Recognitions, Incentives and a Surprise Resignation

Photos by Evan Brandt

TOP COP: Pottstown's Police of the Year, Det. Michael Glauner, second from right, is congratulated Wednesday night by Dept. Chaplain Everett Debnam, left, Chief F. Richard Drumheller, center, and Deputy Chief Mick Markovich, right.

Last night's borough council work session was not lacking in issues proposals, congratulations and at least one very big surprise.

Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting.

If by chance you are one of the unfortunate few not to follow my live, typo-ridden Tweets on Twitter, then you may wonder what I'm talking about. Here it is straight.

Councilman Dennis Arms Resigned

At the end of the meeting, when council members offer comments, Arms uncharacteristically asked to go last.

First the good stuff, he said. Arms recent married and took great pride in having the entire affair taken care of by businesses inside the borough. He thanked them, and said they had all done a superb job.

Then, and this is always a bad sign, he started reading from a prepared statement and I fumbled to get my live video up and running, only catching the last part's of his comments.

Here's what I got in video:




Thankfully, Arms was considerate enough to have copies of his comments prepared ahead of time to hand out to the press. Here is everything he said:

I have lived in Pottstown my entire life and imagined living, working and retiring in this borough. I started my term in 2016 under the impression I might be able to make a difference in my hometown. Unfortunately the last two years have been more than

Dennis Arms, right, on the night he was sworn-in.

frustrating. On numerous occasions I have had someone on council ask what we are voting on the night of the vote, blatantly admit they do not understand the financial reports provided, and as a council, vote on items without seeking the information necessary to make a decision.

I want to thank the residents of Pottstown, especially those in Ward 4, for trusting me to make the right decisions. I hope that our local media and most important, residents, hold their local government accountable for their actions. Please accept this letter as my resignation as Councilor, Ward 4 for the borough of Pottstown, as well as all other committees/commissions I have been appointed to effective this evening as I will be moving out of the borough.

Best of luck Mr. Arms.

Because council did not vote to accept his resignation, which may happen on Monday, the clock has not yet started on choosing his replacement.

Although Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. did not weigh in last night, I suspect he will tell council the law gives them 30 days to make a replacement once they do accept the resignation.

The statue and proclamation prepared for

Det. Michael Glauner, Officer of the Year.

They may follow whatever process they wish to choose a replacement -- solicit applicants, conduct public interviews as they have in the past, or just pick someone out of thin air. The only requirement is that the person chosen lives in the Fourth Ward.

Should they fail to make a selection, a petition can be filed with a judge and the judge can make the appointment, but it is unlikely it will come to that.

Police Officer and Employee of the Year

The meeting started out on a higher note with the awarding of certificates, pins, resolutions, statues and plaques to two exemplary borough employees.

The first and more familiar was the presentation of the Police Officer of the Year to Det. Michael Glauner.

Here is the video of the presentation by Mayor Stephanie Henrick:




Afterward, he received a plaque with the proclamation, a statue, a pin and the warm congratulations of co-workers, family and members of borough council.

This was preceded by the Exceptional Employee of the Year award, which was presented to Laura E. Kline, who works at the wastewater treatment plant and was only hired in 2016.

Interim Borough Manager Justin Keller, left, 

congratulates Laura Kline, the Employee of the Year 

Interim Borough Manager Justin Keller said Kline is a very dependable and valuable employee of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"She will take overtime if no one else signs up for it just to be sure the plant operations are covered and to avoid others being mandated. Her knowledge of plant operations has been an asset in her troubleshooting ability. Laura is a valued and integral part of our Plant staff. She is respectful to her co-workers and can be found covering odd shifts as needed," he said in a release from the borough.

"Laura takes additional classes to uphold her wastewater license. She is responsible and accountable for her actions to ensure the wastewater is being treated efficiently and within the discharge limits. Laura is a great team player and all around employee. She goes above and beyond her job description and will go out of her way to help others. She is a great operator and takes initiative to learn new things to help her excel at her job,” he said.

Firefighter Incentives and New Fire Codes

Not to be left out, Fire Chief Michael Lessar Jr. was also in a position to make some news Wednesday night.

He first laid out a set of new requirements he would like council to adopt, including sprinkler systems and fire alarms for smaller new construction and for older buildings that experience a change of use.

Peggy Lee-Clark, executive director of the Pottstown Area Industrial Development Inc., the

Fire Chief Michael Lessar talks about his volunteer incentive plan.

borough's primary economic development organization, said she has concerns that some of those requirements may impede redevelopment of older downtown buildings because of the additional cost.

"Those buildings need a lot of love," she said, meaning it is very expensive to renovate the interiors up to code, and the additional cost of a sprinkler and fire alarm system may scare investors away from downtown Pottstown.

Lessar also asked council to implement an incentive system for the volunteer fighters. He laid out a point system, indicating that the borough has more volunteers than most, but he wants to incentive those who answer more calls, do more fundraising and get more training and certifications.

The maximum cost to the borough if all firefighters took full advantage of the program would be $45,000, but he said it is more likely to be $10,000 to $15,000.

Lessar said grants will be sought to cover the cost but, failing that, it would have to come out of the fire fund, which, he acknowledged, is pretty low on surplus funds.

There were some other interesting items, but you'll have to read the Tweets to find them.


Recognition, Incentives and Resignation

Parking is Always a Burning Question in Pottstown

Photo by Evan Brandt

A proposal to lease 20 of the 78 parking spots in the Park and Shop lot at High and South Charlotte streets generated the majority of the discussion at council Monday night.

