The Sanatoga Post

PLEDGING TO PROTECT AND DEFEND – James J. Kenney Jr., center, on Monday (Oct. 4, 2010) became the newest patrolman in the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Police Department. He accepted his oath of office, administered by Lower Pottsgrove resident and Magisterial District Justice Edward Kropp, left, as his grandfather, Robert Curran of Havertown PA, held the Bible on which Kenney rested his hand. Only minutes before, once Police Chief Michael Shade certified Kenney had passed applicable psychological and physical tests, the township Board of Commissioners gave its unanimous approval to the officer’s employment. He succeeds Ofc. Alan Edlund, who recently retired. Other members of Kenney’s family, and several other department officers, were on hand in the board meeting room at the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA, to witness the ceremony and welcome Kenney to the force.

Related:

• Lower Pottsgrove Officer Chosen For FBI Academy

Related (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ meeting of Oct. 4):

• Welcoming The Newest Of Lower Pottsgrove’s Finest
• Lower Pottsgrove Gives Gift Its Diesel Fuel Business
• Lower Pottsgrove Commissioners May Reward Bidders

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POTTSTOWN PA – Fill ‘er up.

Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township employees get to do that themselves, from a diesel fuel pump at the municipal garage on North Pleasant View Road, whenever their trucks’ gauges point to empty. They’ll likely be able to continue to do so after tonight (Monday, Oct. 4, 2010), when the Board of Commissioners meets at 7 p.m. in the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

The board’s meeting agenda was not available for download early this morning from the township website, so as of that time it was unknown specifically what Lower Pottsgrove business commissioners would be asked to consider. When an agenda is publicly posted, probably by 10 a.m. today, it usually can be downloaded here.

What is known, however, is that suppliers’ responses to the board’s previously advertised annual request for diesel fuel bids are due to the township for opening today at 2 p.m. The lowest-priced acceptable bidders will be determined from the quotes submitted, and that list may come to the board for approval.

In addition to use at the garage, the township buys diesel fuel for its sewage system pump stations at 224 Porter Rd. and on South Sanatoga Road.

Also tonight, commissioners may discuss their progress in preparing the township’s 2011 budgets.

A board budget committee has already met publicly two weeks ago (Sept. 21) to work on the spending plans, which include that for the general fund and expenses, as well as for the sewer authority, parks and recreation, street lights, and the state highway fund. Two other public committee meetings are scheduled, for Tuesday (Oct. 5) and Oct. 20 (Wednesday), both at 4:30 p.m. in the municipal building.

The board’s last meeting, on Sept. 23, went surprisingly quickly, one member reported. Commissioner James Phillips said he and his colleagues wrapped up their light agenda then within 15 minutes. Besides the usual approval of meeting minutes and bills, the only business scheduled at the time was awarding a bid for the purchase of a car being sold by the police department.

Related (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ meeting of Oct. 4):

• Lower Pottsgrove Commissioners May Reward Bidders

Photo from Clipart.com

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SANATOGA PA – Tracking the local expenditure of federal economic stimulus funds isn’t something that happens over a weekend, a week, or even a couple of months. The Sanatoga Post, which is a veteran member of the national ProPublica reporting network,  has been tracking stimulus grant spending and its effects for the past 15 months.

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Did The White House Meet Its Stimulus Goal? The White House says it met its goal of spending 70 percent of the $787 billion stimulus package, but final numbers aren’t in and five agencies have spent less than a quarter of their funds. Click the text link above to read Saturday’s (Oct. 1, 2010) story from ProPublica.

