Pottsgrove Ponders Summer Meal Distribution

Cars line-up for food distribution at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School for meal distribution in late March.

As the school year winds down, the question of whether Pottsgrove will continue to provide meals to
its students is now on the table.

The question came up at the end of Tuesday's school board meeting.

Superintendent William Shirk said the district has already begun discussions with the company that provides the meals.

Pottsgrove School Board member Ashley Custer volunteers 

helping distribute school meals at Lower Pottsgrove.

"There are a lot of moving parts," said Shirk. "Stay tuned for more information."

As of May 11, the district has distributed 71,568 meals to student families since if began the week of March 16.

Five days worth of breakfasts and lunches are distributed on Mondays at two elementary school buildings in Lower Pottsgrove and West Pottsgrove.

At many school districts around the region, particularly in low-income regions, school districts have provided varying levels of food for students who my rely on those meals as part of their daily sustenance.

Normally, the only meals schools provide over the summer months are through township parks and recreation programs, such as in Pottstown. But the stay-at-home protocols now in place put those programs into question.

Prepared meals await distribution at
Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School in late March.

As a matter of some interest, Gary DeRenzo, Pottsgrove's director of co-curricular programs and
community relations, informed the board Tuesday that there was a drop off in the number of meals picked up at Monday's distribution.

He said 1,800 fewer meals were distributed and said there was similar drop-off after the Easter holiday.

"It may be there were more left-overs from Mother's Day, or more people went away to visit mom, we don't know, DeRenzo said.

Business Manager David Nester said it is also possible that as some businesses open up, "more people were back at work and not waiting for food."

When less food than has been prepared is picked up, DeRenzo said what can be frozen for use the following week is, and the remaining food is taken to families in the Rolling Hills public housing complex "to families that are unable to drive or have no transportation."

Pottsgrove Schools Food Distribution Set for Monday

Photo shamelessly filched from Joe Zlomek and the Sanatoga Post

Cars line up at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School to receive a week's worth of school breakfast/lunch packages from the Pottsgrove School District.

Blogger's Note: The following is an update about Monday's food distribution to Pottsgrove School District families.

Dear Pottsgrove Families,

After providing over 10,000 meals to Pottsgrove families last week, we are preparing for our breakfast and lunch distribution for the Week of March 30^th.

The pick-up sites will remain the same at both West Pottsgrove and Lower Pottsgrove Elementary Schools. 

Pick-up at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School will take place along the lower Portico off of Buchert Road. 

And at West Pottsgrove Elementary School, distribution will take place along the driveway near the main office of the school.  

            HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM:

·         Breakfast/Lunch packages will include (5) days of food. 

·         Monday, March 30th will be the ONLY pick-up day for the week.

·         Times for distribution will now be 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

We appreciate all the feedback and we will continue to work together to strengthen our community     through this important quality of life program for our families.

Sincerely,

William R. Shirk, Jr., Ed. D.

Superintendent of Schools

Pottsgrove's Pupil Services Director Earns Doctorate

Kate Pacitto

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

Kate Pacitto, Director of Pupil Services for the Pottsgrove School District was recently awarded her Doctorate from Immaculata University.

Her dissertation titled, “Content Area Specialization at the Elementary Level” was successfully defended on March 25.

Pacitto, a 1998 graduate of Pottstown High School matriculated to University of Delaware, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and Special Education in 2002. 

In 2004, she completed her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology from West Chester University.

Pacitto has earned her Principals Certification, Supervisor of Special Education, as well as her Superintendent Letter of Eligibility all from Immaculata University.

Prior to coming to Pottsgrove, Kate served as a kindergarten teacher in Delaware as well as serving as a secondary school counselor at Collegium Charter School in Exton for eight years.

She was named the Director of Student Services at Collegium prior to joining Pottsgrove School District in 2015 as Supervisor of Special Education.

Pacitto resides in Phoenixville with her husband, Dan and her two boys.