This being a Monday, there was a course a borough council meeting.

And there being a borough council meeting, they were of course talking about parking.

For a town that was designed before there were cars, we sure seem surprised to discover that accommodating cars can be a daunting enterprise.

Nevertheless, we are.

You can read all about the parking issues in today's Mercury and in the Tweets below, so I will give you another little piece of news instead that may help you enjoy your summer that much more.

New Fire Marshal Donald W. Stiteler

Some of you, no doubt, like to have a fire pit or "chimney" flaming in your back yard as the hot day gives way to cool evening, both to create atmosphere and to keep the bugs away.

But until last night, it also could create headaches because, under the borough ordinance, they were illegal unless you were cooking on them.

Enter new Fire Chief Michael Lessar Jr. and really, really new Fire Marshal Donald W. Stiteler.

Lessar, who was appointed last month, and Stiteler, who was appointed last night, both think this is a little silly.

The International Fire Code covers this sort of activity just fine, without the vague and contradictory language of Ordinance No. 2084, Lessar told council.

In his formal written proposal, Lessar indicated "staff review of open burning regulations in light of numerous residents' complaints finds that repeal of Ordinance 2084 would remove restrictive and confusing borough regulations that are already covered by the International Fire code."

And no, this does not mean you can burn leaves and trash in your backyard in the borough.

However, it does mean you can go out and buy any commercial outdoor fireplace and use it in your backyard so long as it is 15 feet away from any structure of combustible surface.

And no, you won't need a permit.

But don't run out and buy one just yet. The vote means the rescinding of the ordinance will be advertised. Another vote is needed.

Here are the Tweets!

A Routine Borough Council Meeting

Wednesday's work session of Pottstown Borough Council was a quick one, less than an hour.

There were few big ticket items, but a few smaller one.

Police Chief Rick Drumheller reported that the locations for street cameras have been identified and that project is moving forward thanks to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

Plans to close High Street for the Halloween Parade on Oct. 25 are moving forward, as are approvals for the Walk-Bike Pottstown project, which will change a few street orientations to make room for bike lanes.

Council also appears prepared to vote on changes to the fire ordinance, which will give more control to the fire chief position and now, thanks to input from council, will require the chief live within five miles of the borough within a year after getting the job.

The borough will likely hire the Maillie firm to conduct the next two year's audits of the borough's books due to their price coming in lower than was charged this year.

And, there are also a number of vacancies on borough boards, some of which may be filled Monday night.

They are: two vacant seats on the code board of appeals; one on the Environmental Advisory Council; one on the Historic Architecture Review Board; several on the Human Relations Commission and one on the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority.

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

July 4th Parade Postulations in Pottstown

Just when you thought the Fourth of July Parade was canceled for the year, some people are trying a last-ditch effort to stage it.

Borough Council Vice President Sheryl Miller said she was called by Jon Corson and told he wanted to try to raise the money for the parade.

The bottom line is, no matter how wonderful their intentions, even if they could raise the $14,000 to $15,000 required, too many deadlines have passed to make it happen.

Maybe I'm wrong, but the evidence seems pretty incontrovertible. Better perhaps, to put that effort and moxy into making sure there are both a parade AND fireworks next year.

But that's just me. Godspeed.

In other news, Councilman Dennis Arms successfully tabled the scheduled vote on privitazing Pottstown's crossing guards to give them more time to provide input.

Also, council approved the final plans for Hanover Square, the former Mrs. Smith's  Pies site at Hanover and Industrial Highway.

Council also approved applying for a state grant to make improvements to Memorial Park, including replacing the play equipment near the splash park.

Also, solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. was authorized to begin work on drafting amendments to the borough's fire ordinance which will give the paid police chief 24/7 control over all four volunteer fire companies and no longer require that the chief be a borough firefighter.

The hike in PART bus fares was approved and the audit of the borough's finances delivered with no major issues reported.

But I know you just want to zip down and see the video about the July 4th parade, so don't let me hold you up.

Enjoy.

July 4th Events Canceled and Other Business

What much of the Pottstown area feared came to pass Wednesday night; official word that there will be no parade, no fireworks and no Independence Day festivities in Pottstown this year.

Marcia Levengood, co-chair of Independence Day Ltd., the non-profit organization which has struggled to field events for the last three years, said almost no contributions were received as a result of fundraising efforts.

Borough Council President Dan Weand reiterated that the borough never has, and has no intention to start now, of funding the event with taxpayer dollars.

And council member Dennis Arms wondered why council is complacent enough to allow Borough Manager Mark Flanders to spend $2,500 to hire a consultant to find a replacement for the departing Assistant Borough Manager Eric Batdorf, when the borough "has an HR department charged with hiring and recruiting," but won't spend money on a July 4th parade.

And so it went. You can read and watch more about that in the Tweets below.

On to the "other business."

First of all, Vice President Sheryl Miller sketched out a way that the Pottstown Human Relations Commission could be put back up and running. Significant among the changes sought are appointment of commissioners by borough council and not the mayor, as happens now.

The PART bus system, whose $2.3 million budget will likely be approved at Monday's meeting, will have a fare increase starting July 1 after a public hearing at which no one spoke.

The LERTA tax break, or as the Digital Notebook staff calls it -- "The Never-Ending Story" -- may finally be adopted at the joint council school board meeting on June 21

And what we all hope will be the final version of plans for the land on the former Mrs. Smith's Pies site at south Hanover and Industrial Drive -- now called Hanover Square -- will be voted on Monday.

That should be enough to keep me on my toes for a couple days.

Here are the Tweets 'N More: