A Middle School Career Shadow in Broadcasting

Photo Courtesy of the Pottstown School District

From left, Bernie Gallager, Darius Smallwood and Middle School Football and Basketball coach Levert Hughes.

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

Congratulations to Pottstown Middle School student, Darius Smallwood on being named this year's recipient of the 2017 PCTV Career Shadow Award.

PCTV Sports broadcaster, Bernie Gallagher explained the criteria for the award.

"The primary focus of the award is to introduce a young student to the arena of sports broadcasting. They must display a positive attitude, have good grades and be involved in the community."

Darius was an integral member of The Pottstown Middle School 8th grade Football and Basketball teams and he shadowed Gallagher as he prepared for the Pioneeer Athletic Conference basketball playoffs.

He was very helpful in preparing and analyzing statistics used on the pregame shows. Gallagher further explained "Darius is a terrific young man who always has a smile on his face, is humble and is always willing to help others." Another reason to say Proud to be from Pottstown.

The Public Speaking

Public comment before Pottstown Borough Council has been 

expanded to both monthly meetings, and at least one session

will be televised as a result of a unanimous vote Monday.

It has become a little bit easier to talk to your local government this year.

Previously, borough council meetings were structured so that the only point in the cycle at which the public was allowed to address all of council was at the beginning of the second meeting of the month, the voting meeting when, for all intents and purposes, most decisions about ho votes were going to be cast had already been made.

Paradoxically, the only meetings which were ever televised on PCTV, for those who could not, or did not want to, attend were the "work sessions" the Wednesday before the voting meeting.

That is where almost all discussion, whatever there was, occurred, but the public could not join in that discussion.

Gus Tellis films a council work session for PCTV.

In any case, under this arrangement no one watching from home ever had any idea what public comments had been made to council, other than those reported in The Mercury or summarized in council minutes.

This year, that has changed in two ways, over two different nights.

When Borough Council re-organized on Jan. 6, the rules were changed to allow public comment at both meetings; at the end of the Wednesday work sessions and, as usual, at the beginning of the Monday voting meetings.

However, council enacted a caveat: that the public comments from the Wednesday night meetings were not to be televised.

Once again, those watching from home got hosed.

But the hosing did not last long.

Dan Weand

At the Jan. 8 work session, Councilman Dan Weand expressed second thoughts.

Calling it "an injustice to our citizens," Weand proposed the ban on televising comments from the Wednesday work sessions be lifted.

"I want as much transparency as possible and I think with not putting those comments on television we stop short and to say we're going to hold back part of what happened at the meeting, seems unfair and discriminatory," Weand said at the Jan. 8 meeting.

 Televising comments from the Wednesday meeting "give an opportunity for those at home to hear what their neighbors and fellow citizens have to say," he argued.

On Monday night, the rest of council agreed.

Mayor Sharon Thomas asked if it was necessary for council to ask citizens commenting on television to sign hold-harmless agreements so council is not held legally responsible for things said at the meeting, but Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. said no.

"This body hears its citizens and any one who is at the meeting can hear what is said, I don't see how we could be held accountable," he said.

The only restriction would be on PCTV to comply with Federal Communications Commission rules to ensure that no profanity be broadcast, he said.

Travis Gery

Council Vice President Travis Gery said he supports the move but had a concern that speaking in front of a television camera could have "a chilling effect" on those who are not comfortable doing so.

However, he was reassured those uncomfortable speaking before a camera could always speak on Mondays, when there is no camera, or directly with their council person.

To make things even easier, Garner explained that council's rules, adopted annually, make no mention of televising any part of the meeting and that the decision to televise, or not, can be re-visited at any point in the year.

"It's fair game at any time," he said.

However, he advised against any attempt to "edit" any comments, saying "it would seem contradictory to say we're going to expand public comment and then try to censor it."

With that, council voted unanimously to allow the public comments made at Wednesday night work sessions to be part of the PCTV broadcast of that meeting.

Council News and Notes

Photo by Evan Brandt

The site of the future borough garage at 10 Rice St.

Blogger's Note: Lots of things happen at borough council meetings, not all of them are big and we don't always have room for all of them in The Mercury -- hence the function of this blog.

Here are a couple of items of interest from Wednesday night's work session.

New Borough Garage

The borough is getting closer to having a new municipal garage, a long-overdue effort.

The location is at 10 Rice St., just inside the borough border on the west end of town and it is an empty lot.

Borough Manager Mark Flanders said the lot is 2.1 acres and will pay $186,000 for the lot.

On Friday, the borough issues "request for qualification" documents which will be used to develop a short-list of architects for the building.

"Request for proposal" documents will then be issued to the short list and a council committee will chose the architect.

The project is being funded through a capital projects loan the borough took, which also paid off the bond that paid for borough hall and allows the borough to pay a lower interest rate on servicing the debt.

The project is long over-due. Some of us may recall that in 2006, part of the facade of the current garage facing Beech Street, across from the Ricketts Community Center, fell down.