Pottsgrove Schools Food Distribution is Monday

Last week, with schools closed due to the corona virus update, Pottsgrove School District worked through the kinks of delivering free breakfast and lunch to students who need it.

By the end of the week, 3,200 meals were provided.

But the district has moved away from providing the food every day and has instead moved to a once-a-week delivery of food for five days and this week, it happens on Monday, March 23.

Pottsgrove Superintendent William Shirk

In a letter distributed to parents, Pottsgrove Schools Superintendent William Shirk wrote, "we have

again made a few changes to help our delivery system for the week of March 23."

"Beginning, Monday, March 23, we will again be providing a combined breakfast and lunch package for all Pottsgrove students 18 and under. The pick-up sites will remain the same at both West Pottsgrove and Lower Pottsgrove Elementary Schools," he wrote

"Pick-up at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School will take place along the lower portico off of Buchert Road. And at West Pottsgrove Elementary School, distribution will take place along the driveway near the main office of the school," according to Shirk.

CHANGES FOR DISTRIBUTION WILL BE:

• Breakfast/Lunch packages will include (5) days of food.
• Monday, March 23 will be the ONLY pick-up day for the week.
• Times for distribution will now be 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

"The changes were part of the recommendations from our local authorities to help limit exposure to our families, as well as members of our staff. The time change will give our food vendor, Chartwells K12 additional time to prepare the meals and make sure they can accommodate the volume," Shirk wrote.

He added, "we appreciate all the feedback and we will continue to work together to strengthen our community through this important quality of life program for our families."

Pottsgrove Names Four to Alumni Honor Roll

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

The Pottsgrove Alumni Honor Roll Committee will hold its annual luncheon on Sunday, Oct. 13 at Copperfield Inn in Limerick.

The four newest honor roll members are:

Ted Alan Drauschak, Class of 1978
Graduated from Drexel University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and the Green-Templeton College at Oxford University (UK) in 1999 in Corporate Leadership.


Currently the CEO/President of Helianthus, LLC in which he invests and develops real estate and renewable energy assets around the globe and is actively participating in the conversion of the physical infrastructure to an environmentally sensitive scheme.

Sergeant William James, Lower Pottsgrove Police Department

Graduated from Wilmington University with a BS in Criminal Justice and attended the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.

Currently serving as a Sergeant for the Lower Pottsgrove Police Department. Has contributed many years as Pottsgrove's School Resouce Officer and now serves the Township as the Departments Community Relations liaison.

Dr. Richard Thompson, Class of 1991
Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Biological Basis of Behavior and received his MD from Columbia University and completed an MBA program at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Thompson is currently the Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support and Thoracic Surgery at the Bryan Heart Center in Lincoln, Nebraska and serves as an Adjunct Professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University in their MBA program.

Nathaniel Guest, Esq., Class of 1994
Nathaniel graduated from Cornell University with a BA (Magna Cum Laude), a Juris Doctorate (Cum Laude) from Temple University School of Law and an MA in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University.

He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust and a visiting lecturer at Cornell University. He has raised over $10 million in grants and other funding to restore a Civil War-era railroad as a community and economic development project.

Each one of these individuals has touted the teachers and education they received from Pottsgrove as a basis for their success.

Pottsgrove Schools Announce Spring Concerts

Apple Names 'Distinguished' Pottsgrove Educators

David Ramage, left, and William Ziegler.

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

The Pottsgrove School District is pleased to announce the two newest members of Apple’s Distinguished Educators Class of 2019. Dr. David Ramage, Director of Integration for Learning & Instruction and Dr. William Ziegler, High School Principal have been selected to this prestigious group.

In 1994, Apple created the Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE) program to recognize K-12 and higher-education pioneers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning. These are the educators who are looking to change the world. They are active leaders from the around the world helping other educators rethink what’s possible with iPad and Mac to make learning deeply personal for every student.

As ADE’s they will have the opportunity to collaborate with over 2,800 colleagues around the globe and turn fresh, new ideas into meaningful learning experiences for students. They will help create and share digital books created with Pages and iBooks Author. ADE’s are experts on the realities of integrating technology into learning environments, and they work closely with Apple to foster innovation in education. Both will have the opportunity to provide best practices and leadership in education through published lessons, courses, books, and more. ADE’s work together to develop and promote powerful ideas for improving teaching and learning worldwide.

Statistically, Dr.’s Ramage and Ziegler are only two of twelve ADE’s in the state of Pennsylvania. ADE’s represent forty-five different countries, with 942 residing in the United States, 812 from Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, and 692 from Asia-Pacific.

This honor coincides with Pottsgrove High and Middle School’s again being designated as Apple Distinguished Schools for the 2018-2021 time period.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence that use Apple products to inspire creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. They showcase innovative uses of technology in learning, teaching, and the school environment and have documented artifacts of student accomplishment.

Pottsgrove OKs Adding French as Third Language

After years of discussion, the Pottsgrove School Board voted 5-2-1 Tuesday night to add a third world language to it's curriculum.

And just in case you're not up on your vexillology, which, as we all know, is the study of flags, and the above photo has left you flummoxed, the language Pottsgrove added is French.

Board members Bill Parker and Patricia Grimm voted against the measure, which was not on the meeting agenda and was brought to the floor at the request of Superintendent William Shirk. Board member Charles Nippert abstained from voting, but did not give a reason for his abstention.

Shirk indicated that the board has been nibbling around the edges of the question, and asked that the board "commit," so his administration could immediately begin looking for the best French teacher they can find.

"If we wait until August, that's not going to work," he said.

"If we're going to do it, we should really commit to it and do it right," agreed board member Scott Hutt.

Currently, 66 students have already signed up and the cost has been built into the preliminary budget.

(On that front, Business Manager David Nester had some good news -- the projected 2.1 percent tax hike now looks like it would be closer to 1.5 percent unless something changes.)

"It might cost us a couple of extra bucks to get someone who has experience," said Shirk. "But it might be worth it. We want someone who really knows how to build a program."

As of now, there has been little drop off in the other two languages offered in Pottsgrove -- German and "Spanish -- said Shirk, noting that feeder programs in the middle school "will fill those gaps."

Board member Jim Lapic also noted that some students intend on taking more than one language.

In other new program news, board member Ashley Custer, reporting on discussions in the board's Curriculum, Integration and Technology Committee, said the district may add an advanced science course at the middle school, most likely Biology.

And with that, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

French Press

Pottsgrove's 'Pink Out' Gives $4,200 for Cancer Costs

Front row, from left, Kristi Rodriquez, Cassia O’Brien, Carly Morris, Sydney Wasdick, Savannah Lear and Danielle Leach, Treasurer of the Pottsgrove Booster Club. Rear row, from left, Steve Anspach, Athletic Director, Kim Rodriquez, William Ziegler, HS Principal, Anna Carroll, Jodi Sproule, Head Field Hockey Coach,  William Shirk, Superintendent of Schools, Lydia Mace, Nate Tornetta, Justin Adams, Hailey Yerger, Isaiah Glover, Patti Grimm, Board Member, Bill Hawthorne, Head Football Coach, Janiya Jones, Stephanie Van Horn, President of Pottsgrove Football Club and  Jaime Reinhart, Head Coach Girls Volleyball.

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

Members of Pottsgrove’s Football, Field Hockey, Girls Volleyball and Cheerleading teams, along with members of the Pottsgrove Booster Club recently presented a check in the amount of $4,200 to the Phoenixville Cancer Center.

This is the eighth consecutive year Pottsgrove has contributed to the Patient Cancer Fund. 

Oncologist Amy Curran, accepts Pottsgrove's check from
Gary DeRenzo, Director of Community Relations
and Co-Curricular Programs and
school board member and cancer survivor Patti Grimm.

The Cancer Fund helps individuals who are being treated for cancer with the many incidental costs that are not covered by insurance. 

Oftentimes, patients cannot afford or are unable to drive to purchase groceries and other household necessities. The Patient Fund assists with those expenses so that patients can concentrate on their treatment.

