Pottstown Olympians Reading Between the Lines

Submitted Photos

Pottstown students participate in the annual Reading Olympics competition.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

Teams of elementary and middle school students recently took part in the Annual Pottstown School District Reading Olympics Competition. 

Approximately 120 students formed teams of eight to10 students who participated in the 20th annual event. 

The Reading Olympics requires teams of students to read 45 books in preparation for the event. 

Each round of competition sees two opposing teams attempt to answer 20 questions given in rapid-fire fashion from the moderators. After a question is asked about a book, teams huddle to determine the correct answer. 

One point is awarded for each correct answer and Olympic ribbons are awarded for overall performance. District teams qualify to compete in the annual Montgomery County Intermediate Unit competition which annually attracts more than 500 teams and 7,000 participants. 

The Pottstown School District program is organized by Reading Specialist Karen Neitz. 

The goals of the Reading Olympics are to increase students' reading for enjoyment and promote reading skills that increase achievement and academic success. 

Preparation is everything.

"I am always so excited to see our youngsters actively engaged in reading. This event is an opportunity for students to experience teamwork and the satisfaction that comes from hard work," said Neitz. 

This is the 15th year that Diamond Credit Union has provided financial support for the program. 

"We are proud to partner with Diamond Credit Union to promote the skill and joy of reading, said John Armato, District Director of Community Relations.  "They are committed to being a contributing member of our community. Readers become leaders, and with Diamond's help they are building a foundation for success."

See Link to video of the event; https://diamondcu.org/blog/community-news/pottstown-school-district-reading-olympics/

Here are the results of the event and the students who participated:

Barth - Silver	Lincoln- Silver
Julilana Babylon	Shahed Aljashoubi
Dahlia Dowling	Autumn Fair
Felicia Fry	Cynthia Killian
Isabella Fuentes	Iyanna Johnson
Julian Giraud	Leyna Johnson
Kamryn King	Jaylen Lamarre
Bentley Norman	Joell Lamarre
Maliya Perez	Rahmere Jenkins
Griffin Rivera	Royer Rodriguez
Caydin Romain	Zacarias Rodriguez
Josiah Wallace	William Rose
	Marcus Williams
Franklin - Silver	Lucy Zuniga
Lillian Green
Bailey Galamba	Rupert- Bronze
Levi Jaycox	Nyanna Thompson
Cullen Waite	Mya Elgendy
Taniyah Cotton	Brianna Long
Damien Miller	Makyla Plummer
	Avaliyah Scurry
Middle School - Gold	Cassandra Smith
Mia Ramirez	Kenzie  Hannah
Donovan Williams	Meleena Bisram
Sehar Tariq	Ezra King
Omaria Millers	Bradley Saylor
Ava Alessi	Maliyah Aquidio
Erika Heller
Brighton Scott
Logan Cahill
Jeyohnna Gibson
Josh Holly
Cheyenne Flamer

Town Center Project Once Again Takes Center Stage

As is so often the case these days at 2943 N. Charlotte St. when township officials get together to do the township's business, discussion turns to development issues -- the New Hanover Town Center in particular.

For the two people in town unaware of this project, the  Town Center is proposed on 209 acres bounded by Swamp Pike in the north, Route 663 in the east and Township Line Road to the west.

It was first proposed in 2015, under zoning created seemingly just for this project which remains controversial to this day, and received a preliminary approval in 2017.

The project calls for the construction of 779 dwelling units, some apartments, some townhouses and some single-family homes, along with 171,000 square feet of commercial space — at least as currently proposed.

They were in front of the supervisors last night for what had the potential to be a quick technical issue which, township solicitor Andrew Bellwoar suggested needed no action.

He said he interpreted the municipalities planning code, which governs development, to mean an April 22 deadline for a decision was meaningless because the project is now under review by the township's consultants.

Bellwoar also indicated that a meeting between the developer, staff and two supervisors had provided a framework to move forward.

