Archive | Lower Pottsgrove

20120222-SanatogaPA-AllisonDriveTownshomes

Township Engineers Lend Hand With Allison Drive Wall

Townhomes along Allison Drive in Sanatoga

SANATOGA PA – A group of neighbors and property owners in the 2600 block of Allison Drive, just west of Sanatoga Road and Cutillo’s Restaurant in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, are receiving preliminary help authorized by the Board of Commissioners to determine the extent of damage to a retaining wall behind their homes, and how it might be repaired.

The board did not promise to have the wall fixed, and did not acknowledge it was a township problem. “But because we want to be fair to everybody,” commission President Jonathan Spadt said, he and his colleagues agreed to have a representative of the Bursich Associates engineering firm assess the wall’s issues and offer some guidance in addressing them.

The group was represented during the board’s meeting earlier this month (Feb. 6, 2012) by King of Prussia attorney Ellis Saul, who said the wall – which supports an earthen embankment between properties on Allison Drive and those higher up on adjacent Terraced Hill Court – has deteriorated over several years due to poor drainage. Its ownership is under question, because no homeowners association exists for the community built there, Saul said.

“Its current appearance raises questions regarding its structural integrity, and poses a potential danger,” the attorney added.

The wall was built sometime during the early 1990s. Homeowners who hired Saul purchased properties on Allison Drive between 1999 and 2011. They’ve researched possible repairs, “but I don’t know where they would start or stop,” one home owner, a man, told commissioners. “We could plow $50,000 into fixing that thing and still not have it solved,” he said.

Spadt said he understood residents’ concerns, but added: “We just can’t go around solving everyone’s problems.”

Commissioners nonetheless asked Bursich to be involved, along with other township officials as appropriate. Saul thanked them for the consideration.

Photo from Google Images

Posted in Lower Pottsgrove, Real Estate, Safety, Sanatoga7 Comments

Lower Pottsgrove Man To Receive Psychiatric Evaluation

Lower Pottsgrove Man To Receive Psychiatric Evaluation

NORRISTOWN PA – A Lower Pottsgrove man accused of abusing his 17-week-old baby boy, who suffered fractures to his skull, ribs, leg, forearms and shoulder, will undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he’s competent to proceed to trial, The (Pottstown PA) Mercury newspaper reported Wednesday (Feb. 22, 2012).

Jacob Govinda Zlomek, 25, most recently of the 3000 block of East High Street, will be examined by doctors at Montgomery County Emergency Services on Feb. 28, according to an order issued by county Judge Thomas C. Branca.

The judge said psychiatrists must “address the issue of whether or not the defendant is competent to participate in the legal proceedings presently pending against defendant and if said defendant is criminally responsible for his actions at the time of the offense and if said defendant is capable of criminal intent.”

Editor’s Note: Jacob Zlomek is the son, and the infant cited is the grandson, of Post Managing Editor Joe Zlomek and his wife, Debbie. In an attempt to ensure objectivity and avoid a perception of conflicts of interest, Zlomek has decided against reporting or writing on this story himself. Instead The Post will refer readers, as it has above, to stories produced by other media outlets.

Posted in Lower Pottsgrove, Montgomery County, SafetyComments Off

20120221-StowePA-StopTheCentersSign

Bright Yellow Signs Flag Pottsgrove Centers’ Opposition

One of the signs in West Pottsgrove

POTTSTOWN PA – In hopes of bringing more public pressure to bear on the Board of School Directors, as its mulls choices for redistricting in the Pottsgrove School District, lawn signs began popping up last week to reinforce opposition to a proposal that would create grade-level education centers in its elementary schools.

The signs appear on front lawns and at curbside of properties along Kauffman Road, North Pleasant View Road, East High Street, and North Charlotte Street in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township; and in West and Upper Pottsgrove along Maugers Mill Road, Farmington Avenue, and Glasgow Street, Rick Rabinowitz of the “Pottsgrove Residents Against Centers” group indicated Monday (Feb. 20, 2012) in a Facebook post.

The group is fighting a plan, introduced by Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis, to balance student population across Pottsgrove’s elementary classrooms by creating two kindergarten-through-second grade centers, and a third-through-fifth grade center. They would replace the current K-5 attendance at West Pottsgrove, Ringing Rocks, and Lower Pottsgrove elementaries.

The only other alternative discussed by the board is to re-draw attendance boundaries that wold shift students from one school to another.

Directors have said they will consider voting on the matter during their Feb. 28 meeting. The board last week (Feb. 14) confirmed the meeting would be moved from the administration building on Kauffman Road to the auditorium at Pottsgrove High School. It starts at 7:30 p.m., and is open to the public; a large audience is expected.