Pottsgrove Booster Club, athletes and members of the community have contributed in excess of $15,000 for those patients. Each year, the Pottsgrove High School sponsors their annual “Pink Out” football game in support of those who have been affected by cancer. 

This year, Pottsgrove’s own Middle School Assistant Athletic Director and Trainer, Paul Exley and his wife, Lori, an Episcopalian priest, both diagnosed with cancer in the same year, served as Honorary Captains for the game.

Pottsgrove Schools Offering Holiday Music Concerts

Ringing Rocks Elementary Principal Earns Doctorate

Ringing Rocks Principal Lisa Jones.

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

The Pottsgrove School District is pleased to announce that Lisa Jones, Principal at Ringing Rocks Elementary School, recently completed her Doctorate Program at Immaculata University.

On Nov. 7, Dr. Jones successfully defended her Dissertation entitled Teachers’ and Administrators’ Perceptions Regarding the Impact of Fostering and Developing Teacher Leadership.

Dr. Lisa Jones originally started as a teacher at Pottsgrove Middle School. 

After leaving to work as the Assistant Principal at Owen J. Roberts Middle School, she rejoined Pottsgrove in 2013 as the Principal at Ringing Rocks Elementary School.

Congratulations Dr. Jones!

Pottsgrove Offers Pols Input on School Security

Submitted Photo

From left, Pottsgrove Schools Superintendent William Shirk, state Sen. Bob Mensch, Brenna Mayberry, student representative on the Pottsgrove School Board, and Joshua Ross, president of the Pottsgrove High School Student Government.

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

The Pottsgrove School District recently attended a Senate Majority Policy Committee forum on school safety at Quakertown Area School District.

Superintendent William Shirk, Superintendent and Maggie Scott, teacher and student governement advisor, attended the forum , along with Pottsgrove Student Government President Joshua Ross and Brenna Mayberry, student board representative.

The purpose of the Sept. 21 forum was to discuss student safety and exchange information about the challenges districts across the Commonwealth are now experiencing. 

The Senate Majority Policy Committee plans a number of these discussions as they discuss additional school safety legislation.

Senator David Argall, Chairman of the Senate Majority Policy Committee, was joined by Senator Bob Mensch, Senator Mike Regan and State Representative Craig Staats at the forum.

A number of Senate Bills, including Act 39 and Act 44 were discussed as additional legislative measures are still being considered. 

Students from Quakertown Community and Pottsgrove High School were each asked questions by members of the Senate panel. Both Mayberry and Ross articulated an increase in school safety preparations, training and the anxiety associated with school safety.

"In today's society, kids who are not 18 feel like they have no say because they are not at the legal age to vote. Being provided this opportunity to express my view to State Senators about an issue that pertains to many who cannot vote was a great experience," said Ross.

"At the safety conference we discussed mental health and discussed legislation pertaining to hiring social workers and trained security for schools. Students should get more opportunities like this to show the world what we are going through," he said.

"I was honored to attend Senator Mensch’s Public Roundtable on School Safety in Quakertown. The topics discussed included student opinion on school safety, budgets for school safety programs, the role mental health plays in discovering and preventing threats to school safety, along with many other important issues," said Mayberry. 

"It was incredible to see public officials so devoted to making children feel safer in schools. Some solutions suggested at the conference included hiring an SRO (student resource officer) at every school, requiring mental health evaluations at sixth and eleventh grade physicals, and putting more money towards training teachers and SROs in overall school safety precautions. It was a fascinating experience, and I look forward to seeing these leaders pass policies to make schools safer for everyone," she said.

Lawmakers passed school safety legislation, which includes a $60 million grant program to give school districts flexible options to improve school safety, including hiring school security personnel and counselors, purchasing safety equipment like metal detectors, and implementing special programs to reduce violence in schools.

6-2 Vote Puts McIntyre in Pottsgrove Vacancy

Photo by Evan Brandt

Pottsgrove School Board Vice President Robert Lindgren, right, enjoys himself swearing in the board's newest member, Tina McIntyre, center, while her son Mason, holds The Bible for her. 

Usually, a child follows in his or her parent's footsteps, but sometimes it's the other way around.

Last night was witness to one of those rare occasions when, from among of five very qualified candidates, the Pottsgrove School Board voted to appoint Tina McIntyre to fill the vacancy left by last month's resignation of Matt Alexander.

McIntyre, in addition to being a St. Pius X High School graduate and an accountant, is also the mother of Mason MacIntyre, who for two years served on the Pottsgrove board as a student member.

"She's going to have to learn to eat dinner earlier," he acknowledged with a laugh Tuesday after the board vote.

McIntyre's relationship to a former member was more than coincidence. It may have provided the tipping point to her appointment.

Allow me to explain.

In addition to McIntyre, four other candidates applied for the post. They were Rick Rabinowitz; Jody McMahon; Andrew Korman and Mark Jorgensen.

McIntyre, who lives on Mock Road, is an accounting specialist with United Phosphorus Inc. in King of Prussia.

She is a 1990 graduate of the former St. Pius X Catholic High School in Lower Pottsgrove and received a bachelor’s in business administration from Kutztown University.

Rabinowitz, who lives on Lee Drive, was a board member who ran unsuccessfully for reelection in November.

He is an executive recruiter for Nationwide IT and worked for two other recruiting forms previously.

Rabinowitz holds a degree in political science from State University of New York at Oswego and an MBA in technology and e-commerce from West Chester University.

McMahon, who lives in Anthony Wayne Drive, is a language arts teacher at Owen J. Roberts High School and an adjunct professor at Delaware Valley Community College.

No education or prior work experience was listed for McMahon.

Korman, who lives in Gilbertsville Road, is a project manager with Suburban Water Technology.

He holds a bachelor’s in journalism, specializing in broadcast news, from West Virginia University.

Jorgensen, who lives in Yeager Road, is director of quality and food safety at AIRGA USA LLC in Radnor.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and holds an MBA from Lehigh University.

Nearly every board member marveled at the qualifications of those who applied for the board and were interviewed during a public meeting Monday night.

In making a choice Tuesday, Board Vice President Robert Lindgren said he wanted to be as transparent as possible about the process. 

"People who have observed this in the past may well have gotten the impression that the choice had been made before the vote," Lindgren said.

So board members all voiced their preference in a round of quasi-voting. Korman and McMahon were eliminated in the first round.

Rabinowitz was eliminated in the second round.

With the board left to choose between Jorgensen and McIntyre, the benefits of each choice were made clear.

But it was not until board member Jim Lapic talked about being the parent of four children, and the role parents play in how their children turn out, that things seemed to tip in McIntyre's favor.

He observed that in addition to having lived in the community all her life, the board had two years to learn what kind of child she had raised. 

"Mason was an excellent board member and she obviously had something to do with that," said Lapic.

After that, board member Charles Nippert moved for another vote and McIntyre was elected with a 6-2 vote. Board members Bill Parker and Patricia Grimm cast the two no votes.

Afterward Lindgren said the matter of electing a new school board president would be decided at the next meeting. He said the board decided it would be best to choose a board president with a full nine members on board and having a say.

(Sounds like something a future school board president would say ....)

And here are the Tweets you've all been waiting for:


McIntyre Chosen from Among 5 for Pottsgrove School Board Vacancy

Get Involved in Your Child's Education Pottsgrove

One of the surest paths to a child's success in school is the involvement of their parents.

Whether its taking an interest in homework, or volunteering in the building, parent involvement is crucial to a student's success.

So here's how you can get started this year if you are the parent of a Pottsgrove school student.

The Pottsgrove School District Back to School Schedule is as follows:

Lower Pottsgrove Elementary

• Tuesday, 9/5/17 -- 5th Grade 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, 9/6/17 -- 4th Grade 7 p.m.
• Thursday, 9/7/17 -- 3rd Grade 7 p.m.

