The Sanatoga Post

POTTSTOWN PA – Current and former owners and operators of what once was an Occidental Chemical Corporation manufacturing plant on the southeast corner of Armand Hammer Boulevard and Industrial Highway in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township have agreed to pay $2.1 million for earlier cleanup efforts the site, the federal Environmental Protection Agency regional office in Philadelphia announced Wednesday (Jan. 25, 2012).

One of several entrances to the now-cleaned OxyChem site on Armand Hammer Boulevard, being marketed as the Tri-County Commerce Park

Under a consent decree filed in federal court by the Justice Department on behalf of EPA, the companies also assumed responsibility for all future cleanup costs. They include Occidental Chemical Corp., the most recent owner and often referred to as OxyChem; Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., an OxyChem subsidiary that has been managing the property’s clean-up and re-development; and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, which preceded OxyChem at the site with a tire manufacturing plant.

OxyChem manufactured polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic resins there from 1980 to 2005. It bought the property from the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, now known as Bridgestone, which manufactured tires and PVC there from about 1945 to 1980.

From 1942 to 1985, operators used The site was used to dispose of industrial wastes including cutting oils, metal filings, tires, and PVC sludge resins. It was identified as having unsafe levels of trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and other hazardous substances in the soil and groundwater.

After OxyChem ended operations, the site was investigated during 1983 and later for potential pollutants. It was declared an EPA “Superfund” site to designate it as among the nation’s “most contaminated” locations, the agency announcement said. OxyChem, under EPA oversight, performed remedial action on the property and completed construction in 2008.

As of Thursday (Jan. 26), according to the EPA, the property was now considered safe for human exposure, and the migration of any contaminated ground water was deemed to be under control.

To encourage development along Armand Hammer Boulevard, which was renamed for OxyChem’s president, Lower Pottsgrove‘s Board of Commissioners had created a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act (LERTA) district to give incoming business owners property tax breaks within the area. The district included the former OxyChem facility, the land now occupied by Aldi’s Supermarket and Home Depot, and other parcels stretching east to Sanatoga Station Road. The district’s authorization ended in 2008.

The property has since enjoyed a rebirth as a location for light- and moderate-industrial uses, and is being marketed as the Tri-County Commerce Park. A brochure about its tenants and available space can be downloaded here.

Other coverage:

• $2.1M settlement announced for Oxychem site (The Mercury)

Photo from CB Richard Ellis

POTTSTOWN PA – Tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010) could be a day of nervous anticipation, sweaty palms and dry mouths among members of the Pottsgrove High School sophomore class. Instead, Principal Chris Shaffer will happily bet that confidence trumps those symptoms, as the 360 sophomores face their chance to take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).

Pottsgrove High School sophomores will take the PSATs on Wednesday.

The PSATs are a dry-run (that’s why they’re labeled “preliminary”) in taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) as juniors. For many colleges and universities, SAT scores are a determining factor in whether they accept or decline a student’s application for admission. Doing well on the SATs is a big deal in the future of students who hope for more than a high school diploma.

That’s why every Pottsgrove sophomore in attendance is being required to take the PSAT, which will be administered Wednesday morning between 7:35 and 9:45. Although the test fee is $13 per student, not one of them will pay a dime: the entire $4,680 cost is being paid by the school district, Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis told the Board of School Directors late last month.

• Directors also are scheduled to meet tonight (Tuesday, Oct. 12) at 7:30 p.m. in Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School, 1329 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA. The meeting is open to the public. Although an agenda was not yet available early this morning, once published it usually can be downloaded here.

“Kids who take the PSATs earlier tend to do better on the SATs later,” Landis explained during the board’s Sept. 28 meeting, “so it’s important to give them the testing experience. Our goal is to improve their SAT scores next year.”

In addition to the sophomores, Shaffer said, 110 juniors also will take the test. The juniors are likely to take the follow-up SATs in December 2010, or January or March 2011.

The PSATs have topped to-do lists of many Pottsgrove High students since this year’s opening day, when Shaffer announced to them – and later to their parents at the school’s open house – that taking the test was a must for sophomores. Students have taken several steps to prepare, and “we know they’ll do just fine,” Shaffer told the open house crowd Sept. 15 in the high school auditorium.

Administering the test will mean other, one-day changes Wednesday for all 9th, 11th, and 12th grade students not participating in the PSATs. To ensure the halls are quiet and sophomores have no interruptions during testing, the high school for them will operate on a two-hour delay schedule.

More information about the delay, and logistics for getting students to and from classes at Montgomery County Community College, Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and the Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center in Limerick PA, are being posted on the high school website, Shaffer said.

Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ Oct. 12 meeting):

• Confidence Supplants Sweats Wednesday At Pottsgrove

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

• Confidence Supplants Sweats Wednesday At Pottsgrove
• Pottsgrove Foundation Announces Grant Awards
• Pottsgrove MS Retaining Wall Needs ‘Significant’ Repair
• Pottsgrove Considers ‘Impairing’ Teen Drivers, For Safety’s Sake
• Ringing Reimbursement On Pottsgrove School Agenda

Photo from Clipart.com

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Video story-telling is one of the activities that won a foundation grant.