But Marc Jonas, solicitor for the developer, had to have the last word and in what he said was an effort to be clear, proceeded to spark a conversation which turned argumentative and Jonas taking shots at Township Manager Jamie Gwynn.

Last month, Grynn reviewed for the supervisors all the ways in which the project has morphed over

The proposed New Hanover Town Center is located along

Route 73 to the north, Route 663 to the east and Township

Line Road to the west.

the years, the ups and downs of residential versus commercial, illustrating for the supervisors the maze that the township's consultants must navigate in trying to give a meaningful review.

"And this is where we start to go backwards," Jonas said as Gwynn began to push for the developer, R.P. Wynestone, to develop the project in accord with current, more stringent ordinances, instead of those in place in 2005 when the application was first made.

"Every time he starts to act like a lawyer, he sets us back," Jonas said, adding if Bellwoar continued to let Gwynn take this line of questioning "we're going to end up in litigation."

But at least two other township supervisors, Ross Snook and Kurt Zebrowski, said they too would like Wynestone to develop the property under current ordinances, something Jonas said would not happen.

"It's ridiculous," he said.

What's ridiculous, said resident Ben Lanyon, is building 779 new homes in a town already bursting at the seams with housing.

"Since I moved to this township, I have not spoken with a single person who thinks its a good idea to build 700-plus new houses here," Lanyon told the supervisors.

Supervisors Chairman Charles D. Garner Jr. did not disagree.

"Looking back 15 years, the supervisors at the time may have welcomed developers, did favors for developers and it was easy to get projects through," he said, adding, "and without that some of us might not live here."

"At some point, someone sitting up here must have thought it was a good idea to put a town in the middle of this township," said Garner. "And this is a big project and there are a lot of outstanding issues."

Garner said during a meeting between the developer, township staff and consultants and two supervisors, one of whom was him, he raised a number of those concerns, which he also shared Thursday night.

"The original plan had more commercial and office square footage, but the plan we have now has more residential. I think New Hanover has enough residential," Garner said. 

He also said be believes Township Line Road "should be totally improved and upgraded" and added that given the problems New Hanover continues to have with stormwater, that he hopes R.P. Wynestone will agree to apply the current stormwater ordinance to the plan."

He urged the township's traffic, planning and engineering consultants "to identify big issues, big picture items, and bring them to our attention."

As an example, Garner noted that rather than wait until the end of the process, that Montgomery County and PennDOT should be made aware now of the township's traffic concerns on Route 73 and Routes 663, which are county and state roads respectively, so they can be taken into account when its time for the developer to pull road permits.

In other matters, approved a new three-year contract for Gwynn, who announced that he, his wife and his baby girl are planning to move into the township. We'll have more on that once I get a copy of his new contract.

The supervisors also voted 3-2 to hire Alloy 5 to begin drawing up concept plans for new administrative and police township buildings.

And with that, click here to read the Tweets from last night's meeting.

10-Year Comcast Contract Vote Looms Monday

Photos by Evan Brandt

Comcast representative Brian Jeter talks to borough council about how awesome his company is.

If you have something to say about your cable service with Comcast, you had better clear your schedule for Monday night.

That's when a public hearing will be held and it will be your last chance to have your say before council votes on a proposed 10-year-contract with the cable giant.

Before council to smooth things over Monday night was company man Brian Jeter, who talked about

how Comcast is, mentioning the new Xfinity store the company opened in the Upland Square Shopping Center and noting that upgrades are on tap for the building on Shoemaker Road, that houses 80 to 100 employees.

Borough Manager Justin Keller said he is frequently asked why other service providers are not in the borough and he said the contract under consideration does not prevent that. He said other providers like FiOS "aren't interested in coming here."

Keller said the deal with provide a 5 percent franchise fee to the borough, which works out to about $350,000 to $400,000 a year over the term of the contract.