The group also is circulating petitions to gather signatures that it intends to demonstrate the centers’ plan is opposed by families without children in the district and those whose children have already completed their education, and not by parents of current students alone.

Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):

Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ Feb. 14 meeting):

 

Photo by Tracy Swanson Romig via Facebook

Posted in Education, Lower Pottsgrove, Pottsgrove Schools16 Comments

20090718-CoventryChristianLowerPotts-Zlomek (6Edit)

Answer To Prayer: Academy Helps Rolling Hills Students

SANATOGA PA – An idea inspired by a prayer breakfast discussion of educational difficulties among families living in the Rolling Hills apartment complex on Buchert Road has blossomed into a tutoring-and-sports program at Coventry Christian Schools that recently won a $20,000 grant to boost its growth.

Coventry Christian's Lower Potsgrove campus

Coventry Christian, whose campus occupies the former Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School on North Pleasant View Road, received the grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation for its Project Purpose program.

It offers private tutoring on Sunday and Wednesday nights with Rolling Hills students, most of whom attend the Pottsgrove School District. It also sponsors a basketball team, the Chesmont Hills Warriors, whose players must be enrolled in the tutoring program to ensure they are what Coventry Christian Director of Advancement Mark Fisher describes as true scholar-athletes.

Posted in Education, Health, Lower Pottsgrove, Pottsgrove Schools, Religion, Sanatoga, Sports2 Comments

After Foot Chase, Police Arrest Sanatogan For Fleeing

After Foot Chase, Police Arrest Sanatogan For Fleeing

Lower Pottsgrove's Police Department

SANATOGA PA – A Buchert Road resident was arrested Saturday evening (Feb. 18, 2012) and charged by Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township police with resisting arrest and fleeing to avoid apprehension following their attempt to serve a bench warrant.

Akira Kelley, 29, of Bronx NY and living at 2120 Buchert Rd., was placed in custody at about 9:44 p.m. after he was apprehended in a foot pursuit, Ofc. Richard Smith reported. Kelley allegedly fled through a rear sliding glass door of his apartment when police tried to serve the warrant. He was arraigned in magisterial district court and committed to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.

A preliminary hearing on the case is scheduled for Feb. 28 (Tuesday).

In addition to news of Kelley’s arrest, township police on Sunday (Feb. 19) also released information on four earlier and unrelated incidents. They included:

  • The Feb. 10 arrest, on a charge of driving while under the influence, of Marc R. Spinelli, 25, of Birdsboro PA. Sgt. Robert Greenwood said a vehicle Spinelli was driving at Rupert Road and High Street was stopped after it was reported to have been moving “in an erratic manner.” Spinelli allegedly failed field sobriety tests. A March 22 hearing is scheduled in magisterial district court.
  • The Feb. 8 issuance of a citation for public drunkenness to Patricia M. Border, 30, of Coatesville. Greenwood said police found her “staggering around Gerald Richards Park” on Buchert Road during the course of their search for a subject involved in another incident. Border allegedly was “under the influence of alcohol to a degree she was a danger to herself and others,” Greenwood reported. She also was wanted for a parole violation, he said. She was arrested and transported to the Pottstown Police Department.
  • The Feb. 5 arrest, on charges of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, of James K. Heflin, 44, of East Norriton (PA) Township. Greenwood said police allegedly observed him defecating and urinating along the roadway near the Armand Hammer Boulevard exit of U.S. Route 422. He was “found to be under the influence,” Greenwood said. Police allege he presented “a danger,” and he was transported to the Pottstown Police Department.
  • The Jan. 22 arrest, on charges of DUI and related offenses, of Steven M. Hegeman of the 2700 block of Hollywood Court, Reading PA. Ofc. David Slothower said the arrest followed police response to “a cross-over two-vehicle accident” at the Armand Hammer Boulevard interchange of U.S. Route 422. They allege he “appeared intoxicated to the degree he could not safely operate his vehicle.” He subsequently was taken to the emergency room at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center for a test of blood alcohol content.

Posted in Lower Pottsgrove, Police, Safety, Sanatoga1 Comment

You Suffered Last Year. Will Uncle Sam Pay You Back?

You Suffered Last Year. Will Uncle Sam Pay You Back?

