Category: Education

First Suburbs meeting: Help make Pottstown’s voice be heard

The Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project is holding a public meeting Thursday, April 14 at 7:30 pm with Housing and Urban Development Region III Administrator Jane Vincent to call for fairness in regional housing policy.

The Statement of Purpose on their website declares:

“The Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project is a regional coalition of community leaders from developed suburbs that have joined together to harness their communities’ power by directly engaging citizens to affect policies and practices that will lead to the stabilization and revitalization of their communities.”

The First Suburbs Project has galvanized communities in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. Pottstown is a member of this coalition and will be taking a bus to the meeting, which will be held at the JP Mascaro and Sons Building in Audobon. To get on the bus, which will leave Borough Hall at 6:30 pm, call the Borough at 610-970-6511.

To read some prior blog posts about the challenges facing Pottstown and other First Suburbs, check out the following links:

Community Gardens & First Suburbs – the start of a (long) conversation

First Suburbs: Affordable Housing Notes from NJ

First Suburbs – Challenges of Rental Housing

First Suburbs, Keim Street Bridge & Keystone Blvd. Extension

Pottstown Elementary Schools Compete in Reading Olympics

The parking lot at Souderton Area High School was overflowing with cars last night, but it wasn’t for a baseball game or even for the school play.  Instead, over 500 area students and their families were gathered for Reading Olympics, with about a fifth of them coming from Pottstown.  The yearly event, sponsored in our area by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, brings students together to test their knowledge of an extensive book list. 

“We are thrilled to have one of the most successful and growing programs in the county that supports reading. In 12 years, we have more than quadrupled the number of participating students,” said Maria Johns, who organizes the event for the MCIU’s Division of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development.

Reading Olympics

For my own daughter, who is in fourth grade this year, the reading frenzy started in the fall, when she and about 20 of her classmates decided to give up valuable recess time and tackle a reading list of more than 40 books.  The list includes Newbery Award-winning books like Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins and kid favorites like Bunnicula and Judy Moody.  The event not only encourages kids to read, but gets them to read beyond what they would normally choose for themselves.  The favorites from this year’s list for my daughter were Rules, Flush, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and When You Reach Me.  The intermediate unit, along with reading specialists, librarians and grade level teachers select the book list each year, read the books themselves and then devise the questions. 

Flush by Carl Hiaasen

Although the event is a celebration of reading rather than a contest, with teams accumulating points to earn ribbons, the kids take it very seriously.  Some questions last night, like the one about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, were met with knowing smiles, while others left teams scratching their heads for the answer. 

Eleven teams with a total of over 100 kids competed from the five elementary schools in Pottstown: Barth, Lincoln, Edgewood, Franklin and Rupert. The hard work of teachers and students alike went into making the whole event a success. 

For more information about the event, you can visit the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit.  And, if you have a budding reader in your home, at any grade level through high school, you will want to check that website for the 2012 list which should be out in May.

Last call: Tix for The Gallery School’s Fashion Plates 5 fundraiser

Join The Gallery School for their 5th annual fundraiser Fashion Plates 5: Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s happening this Sunday, April 10 from 1-4pm at Brookside Country Club at Prospect and Adams Streets in Pottstown.

Please note: tickets are not available at the door. All tickets must be purchased by Friday, April 8 – that’s today! To get your tickets online, click here.

This year’s theme is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and the fashion show will feature pieces for him and her, courtesy of Boscov’s, and modeled by members of our community. Magical Sight and Sound will bring their musical expertise to the afternoon, and guests will be treated to a fabulous dance demonstration. Remi Rosales, co-director of the Salsa Dancing and Zumba program at the Ballroom on High and his student, Karen McArthur, will dance Remi’s salsa choreography to Ban Ban.

Your ticket includes lunch, dessert and an special endless cocktail “Tiffany Punch.” (There will also be a cash bar.) Guests will be treated to great door prizes and have the opportunity to bid on some fabulous silent auction items.

Bring a friend! Purchase two tickets for only $100, a $20 savings! Individual tickets are $60 each. Tickets for children under 12 are $30, and men are welcome, too! Your support helps The Gallery School fulfill their mission of making the arts accessible to everyone in our community.

What Heritage Resources are missing from this list?