POTTSTOWN PA – Helping youngsters to plan for their career, play in a band, and learn how to tell stories with video are among three of several projects sharing in $10,000 awarded in mini-grants by the Pottsgrove Eduction Foundation for cultural education and innovative teaching, Pottsgrove School District Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis recently told the Board of School Directors.

Board members learned of the awards during their last public meeting (Sept. 28) in the administration building on Kauffman Road, but the list of grant winners was published Monday (Oct. 11, 2010) in the district’s “Pottsgrove Achiever” newsletter, according to spokeswoman Beth Trapani.

The foundation, created in 2000, is a non-profit organization that supports programs benefiting district students and residents.

District staff members who won mini-grants are:

• Sarah Stutzman, for “Visual Arts in a Digital World,” to integrate art and language arts in the art classroom;
• Kathy Williams, for “Band Instrument Recruitment,” an opportunity to supply used musical instruments to students who lack the resources to buy their own;
• Kristen Hyde, for “Music Performance, Composition, Assessment and More,” an opportunity for students to use technology to enhance and assess their musical performance, composition and improvisation skills;
• Christina Kleinfelter, for “Career and College Exploration for 8th Grade,” which provides  eighth graders a chance to visit colleges and technical schools as they begin planning high school schedules;
• Deb McIlvain, for “Movie Making at PGMS,” to teach production of professional quality digital movies and how to apply the skills in content classes; and
• Elaine Armstrong, for Pottsgrove’s Reading Olympics program, to provide materials and registration for students to compete in the county-wide Reading Olympics.

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

• Download a copy of minutes from the Sept. 28 meeting, approved Oct. 26
• Pottsgrove Foundation Announces Grant Awards
• Pottsgrove MS Retaining Wall Needs ‘Significant’ Repair
• Pottsgrove Considers ‘Impairing’ Teen Drivers, For Safety’s Sake
• Ringing Reimbursement On Pottsgrove School Agenda

Photo from Clipart.com

Receiving a ready-to-heat meal, and a smile from those who deliver it, can mean a lot to the home-bound.

POTTSTOWN PA – Volunteers are needed by the Sanatoga PA-based Family Services’ Meals on Wheels program to deliver meals to home bound elderly and disabled individuals in the greater Pottstown area, agency spokeswoman Karen Konnick reported Monday (Oct. 11, 2010).

Meals on Wheels provides two meals, a hot lunch and a cold supper to refrigerate, to an average of 160 recipients in Pottstown, Royersford and the Lower Perkiomen Valley. Despite the program’s size, Konnick said, a volunteer’s time commitment is usually small.

Many volunteers drive only once a week, on a weekday for about an hour beginning at 10:30 a.m. from the Family Services’ office, located at 1976 E. High St., Pottstown PA. Others volunteer less frequently as substitute drivers, and they’re needed too.

Volunteer drivers must have a valid driver’s license, insurance and their own reliable vehicle.  Training is provided.

For more information or to volunteer, call Ruth Hood at 610-326-1610 Ext. 226.

Photo from Clipart.com

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They paid how much?

POTTSTOWN PA – The top price paid for real estate within Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township from April 8-June 24, 2010, was $205,000, the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper reports. The property is located at 1352 Randy Dr.

Also listed was 673 Buchert Rd., at $182,900.

This week’s top reported prices were listed Sunday (Oct. 10, 2010) in “The Top 50,” the newspaper’s weekly review of highest prices paid for real estate sold within the city of Philadelphia and townships in its surrounding counties.

During the same period, the top real estate sales price in Pottstown PA Borough, immediately to the west was $147,500; Limerick PA Township, east, $415,000; New Hanover PA Township, northeast, $340,000; Upper Pottsgrove PA Township, west, $288,365; and in North Coventry PA Township, south, $382,000.

Across all of Montgomery County, the highest-priced property sold during the period went for $1,925,000, at 1862 Aloha Ln., Lower Merion PA.

Related:

• What They Sold For, April 8-June 24, 2010
• What They Sold For, April 1-June 18, 2010
• What They Sold For, March 29-June 14, 2010
• What They Sold For, March 22-June 9, 2010
• What They Sold For, March 15-June 4, 2010
• What They Sold For, March 1-May 19, 2010
• What They Sold For, April 8-May 15, 2010
• What They Sold For, April 5-May 12, 2010
• What They Sold For, March 29-May 7, 2010
• What They Sold For, March 22-April 30, 2010
• What They Sold For, March 8-April 16, 2010
• What They Sold For, Feb. 8-March 24, 2010
• What They Sold For, Feb. 1-March 19 2010
• What They Sold For, Dec. 28, 2009-Feb. 5, 2010
• What They Sold For, Dec. 21, 2009-Jan. 29, 2010
• What They Sold For, Dec. 7, 2009-Jan. 15, 2010
• What They Sold For, Nov. 28, 2009-Jan. 8, 2010
• What They Sold For, Nov. 23-Dec. 31, 2009
• What They Sold For, Nov. 16-Dec. 25, 2009
• What They Sold For, Nov. 9-Dec. 18, 2009
• What They Sold For, Nov. 5-Dec. 9, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 26-Dec. 3, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 20-Nov. 27, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 15-Nov. 24, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 8-Nov. 18, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 7-Nov. 11, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 1-Nov. 4, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 26-28, 2009
• What They Sold For, Sept. 27-Oct. 23, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 12-16, 2009
• What They Sold For, Oct. 5-9, 2009
• What They Sold For, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2009
• What They Sold For, Sept. 14-18, 2009
• What They Sold For, Aug. 26-31, 2009
• What They Sold For, Aug. 20-25, 2009
• What They Sold For, Aug. 13-19, 2009
• What They Sold For, Aug. 5-12, 2009
• What They Sold For, July 29-Aug. 4, 2009
• What They Sold For, July 24-28, 2009
• What They Sold For, July 20-23, 2009
• What They Sold For, July 13-17, 2009
• What They Sold For, July 6-10, 2009
• What They Sold For, June 29-July 3, 2009
• What They Sold For, June 22-26, 2009
• What They Sold For, June 15-19, 2009
• What They Sold For, June 8-12, 2009
• What They Sold For, June 1-5, 2009

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DONORS FILLED A TRAILER WITH HELPFUL CLOTHING – Pottsgrove School District residents responded in droves to participate in a Homecoming Weekend used clothing drive sponsored Friday and Saturday (Oct. 8-9, 2010) by the Pottsgrove Music League. The drive raised money for the league’s support of music programs in Pottsgrove schools, and the tons of clothing collected benefited recipients in the U.S., parts of Eastern Europe, and Ghana, Conakry, Guinea, Honduras, Haiti, Ecuador, Belize, Mexico, and Chile. Volunteer Debbie Remelius, above, was among those who greeted donors Saturday in the Shops At Ringing Rock parking lot at School Lane and North Charlotte Street. Volunteer Anne Kohler, below, tossed full bags up and back into the fast-filling trailer.

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PUSHING PEANUTS AS IN DAYS GONE BYE – Carrying on a local, decades-old tradition, members of the Kiwanis Club of Pottstown PA gathered Saturday (Oct. 9, 2010) outside the front doors of the Sanatoga Thriftway, East High Street, to sell peanuts-in-the-shell for a dollar a bag as an annual fund-raiser for their youth projects. Among club members pushing peanuts were, from left, Willard Bickel, Ralph Clemmer, and Garland Fisher. Money changed hands, below, between Bickel and hungry patrons as the bags flew off the table.

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POTTSTOWN PA – What makes a homecoming sweet? A football game between closely matched rivals, a contest with some drama and excitement, and a win, of course. All were in place Friday night (Oct. 8, 2010) as the Pottsgrove High School Falcons took on the Spring-Ford Senior High Rams at Pottsgrove’s Kauffman Road stadium. The Falcons won, 20-14, during the Homecoming Weekend bout.

• See a video of the last four plays in Pottsgrove’s first scoring drive, here.
• Read The Montgomery Media account of the game here.

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POTTSTOWN PA – Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School just got labeled, and that, according to district spokeswoman Beth Trapani, is an energizing event.

Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School on Buchert Road is one of only 26 school buildings in the state to win an Energy Star award.

The Pottsgrove School District building for 700 students in kindergarten through 5th grade, at 1329 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA, is just one of 26 schools across Pennsylvania that have earned an Energy Star building label from the U.S. Department of Energy, Trapani reported Tuesday (Oct. 5, 2010). The recognition is awarded for buildings that demonstrate superior energy efficiency, she said.

As the district’s newest school building, Lower Pottsgrove “had access to more energy efficient technology and systems, and could more quickly achieve the savings needed to earn the Energy Star designation,” according to Trapani. The district, which enrolled in the Energy Star program last year, is working to get similar energy savings from its older buildings too.

Heading up he effort is district Director of Facilities and Physical Plants Michael Katzenmoyer.

He says Pottsgrove hopes to reduce its total energy costs by more than 20 percent by June 2012, which would qualify it as an Energy Star leader among public educational institutions. That designation is based on a rating system that looks at how well schools use and conserve energy. So far, according to Katzenmoyer, the district has saved more than $200,000 in energy costs, mostly by adjusting heat and lighting systems.

When it enrolled in Energy Star, the district first looked at how it used heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems, and adjusted their operations to occupied and unoccupied times during a school day. “No one had analyzed those systems for years to see if adjusting the times made sense,” Katzenmoyer said. Now, he noted, classroom temperature controls kick in at 8:30 a.m., rather than 6 a.m., saving 2-1/2 hours of power per unit daily.

The district has also been retrofitting lights; changing them to more energy-efficient systems. It also is training maintenance and custodial staff on its energy reduction policies. Pottsgrove even instituted a new energy management policies that govern, recycling plastic and glass, and conserving water.

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