Councilwoman Lisa Vanni provided the only pointed questioning of Jeter, which he deftly demurred.

She complained there are not a lot of options for picking channels or different levels of pricing, but Jeter said there are more options available than there were just one year ago.

Here is video of a relatively brief borough manager's report:



Council also heard from Tricia Reedy Jones, who was in town to talk about the importance of participating in the Census, which will begin arriving in mailboxes starting March 12.

She said Pottstown was totally lame 10 years ago and had two Census tracts that were undercounted by more than 25 percent.

What makes that even more lame is that in both of those Census tracts, children living in poverty surpasses 45 percent, meaning the children most likely to benefit from federal anti-poverty programs were undercounted, thus ensuring those programs are underfunded.

Reedy Jones said there are only nine questions on the Census and it only takes 10 minutes to fill out. Is it really too much to ask people? Come on, get in the game.

And with that, click here to see the Tweets from the meeting.

Odd Fellows Donates $10,000 to Library Youth Dept.

Submitted Photo

From left, Arthur Weiler, Chairman, Oddfellows Board of Trustees; Holly Chang, Executive Director of the Pottstown Regional Public Library; Pete Uhniat, Treasurer, Oddfellows, Board of Trustees; Lisa Kraljevich, the youth services coordinator; Mindy Lipsky, youth services staff.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library announced it has received a $10,000 grant from the Home for Orphans of Odd Fellows of Pennsylvania for the Library’s Children’s Department.

The grant will be used to improve and expand technology programs for children, including adding virtual reality technology. Libraries across the country are adding virtual reality devices to improve the technology already in place for children for story-telling and educational programs.

Digital literacy and experience with technology tools have become as important to young people as traditional books and reading. 

A goal of the Pottstown Regional Public Library is to ensure that all children in our area have equal access to these new tools. According to Lisa Kraljevich, youth services coordinator, “it is critical that kids in our area do not fall behind their peers in digital literacy experience.” 

She noted that grants such as from Odd Fellows are a welcome and necessary contribution to make this happen, in addition to the daily fundraising and appeals that the library conducts directly to individuals and businesses.

The library emphasizes story-telling to teach communication, whether to one person or to a group. It improves a child’s creative thinking, develops language skills, and helps to organize thought. Cameras and animation software allow children to take on the roles of writer, director, costume designer, art director, and animator as they produce their own film to tell their story.

Other modern tools already available to borrow from the Pottstown Library are Launchpad tablets and Wonderbooks, which the grant will help to expand. 

The Playaway Launchpads are durable touchscreen tablets pre-loaded with educational apps for patrons aged 3 to 10 years of age. They are designed for little hands to pass around, with no need for WiFi or downloads. 

Wonderbooks, which are audio books ready to play at the touch of a button, are now replacing CD audio books. Children can read along with the book, or switch to learning mode for more fun.

These tools may look like toys, but they are a powerful pathway to literacy and reading. Kraljevich said she is “proud to select them with the same professionalism and expertise we use for our entire library collection.”

The Pottstown Regional Public Library serves the Borough of Pottstown and the Townships of Lower Pottsgrove, Upper Pottsgrove, and West Pottsgrove. The Library,  located at 500 E. High Street in Pottstown is in a building that is more than 100 years old, and was originally built as the U.S. Post Office.

The library’s continued existence in the community is based on contributions both large and small, private and public. The library is dependent on funding and support from our area municipalities, the state, grants, and donations from residents and businesses. lhe Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The library provides books and e-books and other digital material, videos, WiFi sessions, public computers, assistance with on-line job applications, reference questions, passport services, copying, faxes, and more.

More than 12,000 residents hold library cards, and in 2018 there were 128,000 visits to the library from patrons in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties.

Odd Fellowship is one of the oldest fraternities in the world. This non-political and non-sectarian order was founded on the basis of universal brotherhood. The order stresses the importance of the principles of Friendship, Love and Truth. Odd Fellowship aims to impress upon its members a real sense of their need, as well as an obligation to impress upon its members a sense of obligation to others. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a worldwide organization with more than 600,000 members in over 10,000 local lodges.

The Home for Orphans of Odd Fellows of Pennsylvania is an independent non-profit corporation composed of members who are Odd Fellows. The original Orphanage was incorporated in 1884 to provide care and education of children. The present mission of the home is to continue the legacy of the orphanage by promoting children's literacy and care programs in underserved communities.

Lower Pottsgrove Township Building Plans Updated

Photos by Evan Brandt

In the above photo, the green area at the left is space for the administrative offices in the new $8.2 million municipal building now being designed. The blue area at the right is for the police. Below, architect Randy Galiotto, from Alloy 5, presents the current plans.

Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners were updated Monday night on the plans for the new $8.2 million municipal building first unveiled in August.

Randy Galiotto from the Bethlehem architecture firm of Alloy 5 told the commissioners that the firm is currently studying the site conditions.

He said soil tests indicate "good percolation" for rainwater into the soil and wells dug seem to indicate they would not hit bedrock, which is about 10 feet down, during construction as there are not plans to dig that deep.

This photo shows the locations of wells dug to test for groundwater.

The new building, planned for the southeast corner of East High Street and South Pleasantview Road in Sanatoga, will be located on five lots the township has obtained and will have room for expansion.

Police Chief Mike Foltz said the police department was recently re-accredited, but that note was made of t he cramped space out of which the department operates in the basement of the current township building on Buchert Road.

Galiotto said the current site, and design for the new 16,000 square-foot building, would allow for expansion, at least 3,000 square feet more for the administration; and 4,500 square feet for the police department.

New 422 Ramp On Track

Lower Pottsgrove Township Manager Ed Wagner told the commissioners Monday night that the final designs for the new Route 422 ramp at the Sanatoga interchange is nearing completion.

The concept behind the new Route 422 Sanatoga ramp.

The interchange is very busy during rush hour and from traffic headed to the Costco and Limerick
outlets there. The new Sanatoga Green mixed-use development now heading toward its final permits will only add to the traffic there.

The new ramp will eliminate the need for those headed east on Evergreen Road to cross the opposing traffic to get onto Route 422 west.

Wagner said bids for the project, which is being undertaken by PennDOT with contributions from both Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick townships, will likely go out to bid by the end of the year with constructions starting in February or March of 2021.

The project is expected to take four to six months to complete.

Estimates offered in 2018 indicated the project would already be complete.

Police Report

Foltz said that in addition to the township department once again getting accredited by the police chiefs association, that the department answered 1,110 calls in February.

He also reported that a new police cruiser recently put into service to replace one that was destroyed in a wreck has already been damaged.

Foltz said the police was struck by a driver who was trying to beat the light at Armand Hammer Boulevard during the afternoon rush hour.

He also said police have identified a suspect in the December shooting in Rolling Hills.

Click here to see the Tweets from last night's meeting.

Exceptional Women Award Nominees Announced

And the nominees are .....!

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by YWCA Tri-County Area

Let's kick off Women's History Month by shining a spotlight on women who are making a difference in our community right here and now!

Community members have nominated 36 women to receive awards at the 25th annual Tribute to Exceptional Women, sponsored by YWCA Tri-County Area.

Montgomery County Commissioners Chairwoman
Valerie Arkoosh is the keynote speaker.

Tribute to Exceptional Women recognizes women for their ability to lead by example, embrace community responsibility, and demonstrate exceptional leadership in their careers and in their communities. 

This tradition of honoring remarkable women will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, at Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia. Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh is the keynote speaker.

In the 25 years since the inaugural Tribute to Exceptional Women, YWCA Tri-County Area has honored more than 200 women for their achievements in their careers or for their service to their communities.

Community members are invited each year to nominate women in several categories, including arts and culture, community service, education, leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion, and lifetime achievement. 

The 2020 nominees, and their affiliations, are:

• Adrienne Cavanaugh, board member, Fostering Hope PA
• Alneasa Jordan, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Reading
• Alyssa Dourte, co-founder, Fostering Hope PA
• Ann Shostrom, art educator, Pennsylvania State University
• Bernice Lebo, retired executive secretary; community volunteer, Olivet Boys & Girls Club and Meals on Wheels
• Carla Clanagan, founder, In His Eyes Outreach
• Casey Fenoglio, community benefits coordinator, Pottstown Hospital/Tower Health
• Colleen Lelli, educator, Cabrini University
• Debra Werner, owner, Reflection Hair Design
• Denise Ashe, director, Montgomery County OIC
• Darlene Adams, president, The Trina Antoinette Adams Center for Keeping Children First
• English Willis, executive director of clinical safety and risk management, Merck & Co.
• Edna Garcia Dipini, CEO, RIZE Group
  
• Ericka Ward, retired nurse and founder of Divine Concepts Group
• Erin Lis, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Reading
• Ginger DeRenzo, 6th grade teacher, Pottstown School District
• Glenna Crooks, The NetworkSage
• Jae Hively, adjunct professor, Montgomery County Community College
• Jessica Rice Carson, community educator, Victim Services Center of Montgomery County
• Julia Lopez, IT department, Montgomery County Community College
• Karen Norheim, president and COO, American Crane & Equipment Corporation
• Keisha Hudson, deputy chief public defender, Office of the Montgomery County Public Defender
• Kimberly Frey Welch, real estate agent, RE/MAX Achievers Inc.
• Kylee McGrane, founder, A Moment of Magic
• Lucinda Schaeffer, founder, Unending Promise; faculty, Alvernia University
• Lynne Williams, executive director, Philadelphia Area Great Careers Group
• Margarita Contreras, social services director, ACLAMO Family Centers
• Marlene Armato, retired educator, Spring-Ford School District
• Mary Ann Glocker, retired nurse practitioner; board president, Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities
• Nelly Jimenez-Arevalo, executive director, ACLAMO Family Centers
• Patience Terkowski, nurse practitioner, Pottstown Hospital/Tower Health
• Peggy Lee-Clark, executive director, Pottstown Area Industrial Development Inc.
• Rhonda Willingham, founder, MenzFit
• Robin Yerger, EMS Supervisor/Liaison, Pottstown Hospital/Tower Health
• Sherry Daubenspeck, speech-language services, Gilbertsville Elementary School
• Tamara Allen, founder, Helping Hands

Tickets are available online at www.ywcatricountyarea.org/2020tribute. 

Tickets are $60. Tables of 10  are available for $500.

The 25th annual Tribute to Exceptional Women is sponsored by: Exelon Corporation, Pottstown Hospital/Tower Health, uFinancial Group, American Crane & Equipment Corporation, FastSigns, Herbein CPAs + Consultants, JBS Janitorial Equipment & Supplies, Miller Turetsky Rule & McLennan, Tompkins VIST Bank, Valley Forge Casino Resort, and The Victory Bank.

Tribute to Exceptional Women supports YWCA Tri-County Area’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. YWCA Tri-County Area is a leader in advocacy for women and girls, and educates children, youth, families, and communities through programming that empowers individuals to learn and grow across the lifespan, providing the foundation for a healthy and thriving community; empowers people to learn, grow, and take a stand; and advocates for the health and safety and empowerment and economic development of women and girls, and for racial and social justice.

Pottstown Challenged to Super Hero Clean-Up

Pottstown may not have a beach, but its got trash and time will tell if its got super heroes willing to help pick it up during the March 28 challenge issued by Reading.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Hobart's Run.

Hobart’s Run has been challenged to engage all of Pottstown in a “clean-up competition” on Saturday, March 28.

 The gauntlet was thrown down by Reading’s grassroots South of Penn Task Force. This dual-city event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon in both locations, with lunch being served to Pottstown volunteers at the Hobart’s Run 703 E. High Street office at the clean-up’s conclusion.

And – to make things more interesting and colorful – volunteers are invited to wear a “superhero” costume of their choosing (not required, but strongly encouraged). 

Homemade costumes, capes, and masks are welcomed, as is overall creativity – but the important ingredient will be residents’ participation. The South of Penn group is striving to recruit 500 volunteers, so organizers hope Pottstown will rise to the challenge and show our town’s community spirit.

“With all of the exciting, encouraging developments happening as part of Pottstown’s revitalization, this is a great opportunity to remove distracting, unsightly litter while demonstrating community pride, having fun with friends and neighbors, and setting a positive example for all residents,” says Cathy Skitko, Hobart’s Run director of communications.

Hobart’s Run will provide and drop off trash bags and tools to community partners who will be contacted soon about hosting squads dedicated to particular sections of Pottstown.

Individuals interested in organizing a squad of clean-up “superheroes” from their club, school, church, other organization, or immediate neighborhood should reach out to Twila Fisher, Hobart’s Run’s director of community and economic development, at hobartsrun.pottstown@gmail.com or 610-780-6324.

Individuals who live in the Hobart’s Run neighborhood or who have not joined another clean-up group should meet at 701 E. High St. by 10 a.m. on March 28. 

(The Hobart’s Run focus neighborhood is roughly bordered by Queen Street in the south; North Adams on the west; Beech, Grant, and Jackson on the north; and Keim on the east.) All other superhero squads also will meet at their soon-to-be shared starting points on March 28 at 10 a.m.

The Hobart’s Run Facebook page (as well as Instagram and Twitter) will continue to provide information closer to the event.

Hobart’s Run thanks the Borough of Pottstown for agreeing to collect trash bags following the event (please note that all filled bags must be placed near a stop sign or intersection).

Local eateries interested in donating snacks, drinks, or lunch should contact Stephanie Trauner at strauner@thehill.org or 610-705-1018. Hobart’s Run will be sure to recognize your generous contributions.

All superhero clean-up squads will be asked to strike a powerful pose and send selfies and photos to Hobart’s Run (c/o cskitko@thehill.org) for social media sharing during and after the clean-up.

Trash Can Adopters and Sponsors are Superheroes, Too

Amy and Levi Wolf stand with the trash can sponsored by

Wolf Baldwin Assoc.

Another proven way to help keep Pottstown’s streets clean is to “adopt” a Hobart’s Run or Hobart’s Run and Pottstown Community Action trash bin. Hobart’s Run will deliver cans and liners to Borough adopters’ homes or offices; residents or businesses only need to periodically add the trash to their normal collection and replace the bag.

Hobart’s Run has purchased the majority of cans that currently dot Pottstown’s streets, but the organization welcomes additional trash can sponsors to help keep even more blocks clean.

“We’ve heard from trashcan ‘adopters’ that the presence of these sturdy, attractive bins on their streets has led to a significant decline in litter,” Skitko says.

Participating Pottstown businesses are recognized through social media and their business logo will be affixed to their sponsored cans, letting neighbors know of their investment in the community. One bin can be sponsored for $200 (essentially, this fee covers the cost for one can and a sticker); three bins can be sponsored for $500; and six bins can be sponsored for $1,000. Sponsoring organizations can adopt and maintain their branded can or cans at their office location, or donate them to residents or nonprofits looking to adopt a bin.

To date generous Adopt-a-Trashcan sponsors have included Matt Green of Glocker Real Estate; Jennifer Davidheiser of the Real Estate Professionals; Sitko Tree Farm, and 422 Sports Plex. Interested adopters or sponsors should contact Stephanie Trauner at strauner@thehill.org or 610-705-1018.