Grants, Country Stars, Parking and a Withdrawal

Photo by Evan Brandt

Members of Pottstown Borough Council and staff celebrate the receipt of a $10,000 grant from PECO's Green Region program during last night's work session.

It was a busy night at borough council last night, with the announcement in $40,000 in grants being received, all for work in the borough's two largest parks, and a musical event planned for Memorial Park that will feature country star Hunter Hayes.

All of which is good news for Pottstown.

But the big surprise of the evening came at the end.

Council Vice President Sheryl Miller announced she will not seek reelection to another four-year term. She represents the Third Ward and was running unopposed.

She said the effort of being on borough council -- and the many ancillary activities she has taken on as a result of that role -- have proven too exhausting.

"I don't think I have another term in me," she said, adding that she had already alerted the elections board in Norristown of her withdrawal.

That means there is currently no candidate running for the Third Ward seat on council.

Must be time for all the loudmouths on Facebook who say they will "remember this at election time" to step up and show everyone how they can do it better.

I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

Also of interest was a presentation by the stalwart folks at Rockwell Development Group who are trying to overcome the obstacles the borough building code puts in their way and redevelop the derelict shirt factory at the corner of Cherry and South Charlotte streets.

And by obstacles I mean the only thing that is always an issue in Pottstown -- parking.

Evidently the Zoning Hearing Board rejected the developer's request for a variance from the parking requirements, but they're still plugging, although they did confess this was their "last swing."

So the solution being proposed is to make Charlotte Street between Cherry Street and Industrial Highway one-way headed south. That would allow 18-parking spaces on each side of the road, and get them closer to the 54 spaces they need -- lowered since they eliminated one apartment from their project.

They're asking for support from council and we'll all find out Monday whether they get it.

In the meantime, here are the Tweets from last night's meeting.

Proposed 5% Pottstown Tax Hike Down to 3.5%

Grainy photos by Evan Brandt

This chart, part of Finance Director Janice Lee's 2017 budget presentation to Pottstown Borough Council, shows assessment challenges have put the borough's total assessed property value below where it was in 1999.

It  was a full agenda Wednesday night, a fact that saddened an aging reporter still recovering from a marathon election night shift, but council came through it all in two hours so I can stay awake to bring you this report tonight.

The most newsworthy element of the agenda was Number 11, a presentation on a proposed 2017 budget.

Last month, Borough Manager Mark Flanders warned that taxpayers could be facing a jump of as much as 4.87 percent in the borough's property tax.

Citing a $380,627 deficit, Flanders pointed to a projected 20 percent hike in health care costs, rising expenses and a constant drum beat of property assessment challenges.

While costs are still rising, Finance Director Janice Lee reported that by changing carriers and altering the parameters of the plan, the expected increase in health care costs is now down to 7 percent.

893 successful assessment reductions since 2012 have
cost the borough 

$224,146 in revenue losses.

However, assessment challenges remain, well, a challenge.

According to Lee, there have been 893 successful property assessment challenges since 2012, 209 in the last year alone, that have cut revenues by $224,146.

Without those reductions, the deficit in the proposed budget would drop from $269,225 to $45,079.

Although Flanders said last month the draft 2017 budget expenses were $1 million less than the current year, Lee told council Wednesday that the draft calls for spending only $401,775 less than the 2016 budget.

Lee also warned council against looking again to the reserves to balance its general fund budget (all the other funds are balanced.)

She said from 2014 to 2016, council took $459,182 out of reserves. Combine that with $850,000 over-run in 2015 and the practice has cut $1.3 million from the money available for 2017.

Granted, those withdrawals from reserves did provide for three years with no tax hike in the last four years, but the practice now has the potential to drop the reserves to a level below that recommended by municipal accountants, said Lee.

Lee warned against further use of reserve funds to avoid tax hikes.

The proposed budget already calls for not filling a window position in the Inspections and Licensing Department, and provides for only two new police cars instead of the four requested by the department.

Lee said those are the only two departments that exist entirely within the general fund, in response to a remark by Councilman Dennis Arms that the public needs to understand cutting a position or expense at the sewer plant or on the road crew does not help close the deficit in the general fund.

That leaves council in the position of voting Monday to advertise a draft budget that would raise taxes by 3.49 percent.

Under this plan, the millage rate would increase from the current 10.311 mills to 10.66 mills. For a home assessed at $85,000, that means an annual increase of $29.68 on the 2017 property tax bill. But it's not a done deal yet.

Arms, who said "I can't vote for any budget that includes a tax increase," urged council not to vote Monday to advertise the budget, a move made necessary by legal requirements of public notice  but only if council plans no further meetings in November.

Arms and Council Vice President Sheryl Miller both argued that council should schedule some budget sessions to try to get the tax increase down.

Council President Dan Weand said voting to advertise the draft budget does not preclude having additional work sessions, but Arms said "once it goes into the newspaper, I will start getting calls."

Weand pointed at this reporter and said "it's already out there on Twitter."

The second class of the Citizens Leadership Academy with their certificates.

In  other news, the second class of the Citizens Leadership Academy had their brief graduation at Wednesday's council meeting. Significantly, the class included Borough Councilwoman Carol Kulp.