New Fire Truck

In addition to serving borough building debt at a lower rate, the borough's plan to buy a new fire truck will also have taxpayers paying a lower rate.

Flanders told council Wednesday that the plan to buy a new KME "quint" ladder truck may also save some money.

Finance Director Janice Lee said the financing method chosen will have an interest rate of 2.29 percent over the next 10 years. 

Pottstown purchased this "Quint" ladder truck for

Empire Hook & Ladder Co. about five years ago.

It will also allow the existing loan for the last fire truck the borough purchased five years ago, on which taxpayers are paying 4.17 percent, to pay paid off out of the existing loan. 

The new truck is estimated to cost $669,100 and by paying 90 percent of the cost up front, the borough will receive a $23,000 discount, Lee said.

As a result, the borough's debt payments will be $2,000 less than currently and will allow for these capital projects and purchases to move forward, Flanders said.

"This is a recognized need of the borough," said Councilman Dan Weand.

Fire Chief Richard Lengel said the maintenance by fire companies allows trucks to be used for about 30 years.

He said the truck being replaced is similar to the truck run by Empire Hook and Ladder, which is currently housed at Goodwill Fire Company on High Street, since the two companies merged.

The plan is for the new truck to replace the ladder truck now at the Phillies fire house on Chestnut Street.

Road Sign Roulette

Many people may not know this, but High Street was the original Route 422.

As often happens when by-passes are built, traffic moves faster, but also moves around the businesses that once lined the main drag, hoping to capture the interest, and consumer dollar, of passing motorists.

Sometimes, some of that potential business can be recaptured with a sign on the

road that designates the old route as the "business route."

And that is exactly what state Rep. Mark Painter, D-146th Dist., hopes to do.

Borough Manager Mark Flanders told council Wednesday night that Painter has proposed "labeling the stretch of High Street as 'Business Route 422' from the Sanatoga interchange to Stowe. It can be done at minimal cost and it would be paid by PennDOT," Flanders said.

"I think this is a great idea," said Councilman Joe Kirkland. "People will often take the detour just to see what's there."

Flanders also noted that no where on southbound Route 100 does it indicate which exit to take to reach downtown Pottstown.

"We're working on it," he told council.

What You See on TV

Photo by Evan Brandt

Gus Tellis at work, recording Wednesday night's borough 

council workshop session.

Those of you addicted to watching borough council meetings on PCTV will be relieved to know that council is preparing to extend for three years its contract with the new operators of the service -- Tellisvision.

Run by former PCTV employee Gus Tellis, Council President Stephen Toroney said "there is an air of excitement under Mr. Tellis that has not bee a part of PCTV in a long time."

The stability of a three-year extension would help make the company more solvent.

Finance Committee Chairman Dan Weand said the committee is "impressed with the operation so far" and has recommended the contract extension.

Pre-School Expansion

Grace Lutheran Church

Council may likely vote Monday to approve a conditional use permit which would allow the expansion of the pre-school housed at Grace Lutheran Church on North Charlotte Street.

In existence for 44 years, director Stephanie Houck said the idea is to expand from a half-day program that runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; to a full-day that runs from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"Nothing will change, there will just be more time in the building," she said.

The expansion, which is dependent on the center getting licensed to operate as a full-day service, will allow about 50 children to be educated there.

She predicted the traffic in and out of the center would actually be less, because parents would drop-off and pick-up their children at different times.

The school does plan to add a new playground to the grounds.

A New Look

Photo by Evan Brandt

And now for perhaps the most ground-breaking item on our round-up.

Borough Manager Mark Flanders, who recently returned from a southern vacation we are told, looks a little more relaxed these days.

Perhaps that's because he seems to have expanded his trademark mustache and left part of his "vacation beard" in place.

As a fellow supporter of facial hair, the Digital Notebook staff wishes him an itch-free experience.

(We can't help but notice the preponderance of gray in that new beard, but then, who are we to talk....)

TV Mogul in the Making

Steven Hewitt, left and Bernie Gallagher

Blogger's Note: In case any of you were worried, Public Relations Machine John Armato is still in there sending material to the collectors on The Digital Notebook staff. Here is another submission:

Pottstown Middle School seventh grader Steven Hewitt someday might be on network television broadcasting NFL football games because of the valuable experience he gained in the Middle School Career Shadowing Program.

During the fall season, Steven worked with Bernie Gallagher, middle school teacher and PCTV Sports Announcer during broadcasts of local high school football games.

During broadcasts, Steven was in the TV booth and assisted behind the scenes with technical aspects of the production including the instant replay cameras. 

According to Gallagher, “Steve did a fabulous job helping our crew and brought positive energy to our weekly TV show. He is a natural. Steve is no stranger to athletics and participates in football, wrestling, and club lacrosse, while at the same time maintaining academic excellence as an honor student. Much of his athletic talent is inherited as his father James was an outstanding football player and wrestler at PHS.”

Gus Tellis, Manager of PCTV, said, “I am happy to be able to partner with the Pottstown School District and provide valuable real-life learning experiences for students.”