L. Pottsgrove Sets Aug. 26 Meeting on New Building

Photos by Evan Brandt

The days may be numbered for the current Lower Pottsgrove Township building at Buchert and North Pleasantview Road, shown above. Township Commissioners are moving steadily forward with plans to build a new complex at East High Street and South Pleasantview Road where one home was taken down to make room, shown at right.

Residents and taxpayers are invited to get a peek at the concept drawings for a new Lower Pottsgrove Township building at a special meeting set for Monday, Aug. 26.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the meeting room at the township building at 2199 Buchert Road.

Commissioners approved the meeting unanimously Monday night as Commissioner Ray Lopez informed them that drawings and initial cost estimates are now ready.

The drawings and estimates are being prepared by Alloy 5, a Bethlehem-based architecture and engineering firm that has also done work for Upper Pottsgrove Township.

Lopez, who heads of the commissioners' infrastructure committee, stressed that no decisions have been made and that the planning remains in the conceptual stage.

The current township police facilities is located in the

lower floor of the township building.

Nevertheless, said Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz, it makes sense to get input on the concept from both the other commissioners and the public.

As it is now conceived, the new building would be one story that takes up 16,000 square feet, more than twice the size of the current building, which is 7,500 square feet and was built in 1990.

The police department would be housed in a separate section connected to the administrative section by an enclosed lobby, said Lopez.

The police portion would have more space than the administrative portion, the opposite of the current arrangement, due largely to new requirements for police facilities, the growth of the department and the inclusion of several holding cells.

The move began in earnest in 2017 and early 2018, when the supervisors agreed to enter into a contract to buy three parcels of property at the corner of South Pleasant View Road and East High Street for a combined cost of $377,000.

By this April, the commissioners had assembled four adjacent parcels at  2258, 2270 and 2272 E. High St., as well as 2255 Brown St.

And in April, the home at 2258 E. High St. was demolished at a cost to taxpayers of $69,900.

And come Aug. 26, the public will get its first inkling of what a new building may cost.

Stricter Code Enforcement

Township Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz also warned homeowners that the township has hired a new part-time code enforcement officer who will focus solely on property maintenance issues.

"Property maintenance in the township has really gone downhill," said Foltz. "With junk cars, weeds, and abandoned homes, so be warned, we're going to start getting more strict and really clean things up around here."

• Also, the township has officially asked PennDOT to install "dry standpipes" on bridges where Route 422 crosses Porter Road, Sanatoga Road and Park Road. Eric K. Linsenbigler, the township's assistant emergency management coordinator, explained that the pipes would make it simpler and more efficient for fire companies to get water to emergency incidents on the by-pass. The Sanatoga Fire Company has agreed to maintain the stand-pipes and now it is up to PennDOT to decide whether to install them.
• In other news, James Day and the Fish Fry will perform Aug. 11 at Sanatoga Park bandshell starting at 6 p.m. Says Township Manager Ed Wagner.

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

Meeting on New Township Building Set

Pottsgrove Students Plowing Ahead With Their Art

Submitted Photos

Members of the Pottsgrove Middle School Art Club with their work on a township snow plow.

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

Pottsgrove Middle School students in the Art Club recently participated in the "Paint the Plow" program.

In conjunction with Montgomery County Public Works Department and Lower Pottsgrove Township, the plow will be displayed at the corner of Pleasantview Road and East High Street, across the street from the Sanatoga Fire Company, so residents can see the students work. 

The concept was submitted by a student, Richard Hedgepeth.  His design was selected by the Art Club students. 

Art Club Members are:
Richard Hedgepeth
Nick Brotschul
Ayden Alexander
Samantha Mohollen
Tatiana McVey
Mackenzie Gray
Delaney Rice
Jade Kazmierczak
Karar Al-Medhaty
Casey Kelly
Angela Perry
Chris Schon
Alexis Rodgers
Kim Kalinoski -- Advisor

Rupert Road Bridge to Close for Replacement July 23

Photo by Evan Brandt

The Rupert Road bridge in Lower Pottsgrove, built in 1921, is seriously deteriorating and will be removed and replaced starting on July 23.