SANATOGA PA – Natural disasters hit Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township pretty hard during 2011. Heavy rains turned Sanatoga Creek, Sprogel’s Run, and the Schuylkill River into raging torrents. Much of what was in the water’s path was flooded and damaged. Properties here weren’t the only ones hit, of course: hurricanes soaked other parts of the Atlantic coast, tornadoes wreaked havoc in Southern and Midwestern states, and wildfires hit Texas

Traffic cones warn drivers away from flooded North Sanatoga Road last September

If you were affected by a natural disaster last year, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants thinks you should be aware of Internal Revenue Service rules on casualty losses, as well as other financial considerations.

What Qualifies for a Deduction?

Under IRS rules, you are allowed to deduct a casualty loss that is the result of a disaster, but related rules serve to significantly whittle down the amount you can deduct.

First, consider what is eligible for the deduction. A casualty loss is the damage, destruction, or loss of property resulting from an identifiable event that is unexpected, sudden, or unusual. Damages from natural disasters – hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and earthquakes, for examples – are casualty losses. Damage to your home or other property caused by something that is not unexpected, sudden, or unusual, such as accidental breakage of items under normal conditions, progressive deterioration occurring naturally over time or due to the failure to maintain the property, does not qualify as a casualty loss.

If you suffered a casualty loss to your home, household goods, or vehicle due to a disaster, you should be eligible to deduct the amount of that loss on your tax return, less required adjustments. (The same is true if you suffer a loss due to a theft.)

How Does the Deduction Work?

According to the IRS, “If your property is personal-use property, or is not completely destroyed, the amount of your casualty or theft loss is the lesser of: The adjusted basis of your property, or the decrease in the fair market value (FMV) as a result of the casualty or theft.”

To determine your adjusted basis, start with the basis of the property. Your basis in the property is usually how much it cost you. Increase or decrease the property’s basis to reflect any improvements made to the property or depreciation deductions you have taken for the property.

The decrease in the FMV used to determine the casualty loss is the difference between the FMV of the property immediately before the casualty and the FMV of the property immediately after the casualty. The FMV immediately after the casualty frequently is the salvage value of the property. From the lesser of the adjusted basis of the property or the difference in its FMV, subtract any insurance payment or other reimbursement (such as compensation for the loss from a government or employer relief program). This is your casualty loss.

For example, say flooding heavily damaged a finished basement during a recent hurricane. Several items were destroyed by water damage—a washer and dryer, hot water heater, furnace, some furnishing, the basement walls. The basis in these items—what originally was spent on them—amounts to $10,000. The fair market value of these items was $9,500 before the disaster and $500 after, making the decrease in the FMV $9,000. Because the decrease in the FMV of the items is less than the adjusted basis in them, you must use the decrease in the FMV in your loss calculation. Your insurance covers you for a maximum of $5,000 in damages, leaving you with a $4,000 casualty loss.

Final Steps in the Calculation of the Deduction

Before deducting personal property casualty loss on your tax return, there are some last steps you must take. First, you must subtract $100 from every casualty or theft loss you report each year. That lowers the example amount to $3,900.

More significant, you must subtract 10 percent of your adjusted gross income from the loss amount to arrive at your final deduction. If your adjusted gross income was, $30,000 last year, you would subtract $3,000—10 percent—from your loss amount to arrive at $900 as your allowable deduction. If your adjusted gross income in the example was $39,000 or higher, that 10 percent would wipe out your allowable deduction altogether.

Other Sources of Help

For those seeking additional relief, it’s important to be aware that organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) often provide funds and services to those affected by disaster. The agency’s guide, “Help After a Disaster,” offers an overview of what’s available. In addition, “Disaster Recovery: A Guide to Financial Issues” – a joint project of the American Institute of CPAs, the American Red Cross, and the National Endowment for Financial Education – answers questions on how to minimize the consequences in the first days, weeks and months after a disaster.

Contact A Certified Public Accountant

If you have experienced casualty losses due to a disaster, or if you have questions on preparing for or dealing with any financial issue, consult a local CPA. He or she can provide advice to help address a range of financial concerns.

Posted in Business, Lower Pottsgrove, Personal Finance, Pottstown, Real Estate, Safety, Sanatoga, Weather2 Comments

20120216-TeenDriver-GoogleImages

Teen Driver Seat Belt Enforcement Starts At Pottsgrove

POTTSTOWN PA – Pennsylvania’s teen driver law, which in part requires all occupants age 18 or younger of any vehicle to wear a seat belt, took effect late last December (2011). Now Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Police want to ensure it takes hold in the minds of teens themselves.