Ringing Rocks Elementary

• Monday, 9/11/17 -- 6:30 p.m.

West Pottsgrove Elementary

• Thursday, 9/14/17  -- 6:30 p.m.

Pottsgrove Middle School

• Wednesday, 9/13/17 -- 7 p.m.

Pottsgrove High School

• Wednesday, 9/20/17 -- 7 p.m.

The first PTA meetings of the year are as follows: (Everyone is welcome)

• Lower Pottsgrove Elementary, Wednesday, 8/30/17  -- 6:30 p.m. in the LPE Library.
• Pottsgrove Music League, Wednesday, 9/6/17 -- 6:30 p.m. in the high school library.
• West Pottsgrove Elementary, Monday, 9/11/17 -- 6:30 p.m. in the library.
• High School PTSA, Monday, 9/18/17 7:30 p.m.in the high school library.
• Ringing Rocks Elementary, Tuesday, 9/19/17 6 p.m. in the library.
• Middle School, Thursday, 9/21/17 7 p.m.in the library

500-Unit Sanatoga Green Plan Hits a Speed Bump

The proposal to build a hotel, medical office building and about 500 housing units did not win the preliminary site plan approval the developers were so obviously expecting Thursday night.

Rather, after disagreements surfaced about details and whether limits could be placed on residential developments to guarantee commercial developments could be built, both sides retreated to re-group.

There was a lot of talk -- after all lawyers, engineers and politicians were involved -- but the essential issue comes down to this.

The township commissioners have seen too many "mixed use developments" flounder after the residential portion of the project was built, leaving the schools with more students but no commercial tax base to offset the cost.

So the township wants "phasing," with one of the commercial developments being built after the townhomes, for which the developers already have a contract.

From the developers' standpoint, they don't control the market and don't control which type of partner they secure and when. Limiting the project to a schedule phasing undermines the ability to get the financing to undertake all the site work at the same time, a considerable savings.

Suffice it to say that no compromise was reached Wednesday night, although a few were floated. However, the pending signing of a contract for the 60,000 square-foot medical facility may break the log-jam.

A meeting between the township staff and developers, along with two commissioners, has been scheduled with anticipation that the preliminary approval can be accomplished at the July 20 meeting.

The project calls for 60,000 square-foot medical building, a 108-room hotel, 17 multi-family apartment buildings with a total of 343 units & and 147 townhomes, all on about 50 acres off Evergreen Road opposite the Limerick outlets.

That said, you can read the Tweets if you want the long version, including the catty exchange between Township Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. and Frank Bartle, the developers' attorney.

Budget Blues and Quid Pro Quo in Upper Pottsgrove

Photo by Evan Brandt

State Sen. Robert Mensch, R-24th Dist., discusses the Pennsylvania budget at the Upper Pottsgrove Commissioners Meeting Monday night.

Bob Mensch says this year's budget discussions in Harrisburg may involve the hardest choices he has ever seen in more than a decade in state politics.

Speaking by invitation of the Upper Pottsgrove Township Commissioners Monday night, he said "we've swept all the corners for revenues. We're at the point now where the budget is hinging on gaming and state stories," neither of which has much to offer over the long term.

"State stores, if we do what's being proposed, is a one-time boost and that's it," he said.

"Gaming is not a growth industry," Mensch warned. "Only about 4 percent of the population gambles. We can expand and put more terminals out there, but we're not really doing anything to grow the economy."

"We're at the point now where, as a state, we';re going to face some increasingly difficult decisions about what we fund and what we don't fund," Mensch said.

"Our revenues are down, primarily our business revenues, our business taxes are down, which means that while the national economy is picking up steam, we're not picking up the same steam because we haven't done what we need to do here in Pennsylvania to encourage business," Mensch said.

You can see the full content of Mensch's comments in this video here:


And while the commissioners discussed a number of subjects Monday night, most of which involved more than $300, it perhaps the bill of $300 which was the most newsworthy.

It seems that when a car show was organized and staged in the parking lot of Pottsgrove Middle School a few months ago, organizers were under the impression there would be no charge.

But weeks later, they received an invoice from the district for $300 because a custodian was on duty because the outside-access rest rooms had to be made available for the event.

That did not sit well with the organizers, township recreation and open space committee and ultimately, the commissioners themselves.

They noted that Upper Pottsgrove spends thousands of dollars each year to upgrade, improve and maintain the soccer fields at Hollenbach Park at the expense of just township taxpayers -- fields made available not only free of charge to the school district, which has students from all three Pottsgrove townships -- but fields to which the district has priority of use.

To add insult to what Commissioners Chairman Elwood Taylor called "an affront," public works supervisor Frank Quinter confirmed that the district has not fertilized the soccer fields at Hollenbach as it had promised to do.

"The township spends thousands of dollars on field maintenance for free use by district and they want to stiff us for $300 bucks," said Open Space Committee Chairman Dennis Elliott in what was perhaps the most pithy quote on that subject.

As a result, Elliott said the Open Space Committee has recommended the commissioners begin exploring the idea of charging the school district for the use of the Hollenbach Park fields.

"Well we don't charge any of the other organizations that use those fields so this could get interesting," noted Commissioners Chairman Elwood Taylor.

Instead, he suggested, it might be better for the township and school district to sit down and try to reach some accommodation.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here are the Tweets.

Lower Pottsgrove Police Kudos and Sanatoga Green

Photos by Evan Brandt

Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioner Ray Lopez shows one side of the township police commemorative medallion now being presented with police and citizen awards.

Police news was front and center Monday night as the Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners gathered for their first meeting of the month.

Police Chief Michael Foltz recognized Sgt. Scott Weidenhammer and his wife Vicki for all they did to ensure that the police department received its re-accreditation.

Lower Pottsgrove is one of about 110 law enforcement agencies out of 1,100 across the state that have achieved accreditation through the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police — Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

First accredited in 2014, the department must meet the 133 standards every three years to remain in good standing and Weidenhammer was in charge of that effort, as well as his other duties.

Commissioners Stephen Klotz and Earl Swavely, left and right,

applaud as Chief Mike Foltz congratulates Sgt. Scott
Weidenhammer 

and his wife Vicki for their work on
the re-accreditation of the police department.

"There are a number of times when he was in here working on that when it was not his shift," said Foltz. He added that when the committee is here for its inspection, if was Weidenhammer and his wife who acted as hosts, with Vicki providing some home cooking as well as other support.

"We are certainly not the biggest department in the state to be accredited, but the fact that we are, and were re-confirmed shows the professionalism of this department," said Commissioner Earl Swavely, himself a former police chief.

"It's not any easier three years later," said Commissioners Vice Chairman Stephen Klotz.

Weidenhammer was presented with a commendation and his wife with a citizens award and both received the commemorative medallion the township had made up for police-related awards.

Next up was Sgt. William James, who wanted to thank the commissioners for the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy, particularly given that only about 1 percent of those who apply are accepted.

Lower Pottsgrove Police Sgt. William James addresses
the township commissioners about the FBI Academy.

During his 10 weeks at the academy, James completed 30 hours of coursework in fitness in law enforcement and 45 hours each in courses including effective writing, public speaking, employment law issues for law enforcement executives, essentials for law enforcement leaders and law enforcement approaches to counter terrorism.

He said the difficulty of the work is the equivalent or a graduate school-level course.

Foltz also detailed a busy April for the department which included a DUI stop that netted several arrests, including a. weapons charge, to a vandalism spree in Rolling Hills and Walnut Ridge housing complexes on Easter weekend, in which one officer was nearly hit with a thrown battery.

In the another item of frequent discussion in the township building, Pottsgrove Schools Business Manager David Nester was on hand to provide the commissioners with the demographic study the district had delivered recently.

It told a much different tale of how many new students two large housing developments on tap in the township -- Sanatoga Green and Spring Valley Farms -- might generate.