LIST BELOW UPDATED AS OF 3/17/2011, 2:20 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE LISTING LOCAL, EXISTING RESOURCES

As part of the Heritage Action planning process, we’re in the midst of listing all the heritage resources that Pottstown has to offer. Think of a heritage resource as anything that is of any cultural, natural, historic or recreational significance in the history or current life of a community. Is there anything you’d like to see on the list?

Our next step will be to assess and rank these resources. Thanks for all the input so far!

NAME OF HERITAGE RESOURCE

Listed Historic Site/Structure
2 National Register Historic Districts
Pottsgrove Manor
Railroad Station
Roller Mills
Grubb Mansion
Jefferson Elementary School

Non-Listed Historic Site/Structure
The Carousel (planned)
Elks Club
Pottstown Historical Society
Historic Walking Tours
Potts Family Cemetery
Edgewood Cemetery
Candlelight House Tours

Cultural Site/Structure
historic churches
– Holy Trinity Church
– St. John’s Byzantine Church
– Emmanuel Lutheran Church
– Zion’s Reformed Church (Old Brick Church)
– St. Aloysius
– St. Peter’s
– Christ Episcopal Church
– Invictus Ministries
– Other churches

Edgewood Cemetery
Old St. Aloysius Cemetery

Archaeological Site/Structure

Museum or Interpretive Center
Pottstown Historical Society
Pottsgrove Manor

Educational Institution or Library
Pottstown School District
Pottstown Public Library
Montgomery County Community College
The Hill School
The Gallery School (arts)
High Street Music
Wyndcroft School
St. Aloysius School

Arts, Entertainment, Shopping
Assume all the downtown shops; maybe we’ll need a complete directory that’s easy to update on an informational kiosk?
The Gallery on High
Tri-County Performing Arts Center
Pottstown Arts & Cultural Alliance (PACA)
North Hall at MCCC
Boyer Gallery at Hill School
Center for the Arts at Hill School
High Street Music
The Ballroom on High (Swingkat)
Coventry Singers
Emmanuel Lutheran Concert Series
Sunnybrook Ballroom
Churchill – poetry & live music
Pottstown Symphony
Dada Gallery
Existing Murals

Trails, Greenways, Bikeways, Railroads
Schuylkill River Trail
Memorial Park
Bike Paths on High Street
High Street (wide – for parades)
Historic Bridges – 1903 Manatawny Bridge
Transportation
– PART – public transit
– Charles W. Dickinson Transportation Center (transit center)
– Pedestrian Underpass at MCCC
– Free bike program/bike lanes
– Airport

Natural & Scenic Sites
The Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River Trail
Riverfront Park
Manatawny Creek
Memorial Park

Parks & Recreation Areas
Pottstown Parks & Rec. Dept.
The whole Pottstown Parks & Rec. System, pocket parks, etc.
Pollock Park (Schuylkill River trailhead?)
Memorial Park
– Spray Park
– Trilogy Park
– Skate Park (planned)
– Miniature Golf/Manatawny Gateway (planned)
Riverfront Park
422 Sportsplex
High Street Yoga
Community Land Trust – Community Gardens
Pottstown Garden Club
The Dell & Far Fields at The Hill School

Festivals/Special Events
– In Riverfront Park
– Schuylkill River Festival
– Schuylkill River Sojourn (stopping point)
– First Saturdays
– Sunday Music in the Park
– Relay activities
– Weddings
– Fishing/rafting
– cross-country skiing
– biking
– Polar Bear Plunge
– Shiver on the River

Carousel of Flavor
Classic Car Shows
July 4th Celebration
Volleyball Rumble
Soapbox Derby
Parades
Family Fest
Open Doors (community day)
Halloween Parade
Candlelight Historic House Tour
Free Trolley Tours during special events

Heritage Tourism Business
– recreation
– Tri-County Bicycles
– Bike Share Program
– Bentley’s Boards (skate shop)
– Hidden River Outfitters (operates out of SRHA building)

– food/drink
– The Farmers’ Market
– Grumpy’s Handcarved Sandwiches
– Churchill, Inc.
– The Brickhouse
– Juan Carlos
– Funky Lil Kitchen
– Henry’s
– Positively Pasta
– Martha’s Famous
– Beverly’s Pastry Shop
– Company Cakes
– Burger King
– McDonald’s
– Dunkin Donuts
– Wawa
– Pottstown Diner
– High Street Diner (VIP)
– Very Best Restaurant
– Frankie & Johnnie’s
– Jack Cassady’s
– The Pourhouse
– The Icehouse
– Maria Angela’s
– Maximilliano’s
– Brunish Brothers Hot Dogs & Sausage

Media & Marketing
Borough Website
Tri-County Chamber of Commerce
Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority (PDIDA)
Roy Keeler/Roy’s Rants – blogger
WPAZ
PCTV
The Mercury
The Pottstown Post/Sanatoga Post
Positively!Pottstown – blog
Citizens for Pottstown’s Revitalization

Other
Walkable town
Wide, tree-scaped streets
Plenty of parking
Coordinated programs & activities promoting physical activity & health.
Historic architecture
Keystone Opportunity Zone
Mrs. Smith Pies
Pottstown Memorial Medical Center
Health & Wellness Foundation
Great volunteers
Elks Club, Rotary Club, Ambucs, Kiwanis,
Veterans Groups & other civic associations
Brookside Country Club
Train line
Small town atmosphere
Eagles/Firebirds
Hurricane Agnes
Underground Railroad
Reading/Philadelphia Railroads/Stations
Mills/Forges
Native American Lenni Lenape tribe
Dutch naming of the river
Steel industry & metal fabrication legacy
Firestone

Tavern Night at Pottsgrove Manor

Gentry imbibing

This looks like a really fun event — Tavern Night at Pottsgrove Manor this Saturday night, March 12. It will be an evening of 18th century diversions at Mr. Potts’ “tavern” for the opening of the new exhibit “Spirituous Liquours & Healthful Distillations: Alcohol in Colonial America.” Come out to enjoy colonial musicians, tavern songs, games of chance, and a tour of the new exhibit.

Pottsgrove Manor – one of Pottstown’s unique heritage resources – is at 100 W. King Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. Tavern Night will run from 7-9 pm. There is a $2 per person suggested donation. For more info: call 610-326-4014 or on check out their website.

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Pottstown’s Annual FamilyFest on March 17

Pottstown’s Annual FamilyFest will take place on Thursday March 17, 2011 from  5 – 7 p.m. at Pottstown High School. The theme for this year is “Participate in Your Community: Pottstown Families Play, Work, & Serve Together.”
Families accompany their elementary age children to this event, which is sponsored by the Pottstown Family Center, Pottstown Parks & Recreation & PEAK – Pottstown School District.

All kinds of community organizations and agencies each have a table with information and a child-friendly activity, so that families can walk around and learn more about what’s available while the kids are engaged for a few minutes. Last year more than 500 people attended. At $15/table, this is very good exposure for any organization or business.

This year’s theme of “Participate in Your Community: Pottstown Families Play, Work, & Serve Together” expands the focus to encourage Pottstown residents to learn more about an organization or activity that interests them and find out how to get involved. There are many ways that even young children can be involved with their parents, whether it’s cleaning up a park in the spring or attending a First Saturday event downtown.

This theme of “participation” goes hand-in-hand with the idea of “buying local.” Area businesses are invited to have a table in the “Buy Local Zone” to let the community know what they offer and what they’re all about.

I’ll be there at a Positively!Pottstown table to talk up Pottstown’s arts, restaurants, historical walking tours, recreational opportunities, Heritage Action Planning process, and the monthly happy hours. I’ll also be glad to point people to other resources in the community, like the new Community Land Trust & the Community Garden project. Kids will be able to work on puzzles of local buildings while the adults chat.

Puzzlers at "Open Doors," 9/11/10

Forms can be downloaded below if you would like to have a table at FamilyFest or purchase an ad for the booklet. There’s also a list of ideas for kid-friendly activities. The registration deadline is Friday, March 4, 2011. I especially encourage local businesses to get a table so people can learn exactly where you are, what you do, and how they can support you.

Fam Fest-letter invite _2011
Family Fest Booth Info sheet _2011
FamilyFest Financial Support_2011
FamilyFest Ideas_2011

Any questions? Contact:
Jenn Brown, M.Ed.
Director, Pottstown Family Center
Family Services of Montgomery County
1976 E. High St.
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610)326-1610 X247
(610)326-3104 fax

On Tap This Weekend

If you’re looking for something entertaining and uplifting to do this weekend, here are some arts and cultural happenings in Pottstown to check out.

Celebrating Sondheim runs this weekend only at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center. In celebration of the incomparable American composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, Village Productions invites you to a Valentine’s Weekend performance of favorite songs featuring Sondheim’s unique take on romance and relationships. Shows take place Friday & Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets range from $13-$17 and are available here. (Parental guidance suggested due to themes about relationships.)

The Winter Member Show at The Gallery on High is running now through March 19. The Gallery’s hours are Tuesday-Friday 10am-4:30pm and Saturday 10am-3pm (closed Sunday and Monday.) The Gallery is located at 254 E. High Street in a fully restored Victorian building in the center of Pottstown’s historical district. The Gallery offers contrasting styles of media for even the most discriminating collector and represents local and national artists with established reputations and new and upcoming artists. Please call 610-326-2506 or email info@galleryonhigh for more information.

Saturday night at 7 pm, check out poet Ray Brown in the Otherwise-Poetry series at Churchill Artisan Baker & Chocolatier, 137 E. High Street (484-941-5100). The evening is hosted by Glenn McLaughlin. Ray Brown’s poetry will be followed by an open mic. Get your verse on!

On Sunday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m., Emmanuel Lutheran will be the venue for a Valentines-themed concert presented by wonderful professional ensemble called “CANTATICA”. The concert is entitled “Love Songs: A Valentines Celebration”, and will feature choral and vocal works from many different styles including: classical, celtic, latin, opera, folk, and jazz. One of the featured soloists is Toni Marie Palmertree (soprano) who lives right here in Pottstown. Tickets: $14 Adults; $12 seniors; $6 students. Tickets available at the door. Info. info@cantatica.org; 484-951-5113

And if you want to support Boy Scout Troop 129 before you go out on Saturday night, Feb. 12, they’re holding an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner from 4-7 pm at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Hanover & Walnut Streets. MENU INCLUDES: Spaghetti in Sauce, Meatballs, Salad, Coffee, Tea, Milk and Dessert. Adults – $7.00; Seniors/Kids (7-13) – $5.00; Children 6 and under – FREE; Tickets Sold at Door.

Citizen participation wanted: Schools Task Force & CDBG

Tonight there’s a meeting of the School District’s President’s Task Force on Facilities at the Middle School beginning at 7 pm in the LGI Meeting Room. Go to take a tour and learn more about the building and its operations. This will be the last tour of the schools and then the discussions and analysis will begin. The current meeting schedule into the spring can be found here.

Tomorrow night, the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Development invites local citizens to attend a Citizen Participation Meeting to be held Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 at 6:00 p.m., at the Montgomery County Community College, West Campus, 101 College Drive, (Conference Room 221), South Hall, Pottstown, PA.

The meeting will allow citizens a time to present and discuss projects for which your municipality may apply for in the FY 2011 Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) Program, Emergency Shelter Grants, (ESG) Program, and/or Home Investment Partnerships Program, (HOME). Local non-profit organizations are also invited to attend and participate in this meeting.

From the County’s website: “The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is an entitlement funding from HUD for the purpose of promoting community revitalization throughout the country.

CDBG funds are used for a wide range of community development activities including acquisition, rehabilitation, disposition, relocation, clearance, demolition, removal of architectural barriers, historical restoration, planning activities, public works projects, infrastructure improvements, public services, housing activities, new construction, and economic development.

Eligible activities must meet one of the CDBG’s three national objectives: (1) to benefit low- and moderate-income persons (primary objective); (2) to aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight; and (3) to meet other community development needs that present a serious and immediate threat to the health and welfare of the community. Over a 1-3 year period, at least 70% of the funds spent by a grantee must be used for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons.”

Public input wanted on District’s Task Force on Facilities

Note: Sorry to be kind of quiet lately. I’ve been “snowed under” with school work. Should be coming up for air again in a couple of days! SR

Last spring School Board President Rick Huss announced the formation of the Board President’s Task Force on Facilities and appointed James Bush to lead the effort. The mission of the Task Force is to visit, collect data and analyze all of the Pottstown School District’s facilities, including the Annex and Administration Building, without preconceptions, in order to make informed, educationally-sound and fiscally-responsible recommendations to the School Board about the future of the elementary schools.

So far, the Task Force has visited all the elementary schools. Last Monday night (Jan. 24th) I had the opportunity to tour the high school and learn more about the Task Force and how they’re approaching their mission.

First, the Task Force itself is a large and diverse group. Second, they’ve got very big binders filled with details and reports about the capacity, weaknesses and costs of each building in the district. I regret not having made it to any of the elementary schools, but all of the agendas, meeting summaries and some reports are available here on the District’s website. Third, I learned that Pottstown has a really amazing high school. The building is light, clean and modern, having been updated and expanded in 2001. Its diverse programming prepares students along the whole educational continuum with life skills, technical and academic training that will get them to the next level that’s appropriate for them.

One really interesting aspect of the high school’s physical plant is that Pottstown Community TV uses 4,800 square feet of space there and pays $1,000/month to the School District to do so. PCTV is owned and operated by the Borough through a contract with Mark Pollock. The lease arrangement is a pretty sweet deal compared to the going rates for commercial/ retail space on High Street or in the region. While this local programming is certainly a benefit to Pottstown and the larger region that it reaches, PCTV’s activities are completely separate from the high school’s operations. From what we were told on the tour, PCTV does not benefit any students, involve any students, or have anything to do with the educational mission of the District. On the one hand, regardless of where PCTV is located, at this time it is a taxpayer-subsidized operation, whose current contract was a sticking point in Borough Council’s recent budget talks. One might ask, “Does it really matter if it’s coming from Borough taxes or School taxes?” On the other hand, now is the time to re-think its location in a school, where the educational mandate is clear and every option for cost savings must be considered.

It was stated at the meeting that the District currently uses a total of 12,534 square feet for administration. I would expect that the possible availability of 4,800 square feet for administration or the re-configuring of students/classrooms would be on the table in discussions this spring.

The President’s Task Force on Facilities meetings are open to anyone and allow for public comment and questions. The next one is on February 7th at the Middle School. I urge everyone to get out to the meetings that will continue through the spring and to get up to speed on what has already been reviewed, so that there will be a critical mass of informed citizens ready to take part in the discussions that are on the horizon. No less than the quality education of Pottstown’s youth and the financial future of the town are at stake.~

Feb. 2, 2011. Please note this comment and clarification received from Superintendent Dr. Reed Lindley:

“Seems that the statment “involves no students, not connected to the educational mission,” is somewhat of an overstatement. PCTV recently received a grant from the Health and Wellness Foundation to work collaboratively with the High School in the development of a live AM “cooking show.” While the details are still being finalized, this project is directly connected to the educational mission, and would involve students from more than one academic/career program at the High School.”

Pushing back against Ol’ Man Winter

It’s the end of the third week of January. It snowed again last night. It’s windy and bitterly cold out, and you might be thinking, “This is turning out to be a long winter. How am I going to survive?” Why not bundle up and head out to some of Pottstown’s fine restaurants this weekend to carve out some warm space and good memories with family and friends?

Feel like dancing away all that energy from being cooped up with kids who were home from school? Line up a sitter and call everyone you know, set the time, and crash The Brickhouse; they’ve got a dj every Friday and Saturday night.

You can also bust a move at Sunnybrook Ballroom with DJ Bruce Miller from 7-11 pm on Saturday night.

Get on Facebook and organize an impromptu and affordable “parents with kids” gathering at The Very Best. Or maybe it’s “dads with kids” or “moms with kids” so at least one of you can go the gym or run an errand or watch a basketball game in peace!

In the mood for sports, casual drinks, no fuss? Stop in at Jack Cassidy’s Irish Pub, Frankie & Johnnie’s or The Pourhouse.

For a more intimate dining experience, call ahead to Funky Lil’ Kitchen, Henry’s Cafe or Juan Carlos Fine Mexican to see if they can seat you.

Book groups, knitting groups, play groups – why not plan your next get-together at Churchills?

Are you or any of your kids a history buff? Check out this Sunday’s lecture by historian Dan Graham at Pottsgrove Manor (details on the calendar page). He’ll be talking about John Potts, Jr.: Ironmaster, Judge, Loyalist. Unlike the other children of John and Ruth Potts, this son supported the Crown during the American Revolution, and it cost him his property, wealth and standing in the community. The talk starts at 1 pm.

The key to breaking out of a mid-winter rut is to find an activity and food to share with people you love. With so many options close to home, it shouldn’t be hard to do. 🙂

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