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The Post first began its coverage in July 2009, and is pleased to see other area media now helping to determine if the cost actually paid dividends. Below, in reverse chronological order (most recent at top), are more than 30 stimulus tracking stories we’ve already published:

• PennDOT Proclaims 422 Rehab Project Completed
• Engineers Claim PA Roads Worse Now Than In 2006
• 422 Concrete Patching Continues Through Today
• You May Want To Wait To Replace That Heater
• New State Budget Proposes Education Increase
• Future Of Transportation Goes Underground
• Without COLA, Dent Favors Payment
• Stimulus Spot Check: Summer Wave Of Projects Nears Crest
• Federal Stimulus in MontCo Worth $108 Per Person … So Far
• How Berks, Chester Counties Compare In Stimulus Spending
• 422 West Traffic Restrictions Start Monday
• Signs On Route 422 Mark Stimulus Funding
• Recovery Act Signs Cause A Stir
• Posts Join ProPublica Reporting Effort
• State Seeks Money For Storage Tanks
• Chamber Execs, Lawmakers Meet At Capitol
• Drive A Clunker? Trade It, Get A Credit
• Guide Rail Discussion Back On Track
• Secretary: Ed Fund Plan Not An Option
• Fairs Would Suffer Schools’ Plight
• 422 Repairs, Delays Start Tuesday
• Stimulus Lowers District Deficit, Not Taxes
• Township Seeks Police Force Grant
• Seniors Get Extra Payment
• Poll: Economic Trust In Government Wanes
• County Gets Energy Project Stimulus Cash
• Help Welcomed As Home Sales Keep Falling
• No TV Converter Box? No Problem
• Stimulus Can Be A Local Money Pump
• Dent Says Recovery Bill Needs Work
• Second Chance For A Tax Rebate

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POTTSTOWN PA – A fire safety and prevention workshop and kids’ day, conducted annually by The Home Depot on Armand Hammer Boulevard in Pottstown PA, will be held Saturday (Oct. 2, 2010) from 10 am. to 2 p.m. outside the home improvement products store. The event is part of the local kick-off to National Fire Prevention Week.

This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Members of Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township‘s fire departments will be on hand to display and demonstrate the operation of rescue vehicles (at 10:30 a.m. and noon) and other pieces of fire apparatus, and show how to extinguish stove fires. A helicopter landing is scheduled too, for 11:15 a.m.

Staffing exhibit booths at the event will be members of local police departments, emergency medical services crews, the American Red Cross, and other organizations.

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POTTSTOWN PA – Licensed drivers who are students in the Pottsgrove School District may have no real idea what it feels like to be behind a steering wheel and impaired by alcohol or drugs. The newest member of the Board of School Directors thinks it’s time they found out … safely, rather than tragically.

Acting on a suggestion made to him by a district resident, director David Faulkner asked the board Tuesday (Sept. 28, 2010) to consider bringing “The Safety Bug” to a Pottsgrove school parking lot sometime in the near future. The modified Volkswagen Beetle automobile, developed by the Pennsylvania Driving Under The Influence Association, mimics the perils of impaired driving under controlled conditions.

It’s the car, not the driver, that’s drunk, according to the association. A supervisor who accompanies each driver sets the vehicle to behave unpredictably, creating “an unsettling episode for the teen in the driver’s seat who gains a first-hand glimpse of what it feels like to drive under the influence,” its promotional material said.

Faulkner’s fellow board members liked what they heard. In the district that, during the past 12 months, has openly grieved over the automobile accident-related deaths of several students, such an education could have long-lasting impact, they said.

The program, which includes the vehicle and staff time for set-up and supervision, costs $1,000 per day. Board President Michael Neiffer, for one, was undeterred by the cost. “A couple of thousand to educate our students this way? That’s a no-brainer,” he said.

For proper operation, The Safety Bug program requires a flat, paved parking lot of a specific size without obstructions. District Director of Facilities and Physical Plants Michael Katzenmoyer said the parking lot behind Pottsgrove Middle School, North Hanover Street, Potstown PA, probably best fit that description. The program, if held, could be conducted on a weekend to maximize attendance, directors speculated.

The program needs a prime sponsor too, and director April Kontostathis suggested the Pottsgrove High School’s SNAP Academy could fill that role. The student-run, teacher-mentored organization helps teens combat chemical dependency, tobacco use and a variety of other issues, and might be perfectly suited to promote the program, she said.

Despite their enthusiasm, board members made no decisions on scheduling the program. District Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis said he would first discuss it with SNAP Academy representatives.

Faulkner joined the board in May (2010) to fill the unexpired term of director Robert Lindgren. Lindgren resigned to serve with U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan.

Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ Sept. 28 meeting):

• Pottsgrove Considers ‘Impairing’ Teen Drivers, For Safety’s Sake
• Ringing Reimbursement On Pottsgrove School Agenda

Photo from padui.org

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HARRISBURG PA – A state law that so far this year has robbed Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township coffers of about $15,000 in unrealized income actually seems to be doing what it’s supposed to: reducing the number of complaints about home improvement contractors working in Pennsylvania.

Complaints to the state regarding unfinished or shoddy projects done by unscrupulous contractors “have dipped considerably” this year, thanks to the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act passed in 2009, the Harrisburg Patriot-News newspaper reported Monday (Sept. 27, 2010).

The law requires all contractors doing $5,000 or more per year in home improvements to register with the state Attorney General’s office at a cost of $50 bi-annually. It also demands that contractors use written contracts and give customers information about their right to cancel a contract, projects’ start-dates and end-dates, total cost, scope of work and materials involved. It limits up-front payments,too.

The law’s results have been dramatic. “In 2009 there were 3,057 complaints about contractors,” Patriot-News reporter Matthew Kemeny wrote — “the highest in three years, state records showed. This year, there have only been 1,402 complaints to date, according to the data.”

With more than 71,000 people registered, Kemeny added, the state also has made about $3.5 million from the legislation.

On the other hand, it’s taken a toll on revenues in municipalities like Lower Pottsgrove, which for years operated a township-wide contractor registration system. Finance Director Michele Christman told the Board of Commissioners in July (2010) that the township, which earned $21,000 from registrations during 2009, by this mid-year had brought in only $5,100.

That’s one of several issues commissioners must resolve as they continue to work on assembling the township’s 2011 budget. The board’s budget committee meetings, which are open to the public, are next scheduled for Oct. 5 and 20, both at 4:30 p.m. in the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA.

In the Harrisburg area, contractors cited by Kemeny praised the law as an effective tool in weeding out shoddy contractors. Others said they view it as just another tax on small businesses.

“Violations of any of the requirements can trigger a civil lawsuit by the Attorney General’s office, with fines and penalties of up to $1,000 per violation (up to $3,000 for violations involving a senior citizen). The state has filed charges against 27 contractors since the law was put in place,” the newspaper reported.

Related:

• Is Lower Pottsgrove’s Loss The State Consumers’ Gain?
• Details Are In That Pesky Paperwork

Photo from Clipart.com

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SANATOGA PA – “Slow, but steady.” That’s how Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township police officers characterized the turnout as people deposited unwanted and expired prescription drugs into a box designated for the purpose during Saturday’s (Sept. 25, 2010) “National Take-Back Initiative” to keep such medications out of the hands of potential abusers.

Lower Pottsgrove’s department and six other area law enforcement agencies were among those participating in the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) campaign to accept drugs for free, safe and legal disposal. They were due to be incinerated once collected.

A tall cardboard container adorned by the collection effort’s red, white and blue poster was the focal point of an awning-shaded area set up outside the police station’s door at the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA. Although they initially wondered how many, if any, local residents would appear to drop off medications, officers at the site said they were pleasantly surprised by the response.

It was that way, too, across much of the nation. More than 3,400 locations were involved in the take-back initiative. Collectively they accounted for tens of tons of pills, creams, syrups, liquids, lotions and capsules, almost all of them containing pharmaceutical substances.

In Houston TX, the Chronicle newspaper reported Sunday (Sept. 26), that city’s 17 sites accumulated 3,000 pounds of drugs for disposal. Compare those numbers to tiny Anderson IN, where that city’s Herald Bulletin newspaper said only eight people rid themselves of a small pile of meds they had no further use for.

The volume didn’t matter, DEA representatives told the media; getting drugs off the streets did. “Rates of prescription drug abuse … are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show a majority … are obtained from family and friends,” according to agency studies.

Participating departments promised they wouldn’t ask where the drugs came from or who was dropping them off. The ability to remain anonymous seemed to help, according to law enforcement officers.