The upshot, "the numbers are conservative but about twice what the developer predicted," Nester said.

Pottsgrove Schools Business Manager Dave Nester, right,

outlines the results of the district's latest demographic study.

He was informed by Chad Camburn, one of the township's engineers from Burshich Assoc., that Spring Valley Farms is contemplating changing its plan from two-story family homes to single story ranches marketed toward homeowners over 50, which would reduce the number of children the district would have to accommodate.

"That's much appreciated," Nester replied.

Camburn also said the number of townhomes in the Sanatoga Green project has bee reduced slightly, but that the developers there are pushing very hard to move the process forward.

He said last month he and the township received 12 submissions from Castle Caldecott LLC. "They're being very cooperative, but they're anxious. Hopefully, after they get preliminary approval, they'll take a breath," he said.

Camburn also said that between Sanatoga Green, a commercial property being proposed for the adjacent property, and the development of commercial property adjacent to the Turkey Hill on East High Street, that PennDOT, Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove are ready to back a regional traffic study for the entire Sanatoga Route 422 interchange area.

Look to future reports in The Mercury for more on these items.

In the meantime, here are the ever-lovin' Tweets!

Shrek: The Musical at Pottsgrove Middle School

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottsgrove Middle School.

"Shrek: The Musical," will be performed at Pottsgrove Middle School starting on March 16.

Shows are Thursday, March 16, Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18.

All shows begin at 7 p.m. and tickets are $8.

For more information, call 610-326-8243.

Pottsgrove Athletes and Boosters Help Fight Cancer

A donation from Pottsgrove athletes and boosters was made to Jefferson Hospital Patience Cancer Center Tuesday.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Al Leach

The Pottsgove Soccer Club, Football Club and Athletic Booster Club presented the Jefferson Hospital Patient Cancer Center with a $2,729 donation Tuesday.

This donation was achieved by the hard work of all three groups and Pottsgrove Soccer and Football players during October's Cancer Awareness Month. 

Pottsgrove soccer players held their annual Cancer Awareness charity game; Pottsgrove football players held Pink-Out night, the Football Club and Booster Clubs worked together in selling spirit wear and collecting donations all October long.

Present for the donation was Dr. Carl Sharer, Clinical Nursery Manager Althea Leacock, and Nurse Judy Depue of Jefferson Hospital.

Present from Pottsgrove were seniors Adam Gifalfaco, Ryan Finn, Will Kaiser, Patrick O'Brian, and Nate Yuchimink. 

Also present were Pottsgrove Soccer Coaches Jay Witkowski, Kevin Grimm, Jeff Erb, Pottsgrove Football Coach Rick Pennypacker, School Board Director Patti Grimm, and Booster Club President/School Board Director Albert Leach and Vice President Danielle Leach.

The money donated by the clubs will go a long way to helping local families dealing with the most destructive disease of cancer. 

The money will help patients and family receive therapy, food, shuttle services, personal care, and so much more.

Two New Sports, PSSA Results in Pottsgrove

Photo by Evan Brandt

Perhaps it was appropriate that Ringing Rocks second graders demonstrated their expertise with Xtra Math during Tuesday's Pottsgrove School Board meeting given that the board spent most of the meeting discussing the districts math PSSA scores.

In a rather splendid example of educational synchronicity, second graders from Ringing Rocks kicked off Tuesday's school board meeting by showing how they are using a program called Xtra Math to create a strong foundation for mathematics.

Then, after the students headed home to their beds, the school board spend the better part of two hours reviewing the district's PSSA, Keystone and AP test statistics.

Some may recall that the PSSA was reset last year, so this is the first year since then that a comparison of the most recent scores with the previous years is relevant.

What the latest results showed, in general terms, is that English scores are "stagnant" and math scores need some work, said Daniel Vorhis, the district's director of curriculum and instruction.

The board also agreed to hire an instructional coach that was included in the budget, and to add two new sports to Pottsgrove's line up.

With a unanimous vote, the board added bowling and girls volleyball to the athletic line-up.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting ....