Walks Latest Bridge Complaint
• Trying, Trying Again At The Interchange
• Just One Speaker At Sanatoga Springs Hearing
• The Overlooked Users Of Sanatoga Springs
• County Suggests Cooperation On Sanatoga Springs
• Improving The Odds At The Interchange
• More About … Sanatoga Springs (No. 1 In A Series)
• Trial Balloon: An Inter-Municipal Agreement
• Lobbyists Court Lower Pottsgrove
• A New Arrival In “Sanatoga Springs”

Photo from Google Images

LIMERICK PA – All news editors will tell you, in moments of candor, that their readers are smarter, more “in the know”, and usually better reporters of what’s going on than they or their staffs can ever hope to be.

Sigh. Same here, Sanatoga Post Managing Editor Joe Zlomek admits.

The Post’s Wednesday (July 13, 2011) story, regarding speculation that Costco Warehouse Corp. would open its Limerick PA store before Aug. 28, was released at about 7:15 a.m. It had been online for only 25 minutes when reader “Laura G.” sent a comment: “My daughter works at the outlets, and they were told Costco is opening on August 17.”

Then, about 7 hours after the story’s publication, reader “Carl S.” had done some digging and found – on the company’s own website – what The Post failed to unearth. “If you check out this link to Costco’s website, it confirms the August 17th date,” he wrote.

For those keeping score, that’s Readers 2, Editor 0.

Our sole salvation is that, by the time Carl’s comment arrived, The Post had already spoken to Costco Vice President Rob Leuck, confirmed the tentative Aug. 17 date, and was preparing today’s (June 14) follow-up story.

So to Laura, to Carl, and to other readers whose interest in Costco’s pending arrival made The Post’s page view statistics (a measure of how frequently stories are read) fly off the charts Wednesday, we say both thanks and congratulations.

Your noses for news are the best. Keep those e-mails coming …

The southeast corner of Costco's massive building, as it appeared Sunday

LIMERICK PA – Costco Wholesale Corp. officials still have not offered a specific date for the grand opening of the company’s Limerick PA warehouse store location, despite the presence of a “Coming Soon” banner flying from its west exterior wall at 14 Lightcap Rd. The clearest indication, however, that its doors may swing wide within the next 45 or so days is the fact that Costco has begun filling job vacancies.

• Applications for positions at what Costco calls its “Pottstown” store, as well as those with other imminent grand openings at Lodi and National City CA, Augusta GA, and Marlboro NJ, are being taken online now, here. The applications website is operated by Kronos Inc., a third-party human resources firm working with Costco.

The jobs range alphabetically from “A” (for any position) to “T” (for tire sales assistant). Although job seekers can complete an application for all positions that interest them, Costco gives fair warning on the Kronos website that some positions may no longer be open.

Costco currently operates 584 warehouses worldwide, including 427 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 81 in Canada, 32 in Mexico, 22 in the United Kingdom, eight in Japan, seven in Korea, six in Taiwan and one in Australia. The Limerick location is thought to be one of eight additional warehouses the company plans to open “prior to the end of its 2011 fiscal year on August 28, 2011,” it said in a press release distributed last Thursday (July 7).

So far, that’s the best date – in fact, the only date – being provided.

Costco’s construction at Limerick, as the first retailer to open in the O’Neill Properties Group‘s Gateway At Sanatoga project, has moved rapidly since structural steel was erected in late April (2011). Exterior sheathing, signage and landscaping are already in place, and have effectively turned the entire building into a free-standing advertisement for Costco as seen by motorists on U.S. Route 422, as well as those entering the adjacent Philadelphia Premium Outlets.

Before marketing changes made during 2009, what is now “Gateway At Sanatoga” had been promoted by O’Neill as the “Premium Gateway At Sanatoga Springs,” in part a reference to the then just-opened, highly successful outlets. As a nod to that past, the developer has named the north entrance into Costco’s property from Evergreen Road as “Sanatoga Springs Road.”

Google Insights for Search and similar analytical tools at other major Internet search engines report that hundreds of computer users each week since May 29 have used the terms “Costco” and “Limerick” in search phrases, mostly looking for a grand opening date.

If local fervor for Costco’s arrival matches its most recent corporate results, the company is likely to be happy indeed in Limerick.

In its press release, Costco said it enjoyed $8.69 billion in net sales of goods and services for the month of June 2011 (the five-week period that ended July 3), which was 18 percent higher than $7.33 billion sold during the comparable period last year. So far during its fiscal year, the company reported $73.44 billion in net sales, up 14 percent over comparable period results of $64.51 billion last year.

Related (to the Gateway At Sanatoga project):

• Costco Open By Aug. 28 (Maybe); Surest Sign: Hiring Now
• Buying Spree: Gimme A Steak, Those Shoes, That TV
• Structural Steel On Its Way Up At Limerick Costco Site
• Costco Construction Still Aiming For A Spring Opening
• Contractor Agrees To End Night Work At Sanatoga Gateway
• Sanatoga Gateway’s Overnight Noise Near An End
• Beep!-Beep!, No Sleep For Residents Near Gateway Site
• Pipeline Being Moved At Sanatoga Gateway
• What Gateway At Sanatoga Marketing Says About Us
• Before Demise, Limerick Homes Get Firefighters’ Farewell
• Ground Clearing Begins At Sanatoga “Gateway”
• Developer Sets New Costco Date: Spring 2011
• New Activity Stirs For Gateway At Sanatoga Project
• Costco Approved Without Traffic Improvements (WhatsThe422.com)
• Sanatoga Gateway Endorsed By Limerick Planners (WhatsThe422.com)
• Sanatoga Project Faces Limerick Zoning Decisions
• Sanatoga Shopping Project On Limerick Zoning Agenda
• More Web Searches Seek ‘Sanatoga Springs’
• Board Approves Interchange Mapping Costs
• Sanatoga Springs Promotion In Flux
• Townships Agree To Interchange Planning
• Township Interviews For ‘Bigger Picture’
• Missing Walks Latest Bridge Complaint
• Trying, Trying Again At The Interchange
• Just One Speaker At Sanatoga Springs Hearing
• The Overlooked Users Of Sanatoga Springs
• County Suggests Cooperation On Sanatoga Springs
• Improving The Odds At The Interchange
• More About … Sanatoga Springs (No. 1 In A Series)
• Trial Balloon: An Inter-Municipal Agreement
• Lobbyists Court Lower Pottsgrove
• A New Arrival In “Sanatoga Springs”

SANATOGA PA – If given a chance, would you – the reading public – be interested each month in poring over pages of bookkeeping lists (known as warrants) to see exactly where Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township revenues come from, and where and with whom it spends its money? Former Commissioner Anthony Doyle has repeatedly told his successors on the Board of Commissioners that you’d jump at the opportunity.

We’ll soon know if he’s right.

The Sanatoga Post today (July 13, 2011) is making available for digital download, from its website as Adobe Acrobat documents, copies of warrants in its possession: for May 2011, April 2011, March 2011, February 2011, January 2011, December 2010, and November 2010. What we’ve got, our readers are welcome to view. As a public service, The Post also will host future warrants it receives.

• Find them at the top of our Resources page, here. Most take about a minute or less to download over a high-speed (DSL, cable, or FIOS) Internet connection.

Warrants have been promptly and courteously provided by township staff members to The Post at its request within days of their approval by board members. Warrants of a previous month are generally accepted for review by the board during its first meeting of the following month, and then are usually approved during the second meeting. The May 2011 warrants, for example, were approved by commissioners June 23; the June 2011 warrants were accepted for review during their July 7 meeting.

Warrants are printed and can always be viewed for free at the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA, during regular office hours Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

During his tenure as one of Lower Pottsgrove’s elected leaders, and as recently as the June 23 meeting, Doyle clamored to have warrants posted on the township website both to foster transparency in government and to ensure they are available for viewing beyond office hours. The board didn’t reject the idea, but it has so far politely declined by noting that it hasn’t budgeted, and would rather not pay for, time and online server space needed to supply the warrants.

The Post has both of those.

Some caveats: The Post is supplying these materials exactly as received from the township, and makes no guarantee expressed or implied that they are complete, accurate, or faithful reproductions of the actual documents. The Post has had no hand in their creation or submission. Before taking any action based on the contents of any documents offered here, The Post strongly suggests you consult with appropriate professionals for advice.

Happy reading!

Editor’s note: The original version of this story reported The Post had “misplaced” its copy of the January 2011 warrants and therefore could not make them available online. Within two hours of publication, and without being asked to do so, the township staff had supplied us with a replacement file via e-mail. We thank them.

Related:

• The Post Providing Monthly Township Warrants Online
• Township Warrants Wing Their Way To He Who Pays
• Former Commissioner Seeks Warrants On Township Web
• Wanna Know Where Money Goes? Read Warrants

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

• The Post Providing Monthly Township Warrants Online
• NRC Staffers Stop By, Say ‘Hi’ To Commissioners
• Italian Restaurant Construction Could Start Within Weeks
• At Township DUI Check, They Got What They Paid For
• Police Radio Discussion Possible In Township’s Meeting

Photo from Google Images