18 or younger? Buckle up, or face the music

Traffic Safety Ofc. Robert Diesinger and School Resource Ofc. Wil James got to work Tuesday (Feb. 14, 2012) at Pottsgrove High School on Kauffman Road to introduce the law and its ramifications to students there. They’re scheduled to conduct several seminars on the subject, reaching every grade level, through March 4.

The police department will make sure the consequences of non-compliance are felt, too.

In a little less than two weeks – beginning Feb. 28 and continuing through March 2 – department patrols will concentrate on enforcing the law along Kauffman Road, Buchert Road, North Charlotte Street, and other roadways within the townships. Violators should be prepared to be stopped, questioned, reminded of the law, and possibly be issued warnings or citations.

“This new law is a primary violation, and subjects can be stopped solely for not wearing a seat belt,” Diesinger said.

Parents and other adult drivers should pay attention, too. They are responsible for the safety of those in their vehicles, and can be cited if passengers who by law must wear seat belts are found without them.

The intent, of course, is to raise awareness of the law now on the books. Lower Pottsgrove’s effort is being funded by a $1,000 “teen-driver safety enforcement mobilization” grant, and the township was chosen as a recipient specifically because of its educational outreach, Diesinger noted.

Parents and teens who have questions about the law, or the department program, can call Diesinger for more information at 610-326-1508.

Posted in Education, Health, Lower Pottsgrove, Police, Pottsgrove Schools, Safety1 Comment

20120214-CadetteBanner-GirlScouts

In Township, Scouts And Cookies (Yum!) Have A History

Girl Scout Senior Troop 49 met in Lower Pottsgrove in the 1950s

By Beth Scherer
of the Lower Pottsgrove Historical Society,
for The Sanatoga Post

SANATOGA PA – It occurs every year at this time, that gnawing hunger for Thin Mints, Shortbread, Peanut Butter Patties, and Caramel Delites. Those and other Girl Scout cookies are as much a part of the snack-time landscape across Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township as anywhere else.

Lower Pottsgrove Brownies bake holiday cookies for state hospital residents in 1959

Local troops during 2012 are marking the Scouts’ 100th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, a new lemon flavored cookie – Savannah Smiles – was introduced this year to the popular cookie line-up.

Girl Scouting has been active in Lower Pottsgrove since the 1940s. The Sanatoga Grange was among the first Girl Scout troop sponsors in the area. Pottsgrove schools have also sponsored troops throughout the years.

Troops of the Pottstown Council of Girl Scouts helped earn money through cookie sales in 1956 for the purchase of Camp Forest Glen, which was near Huff’s Church. They enjoyed troop and day camping there for a number of years.

Many area women have volunteered their time and energy as Girl Scout leaders.  One of the most influential was the late Sally Moyer, former secretary at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School, and former township treasurer. Girl Scouting opportunities in the township increased in the early 1970s due to her efforts. Her very active Cadet Troop 470 was sponsored by the Sanatoga Fire Company.

If you’re hungry for cookies this week, they’re still available. The Girl Scouts’ Cookie Finder website reports cookies will be sold by troops at these and many other locations:

  • Today (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012) through Friday (Feb. 17) from noon to 9 p.m. at Coventry Mall, 351 W. Schuylkill Rd., Pottstown PA;
  • Saturday (Feb. 18) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at he Philadelphia Premium Outlets, 18 W. Lightcap Rd., Limerick PA; and
  • Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Boscov’s Department Store at Coventry Mall.

Editor’s note: The Lower Pottsgrove Historical Society was formed in 1985 to share the heritage of Lower Pottsgrove Township with its residents. It meets on the second Wednesday of every month from April through December at its museum and offices in the former Sanatoga Chapel, 2341 E. High St., Sanatoga PA. Author and society President Beth Scherer writes about Lower Pottsgrove history monthly for The Post.

Articles in this series:

 

Posted in Food, Lower Pottsgrove, Pottstown, Sanatoga, Social1 Comment

20120214-FeaturedValuables

Police Probe Thefts From Cars Near Pebble Beach Lane

Be safe and smart, Lower Pottsgrove Police request. Make sure your car doors are locked.

SANATOGA PA – An investigation is continuing by Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Police into alleged thefts of materials from unlocked vehicles in the area of Pebble Beach Lane, Pinehurst Drive, Country Drive and Sunnyside Avenue, according to police Sgt. Timothy Walters.

Early last week (Feb. 6, 2012; Monday), Walters stopped four Pottstown residents – an adult male and three juveniles ranging in age from 16 to 18 – after he found them “acting suspiciously” near the intersection of Country and Sunnyside. Walters subsequently discovered “various items of property” that police said they believe were abandoned by the suspects when they saw Walters’ patrol car approach.

Charges against the subjects are pending further investigation, Walters reported. To that end, the Lower Pottsgrove department is asking for public help. Anyone with information regarding the alleged thefts, or anyone who may have determined items in their cars were recently missing, are being asked to call police at 610-326-1508. Missing property may include cameras, cell phones, loose change, and other items, Walters said.

Police also hope to locate owners of the property already recovered.

Acting Police Chief Michael Foltz and Ofc. Scott Weidenhammer met during January with a group of Pebble Beach Lane residents to discuss their concerns regarding the perception of rising crime in the area. Increased street lighting, the potential placement of certain fences, and the creation of a volunteer Neighborhood Watch group for the area are among possible solutions still being discussed, Foltz told the Board of Commissioners during their meeting last Monday.

Foltz also issued a list of what he called “immediate measures” that would help deter he threat of thefts in all areas of the township:

  • Keep all vehicles and homes locked at all times;
  • Do not leave valuables inside cars where potential thieves can see them;
  • Record serial numbers along with the make and model of all valuables;
  • Place identifying marks – but not Social Security numbers – on all valuables. The police department has an engraving tool it can loan for such purposes, Foltz said;
  • Photograph all valuables, particularly jewelry, coins and precious metals;
  • Keep receipts for all valuables to provide proof of ownership to insurers;
  • Install outdoor porch, post, and flood lights on timers or motion sensors to light the areas around a home;
  • When leaving home, ell neighbors of your plans, and have them keep watch there;
  • Immediately report any suspicious activity to police; and
  • Consider investing in security or surveillance systems for a home, and identify their use with signage.

Posted in Featured, Lower Pottsgrove, Police, Pottstown, Safety, Sanatoga3 Comments

20120211-SigningPetitions-GoogleImages

Pottsgrove Ed Centers’ Opponents Launch Petition Drive

POTTSTOWN PA – Opponents of a Pottsgrove School District administration plan to create grade-level education centers at its three elementary schools say they are collecting signatures this weekend and during the next two weeks, on hard-copy and online petitions, to show the Board of School Directors they’re not the only ones who think the centers’ proposal should be abandoned.

Rick Rabinowitz, an opposition organizer, said Friday (Feb. 10, 2012) the group is not limiting itself to district parents. “We’re just getting started (with the petitions), but several parents have reported to me that many residents of the district who are not parents are enthusiastically signing,” he claimed.

Pottsgrove homes with individuals age 18 and younger comprise less than 39 percent of all district households, federal Census Bureau 2010 statistics show. Households with children in the elementaries represent an even smaller percentage. Directors have publicly acknowledged the opinions of the majority without children also must be weighed in whether they approve, discard or delay creating centers.

The centers are one of two options – the other is to redraw school attendance boundaries – being discussed as Pottsgrove seeks to redistrict and better balance student populations across available classroom space.

Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis advocates grouping students in two buildings for grades K-2, and one for grades 3-5, to increase efficiency, improve teaching quality, and reduce costs. Opponents doubt those benefits can be realized, and further believe creating centers introduces too many stresses for students and families alike.

Their paper petitions are being made available Saturday (Feb. 11) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday (Feb. 12) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the front counter of the Bikeline/Stowe Ski Shop store, 1386 State St., Pottstown PA; and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. in the lounge of Cutillo’s Restaurant, 2688 E. High St., Sanatoga PA.

Rabinowitz expected to present petitions to directors when they meet next Tuesday (Feb. 14) at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Pottsgrove Middle School, 1351 N. Hanover St., Pottstown. However, that meeting is planned to further discuss the district’s 2012-2013 budget in light of Gov. Tom Corbett’s recent legislative address on the state budget.

Board President Michael Neiffer has said directors won’t act on redistricting until at least Feb. 28. Rabinowitz said his group will be busy during the interim, using “the time between the 14th and the 28th to get to as many people who want to sign as possible,” he said.

During the weekend of Feb. 18 and 19, the group hopes to collect signatures “at one or more grocery stores,” and may also seek signers at schools’ events, according to Rabinowitz.

Petitions signers should be adults age 18 or older (high school students qualify, Rabinowitz noted) who are district residents (generally within Lower, Upper or West Pottsgrove townships), as well as any district teachers. Non-resident teachers are being asked to identify themselves as such.

“The idea,” Rabinowitz added, “is to show the board that a large number of the voters in the district are against this plan.”

Related (to Pottsgrove School District redistricting):

Photo from Google Images

Posted in Education, Pottsgrove Schools, Pottstown, Sanatoga2 Comments

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