The Rupert Road bridge along the eastern border of Lower Pottsgrove Township, will be closed for 120 days starting July 23, according to a pending announcement from township officials.

Built in 1921, the crumbling concrete structure has been on the township's list for replacement for years and will finally be removed.

The township had hoped to get started on the project as soon as school let out "but there were some delays due to the county having trouble getting easement rights on some of the property," said Chad Camburn, township engineer.

"As a result, some of the detour is going to bleed into the school year," he said, a situation officials had hoped to avoid.

Camburn said hopefully the bridge will be finished by October, "but we told the school district not until Thanksgiving just in case we have any problems," he said.

For cars, the detour will have drivers using Pleasantview Road to Pruss Hill Road to get around the bridge.

But trucks and "anything over five tons will have to use Fruitville Road over in Limerick because of all the weight-restricted bridges we have around there," Camburn said.

The final cost will be between $800,000 and $900,000 said Township Engineer Ed Wagner, and the township's share of that cost will be $325,000.

Camburn said some of the township's share was donated by the developer of the Raven's Claw housing project, most of which is in Limerick, but a small portion of which is in Lower Pottsgrove.

Site of the planned Spring Valley Farms clubhouse.

In other news from the commissioners meeting last night, Camburn said after a long absence, the developers from the Sanatoga Green project were back before the planning commission on June 7 and are moving forward with plans, starting with the completion of the sewer plans, called a module, which must be publicly available for review for at least 30 days.

The other major housing project in town, Spring Valley Farms off Bliem Road, will seek a special exception for the construction of a club house for residents of the Spring Valley Farms project, targeted at residents over age 50.

That project is expected to be built in at least three phases.

Commissioners also about the expiration of the "circuit rider" program, which most of us know as the regional recreation coordinator, a post now held by Michael Lane. The program officially expires in August of 2019 and in anticipation of that, township officials throughout the eight-municipality planning area can expect to begin seeing presentations about re-authorizing.

Due to the $162,000 no longer being provided by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the price is expected to rise from about $5,000 a year now to around $8,000 per year for the next term, which ends in 2024.

The Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation is putting up 50 percent of the money to keep the program going, and the Schuylkill River Greenway has agreed to continue providing office space, and personnel resources for Lane.

So far, the program has obtained $1.6 million of the $1.9 million in grants it has sought for the six towns that participate, and for Lower Pottsgrove that includes a $362,000 grant for improvements to Gerald Richards Park, said Lane.

That sounds like a pretty good return on investment to me.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting

Rupert Road Bridge's Time Has Come

Sludge Dryer Project Already $1.3M Over-Budget

Pottstown Borough Authority officials insist this new Gryphon Environmental dryer system will be most cost efficient and be easier and cheaper to repair and maintain that the maintenance-plagued dryer now in operation at the Pottstown Wastewater Treatment Plant.

There isn't even a shovel in the ground.

In fact, the unit hasn't even been built yet.

But the project to replace the 10-year-old maintenance-plagued sewer sludge dryer at the Pottstown Wastewater Treatment Plant is already over budget -- by $1.3 million.

What was supposed to cost $3.7 million will now cost at least $5 million.

According to Authority Manager Justin Keller and Authority Engineer Tom Weld, the primary reason is the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Not only did it take the DEP seven whole months to approve the air emissions permit, but because "the technology is new and DEP doesn't know how to regulate it, so they were very conservative," said Keller.

The Gryphon system is in place working in Kentucky, where it processes chicken waste at a Tyson plant said Weld, adding "but this is the first time it is being used to process municipal waste."

As a result, a number of upgrades were required by DEP that not only accounted for more expensive equipment -- like a "bio-filter" instead of an "air scrubber" -- but also required a bigger footprint to accommodate the new equipment.