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POTTSTOWN PA – Seven different law enforcement agencies covering municipalities within a 20-mile radius of Pottstown PA are participating today (Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the “National Take-Back Initiative,” during which anyone can drop off unused or unwanted prescription medicines at designated police stations and other sites.

Police departments throughout the area are urging public participation. The service is free, and anonymity is assured. Visitors will not be asked to identify themselves, what the drugs are, where they came from, or how they were obtained. The initiative’s immediate concern is to keep the medicines away from potential abusers.

Abuse of drugs legally prescribed for others poses “an unacceptable risk to public health and safety,” the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agrees. “Rates of prescription drug abuse … are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show a majority … are obtained from family and friends,” it reported last month.

Joining in the initiative by operating drop-off sites at the following locations, are the:

• Lower Pottsgrove Township Police Department, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA;
• New Hanover Township Police Department, Municipal Building, 2943 N. Charlotte St., Gilbertsville PA;
• Pennsylvania State Police, Skippack Barracks, 2047-C Bridge Rd., Schwenksville PA;
• Limerick Township Police Department, Manderach Park, 50 Ziegler Rd., Royersford PA;
• Lower Frederick Township Police, Municipal Building, 53 Spring Mount Rd., Zieglerville PA;
• Phoenixville Police Department, Borough Hall, 140 Church St., Phoenixville PA; and
• Upper Providence Township Police, Department Headquarters, 1286 Black Rock Rd., Oaks PA.

To find other collection sites by zip code or municipality searches, check here.

Prescription and over-the-counter, solid dosage medications such as tablets and capsules will be accepted, but not intra-venous solutions, injectables, or needles. Also, illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamines are not a part of the initiative. Materials collected by the departments will be destroyed under controlled and secure conditions, the DEA said.

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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

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POTTSTOWN PA – As parents of Pottsgrove High School students filled Rader Auditorium last night (Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010) during an annual back-to-school event, Principal Chris Shaffer warned that one of the greatest dangers their children faced was lurking in their family medicine cabinet. “Prescription drugs. Big, big problem,” Schaffer said, “and we want to make sure we’re talking to our kids about them.”

Abuse of drugs legally prescribed for others poses “an unacceptable risk to public health and safety,” the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agrees. “Rates of prescription drug abuse … are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show a majority … are obtained from family and friends,” it reported last month.

That’s why the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Police Department will join other law enforcement agencies across the country next Saturday (Sept. 25, 2010) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the “National Take-Back Initiative,” during which anyone can drop off unused or unwanted prescription medicines at the police station, 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA, “with no questions asked,” Police Chief Michael Shade announced.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Shade, who introduced the program last week during the Board of Commissioners’ meeting, urged public participation. The service is free, he noted, and anonymity is assured. Visitors will not be asked to identify themselves, what the drugs are, where they came from, or how they were obtained; in fact, Shade indicated, he’s not interested in any detail. His first concern, he told commissioners, was to keep the medicines away from potential abusers.

Other area agencies participating in the initiative and their drop-off sites, according to the DEA, include:

• New Hanover Township Police Department, Municipal Building, 2943 N. Charlotte St., Gilbertsville PA;
• Pennsylvania State Police, Skippack Barracks, 2047-C Bridge Rd., Schwenksville PA;
• Limerick Township Police Department, Manderach Park, 50 Ziegler Rd., Royersford PA;
• Lower Frederick Township Police, Municipal Building, 53 Spring Mount Rd., Zieglerville PA;
• Phoenixville Police Department, Borough Hall, 140 Church St., Phoenixville PA; and
• Upper Providence Township Police, Department Headquarters, 1286 Black Rock Rd., Oaks PA.

To find other collection sites by zip code or municipality searches, check here.

Prescription and over-the-counter, solid dosage medications such as tablets and capsules  will be accepted, but not intra-venous solutions, injectables, or needles. Also, illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamines are not a part of the initiative. Materials collected by the departments will be destroyed under controlled and secure conditions, the DEA said.

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

• 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

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