Council also received a presentation from Hill School Treasurer Don Silverson about the school's proposed new $21 million science building, called the Quadrivium.

It is to be built behind and attached by an atrium to the existing library on campus and replace an outdated science facility built in the 1930s.

Council will vote Monday on whether to apply for a PECO grant to help pay for a new pavilion in Riverfront Park, this one near the parking area at the head of the Schuylkill River Trail off Keystone Boulevard.

Council also heard about the new Pottstown Works program from Wendy Egolf at the Salvasion Army and seemed quite interested.

But you can read all about that in the Tweers below.

The Career Doesn't Fall Far from the STEM

Representatives from PECO present Montgomery County Community College with a $15,000 grant for student scholarships to Johns Hopkins University’s Engineering Innovations Summer Program. From left: Dr. David Brookstein, dean, STEM, MCCC; Dr. Karen Borgsmiller, director of Engineering Innovation, Center for Educational Outreach, JHU; Frank Wellman, senior account manager, PECO; Dr. Karen A. Stout, president, MCCC; Craig L. Adams, Exelon, president and CEO, PECO; Frank J. Jiruska, director, Energy and Marketing Services, PECO; Suzanne Ryan, regional external affairs manager, PECO; and Dr. Vidya Nandikolla, Engineering Innovation instructor, JHU.

Blogger's Note: The following from Alana Mauger, our friend over at Montgomery County Community College

Montgomery County Community College and the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering (JHU-WSE) have entered into an agreement to bring the JHU-WSE Engineering Innovation (EI) Summer Program to MCCC. EI is an intensive summer course designed to introduce high school students to the field of engineering.

Developed by JHU faculty, the program is designed to help high school students develop the skills to think and problem solve like engineers through lab activities in computer engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, material science, civil engineering, robotics and mechanical engineering. 

Students who successfully complete the program with a grade of A or B will receive three transferable college credits from JHU.

“Engineering Innovation builds on the College’s commitment to re-energize our STEM programs by building entrepreneurial pathways that introduce students to careers in STEM and help them navigate their way to a baccalaureate degree,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president, MCCC.

MCCC received a $15,000 grant from PECO that will provide scholarships to offset the cost of tuition, which is $2,200, for eligible students.

“We are proud to partner with MCCC to help increase interest in the engineering field and are pleased that our support helps underserved youth participate in this program,” said Craig L. Adams, president and CEO, PECO. 

 “MCCC consistently adapts their programs to help fit the needs of the changing community. We are thrilled that they are working with JHU to develop our future workforce in such a critical field,” Adams said.

“We deeply appreciate PECO’s continued support of the College’s programs that support the educational attainment of youth and young adults in Montgomery County,” Stout said. “The impact of STEM programs, like Engineering Innovation, will make a significant difference in our community workforce for years to come.”

Engineering Innovation at MCCC’s Central Campus in Blue Bell will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday from July 1-26. 

The program will culminate on July 26 with activity that tests the strength of bridges students will build as part of their final project. Space is limited to 24 students.

To participate in the program, students should have completed algebra II, have knowledge of trigonometry, and taken one of the lab science courses (chemistry, physics, and/or biology). 

Students wishing to apply need to complete an online application and 250-word essay, and must submit most recent standardized test scores, a letter of recommendation and official high school transcripts. 

Full details are available online at http://engineering-innovation.jhu.edu.

Livin' the Green Life

Shelby Clayton gets her hands, or at least her gloves dirty.

The native rain garden installed in the Barth courtyard

Blogger's Note: Witnesseth it here first dear reader. Behold yet another submission from the unsleeping hand of John Armato, press agent extraordinaire! (Also, a darn good story)

Barth Elementary School experienced a “green” year in 2012.

With the financial help of grants from the Department of Education and PECO, partnerships with many community organizations, and a great deal of enthusiasm, energy, and effort from students, staff, and parents Barth students were able to gain a great deal of knowledge about energy and ecology.

The year began with students using hip waders which were purchased through grant money to have hands-on exploration of local streams.

Partnering with the Montgomery County Parks and Heritage Service, students traveled to the Central Perkiomen Valley Park and received education on point and non-point sources of pollution and watersheds.

Native plants were used in the
Barth courtyard.

Next stop for the students was a field trip to Memorial Park where students were able to apply what they learned from the previous field trip and classroom experiences to improve the stream while taking part in an Earth Day cleanup.

From left, Nayeli Cruz, Dezmyre Aiken,
Paige Jones, and Emily Weber.

The Barth courtyard was the scene of the next project which involved a total redesign with emphasis on an eco-friendly environment.

Partnering with Pond Works, a local aquatic design and maintenance company, students were able to develop and install a natural bog filtration system for the courtyard pond.

A solar powered fountain and solar lighting were also installed in the courtyard.

DeShawn Rivers enjoys his time in the garden.

Lorry Filson, from the American Native Nursery, worked with students to design and plant a native rain garden.

The native rain garden consists of plants native to the state of Pennsylvania and has as one of its main purposes to reduce erosion and runoff while at the same time providing a unique educational experience for students.