The new equipment and larger footprint also made some of the contractors conservative with their bidding as well, so the bids came in higher, said Weld.

Lower Pottsgrove Township Manager Ed Wagner and West Pottsgrove Township Manager Craig Lloyd were both at the meeting concerned about the price jump.

Wagner said Lower Pottsgrove ratepayers face an increase of $357,000, a 27 percent increase in the amount the township budgeted for its share of dryer costs. The township's share jumped from $959,746 to $1,317,153, he said.

"My ratepayers can't afford that," he said, asking the authority to delay accepting the bids top give Lower Pottsgrove time to absorb the additional costs into its budget.

But the authority board voted unanimously to accept the bids, in large part because the current dryer is no longer worth fixing and the longer they wait, the more into the winter they get hauling untreated sludge to the landfill.

"Once we get into February, you're looking at another $350,000," warned Utilities Manager Brent Wagner.

Keller said there are several ways the cost could be brought down. One is a "fine screen" project at the sewer plant which was slated to cost $1 million has been "re-engineered" to reduce the cost to $500,000. Another $500,000 grant for which the authority has applied would, if awarded, free up $1 million to cover much of the cost over-run.

He said the media coverage over the "flushable wipes" issue had been included in the grant materials and may help its chances.

Additionally, the project is expected to take more than a year, even though the authority hopes to have the dryer online and running again by December or January.

Keller said much of the additional cost "an be pushed off to 2019, which would give the townships time to adjust their budgets for 2019."

Lloyd said as much of those additional costs that can be pushed into next year, the better for his township's budget.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Pottsgrove Wants New Look at Enrollment Numbers

Photo by Evan Brandt

Nancy Miller, a district nurse since 1984, who has

worked in every Pottsgrove building, is recognized

on her retirement.

Among the decisions the Pottsgrove School Board made last night was to spend a little extra money to ensure objectivity.

The vote was on hiring a firm to conduct a 10-year enrollment study.

The matter has taken on a new urgency with the proposal to add more than 500 residential units in Lower Pottsgrove in the Sanatoga Green Development.

Also pending, and closer to approval but getting far fewer headlines, is the 178-unit Spring Valley Farms project.

School officials recently met with township commissioners and told them nearly all the school buildings are at capacity and too many students would cause costs -- and taxes -- to rise.

Projections by the developers indicate only 58 children would be added to the school district from the 503 dwelling units, comprised of 171 studio and one-bedroom apartments; 172 two-bedroom apartments and 160 three-bedroom townhomes.

School officials have their doubts about those projects and the fact that they were recently confirmed by the Montgomery County Planning Commission has caused the school board to look to another vendor to conduct its enrollment projection study.

The planning commission was the low-bidder at $7,350, but several school board members expressed concern about the county's involvement with the project.

Both School Board President Rick Rabinowitz and board members Jim Lapic and Al Leach said they had a concern about the county's objectivity.

"The county have a vested interest in the project," Rabinowitz said. "They get more tax revenue but don't have to shoulder any of the costs."

Instead, the board voted unanimously to spend more money, and hire a firm called Futurethink for $9,500.

Business Manager David Nester, who told the board he too had shared their concerns but was re-assured by the county that the planning commission could be objective, said Futurethink has done work for the district before.

"They do fine work," he said, adding that the firm should be able to put together some projects only six weeks after getting the figures, whereas the county would not have results until spring.

The board also recognized a long-time school nurse, the Falcons PIAA District 1 football champions as well as the high school boys soccer team for making it to the district final, losing by one point.

The board also pledged not to raise taxes above 3.3 percent, giving it more time to put together the 2017-2018 budget.

And finally, the board also voted to move $1.5 million of a $2.3 million surplus from the 2015-2016 fiscal year into the capital reserve fund to pay for future work on district buildings and facilities.

Now, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Mango Men Tonight at Sanatoga Bandshell

The Barbone Street Band played at the Sanatoga bandshell on July 19.

The Lower Pottsgrove Township Summer Concert Series will present "Mango Men" tonight at the bandshell in Sanatoga Park at 6 p.m.

The show is part of the township parks and recreation department's summer concert series which continues through Aug. 9.

The next show is "Kropp & Friends" on Wednesday, July 29 at 7 p.m.

"Where's Pete" will perform on Sunday, Aug. 2 at 6 p.m.

And on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 6 p.m., the Pottsgrove Community Band will close out the series.

If the weather looks nasty, check out Lower Pottsgrove's Facebook page or web site to check on the status of the concerts.

Borough Authority Charging (Only) Phillies Fire Co. for Water Use at Firehouse

So alcohol has once again become a public policy issue, this time, as it relates to water bills.

It seems that back in June, and again in July, Pottstown Borough Authority Manager Mark Flanders sent in an e-mail to the borough authority members recommending a policy change.

For decades, the Pottstown Borough Authority has not charged fire companies for their use of water at the firehouses.

But in July, enough authority members indicated via e-mail that they agreed with Flanders, that the water ratepayers should not be giving free water to an organization that sells alcohol, which the Phillies and the West End Fire Company in Stowe do in the social rooms at their firehouses.

So Flanders gave the Phillies and West End a choice, divide their water service and pay for the bar room water use, but not the fire house use, or pay for all their water use.

Flanders told the authority board members Tuesday night that North End and Goodwill responded to a letter he sent out, saying they did not have bar room operations and thus, would continue to receive free water.

He said the Philadelphia Steam Fire Company, better known as the Phillies, did not respond.

But the board heard from them Monday night, when Phillies Fire Company President Charles Pierce asked that the bill of $482 for the first quarter of the year be forgiven.

The board was undecided and, well, read the Tweets and be enlightened.....

A Day for the Dollar in Lower Pottsgrove

Photo by Evan Brandt

An artist's representation of what the Family Dollar store being propose for the vacant lot on the south side of High Street of Pleasantview Road would look like.

Another day another municipal meeting.

Thursday night it was the Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners who discussed topics ranging
from a proposal to put a Family Dollar store at the site of the former Rite Aid; to a new space-age coordinated system for controlling traffic lights throughout the greater Pottstown area; to discussing the Pottstown Regional Plibrary budget and appointing a new member of the township planning commission.

As always, I will remind readers to click the blue "read more" bar to make sure you see the Tweets.

Public Meetings Squared

Speaking in Code

Photo by Evan Brandt

Keith Place will head up Licensing and Inspections

Lower Pottsgrove's loss is Pottstown's gain.

The borough has announced what some already knew, that Keith Place, formerly head of code enforcement in Lower Pottsgrove Township, has been hired as the director of the borough's newly organized Licensing and Inspections department.

Within this role, Place will lead the department operations, including building code application, enforcement, zoning, planning, and management, according to a release issued by the borough.

Place has stated his goals for the department are to “provide leadership and vision to enhance the quality of life for all citizens of the Borough with the support and determination of the licensing and inspections staff and borough management,” according to the release.

“I see the opportunity for enhancement in the department’s operational efficiency to help provide livability and economic opportunities within the Borough. I look forward to working with Council, management, licensing and inspections staff and the community as a whole," Place said in the release.

"Through the department, I would like to provide a true sense of community awareness and service through the professional staff while administrating ordinances adopted by the Borough for the safety and well-being of the community,” he said.

Place comes to the borough with 21 years of experience as Director of Codes Administration and as Building Inspector at Lower Pottsgrove Township

In addition to serving in this capacity, Place is a UCC Certified Building Code Official and held the position of Zoning Officer, overseeing many development projects within the township.

Place’s position comes at a point of growth for the Borough of Pottstown. According to Borough Manager Mark Flanders, “Keith’s years of municipal experience, management skills, and knowledge of codes and the building industry, make him an ideal leader to oversee the Department of Licensing and Inspections and move economic development forward.”

For more information regarding the Borough’s Department of Licensing and Inspections, visit the borough's website at www.pottstown.org.