Hit Hard By Copper Wire Thieves, PPL Fights Back

A red/cyan anaglyph of a reel of tinned copper 24swg wire (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With its substations increasingly targeted by copper thieves, PPL is upping security and putting scrap dealers who may receive the stolen wiring on alert.

The utility has suffered about two dozen copper wire thefts throughout its Pennsylvania service area since the start of the year.  The utility’s Lancaster and northeast Pennsylvania service areas have been hit especially hard.

Last month, according to media reports, thieves broke into a Wilkes-Barre area substation just after midnight and stole more than 250 feet of copper wire used to ground the substation.  Scrap yards pay about $3 a pound for copper wire, according to Internet scrap pricing websites.

It’s a problem being faced by utilities across the country.  The nationwide spike in copper thefts dates to about 2008 when prices hit $4 a pound, topping out at $4.50 in 2011, according to the American Public Power Association‘s magazine, Public Power.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pa-ppl-copper-thefts-20130606,0,2376611.story

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Property Taxes To Rise Across Philadelphia Suburbs

English: Pennsylvania county map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hundreds of thousands of property owners in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties are getting something they probably don’t want in the new year – higher real estate taxes.

Countywide increases, approved in December, affect the owners of all 382,304 real estate parcels in Chester and Delaware Counties.  Some people are taking a double hit, as at least 27 towns in those counties also have increased taxes.

Bucks and Montgomery Counties kept their rates the same, but at least 28 municipalities raised real estate levies.

While the reasons vary, officials say the overarching reason is basic: Revenue is down; costs aren’t.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/suburban_pa/20130128_Property_taxes_to_rise_across_Philadelphia_suburbs.html

New Route 202 Parkway Opens Today

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon will open a new 8.4-mile parkway stretch of Route 202 in Montgomery and Bucks Counties.

The long-planned parkway runs from Welsh Road (Route 63) in Montgomery Township through Warrington to Route 611 in Doylestown.

It’s the first major new road in Southeastern Pennsylvania since the early 1990s, when the Exton Bypass, the Blue Route and the Vine Street Expressway opened, according to PennDOT spokesman Eugene Blaum.

The $200 million project is just part of efforts to upgrade and improve Route 202, which runs from Delaware to New Jersey, he said. A widening project is already underway in Chester County, and another is planned for the Norristown, Montgomery County, area.

Read more:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20121203_New_Route_202_parkway_opens_today.html

Area Counties Share Marcellus Shale Impact Fees

English: Cropped portion of image from USGS report showing extent of Marcellus Formation shale (in gray shading). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Staff and wire reports Chester County will receive the lowest amount of money among suburban Philadelphia counties from the state as part of the Marcellus Shale Impact fee distribution announced recently by the Corbett administration.

The county is in line to receive $423,255.23 from the state, far less than the $1.29 million that Philadelphia will receive. The highest amount of the four Philadelphia suburbs is the $678,613.66 that Montgomery County will receive.

Berks County will receive $349,067, Bucks County will receive $530,461.69 and Delaware County will receive $474.238.17.  Distribution for the southeastern Pennsylvania counties is based on population.

State law restricts how the money can be spent, allowing for such uses as fixing roads and building or repairing water and sewer infrastructure.  County officials could not answer Wednesday where the funds here would go, but said they would be in line with the state’s restrictions.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121017/NEWS01/121019427/area-counties-share-marcellus-shale-impact-fees

Arts In Philadelphia Economy: A Pretty Picture

English: This is my own work, Public Domain Photograph, not copyrighted Ed Yakovich http://www.flickr.com/photos/10396190@N04 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Arts and cultural organizations have a multibillion-dollar impact on the Philadelphia region’s economy, and are among the nation’s most productive in creation of jobs and stirring up economic activity.  Only those in the Washington area generate more per-capita expenditures, and in terms of jobs, no region comes close to Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Cultural activity generates nearly $170 million in state and local taxes annually and supports 44,000 jobs within the city and its four suburban Pennsylvania counties, according to a study set for release Monday by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

The economic-impact study, based on data collected from 345 arts and cultural organizations and more than 2,000 audience members, reports that the sector triggers a total of $3.3 billion in direct and indirect expenditures every year.

In the area of employment, culture in the first-ranked Philadelphia region supports 43,700 jobs; Greater Houston, number two, generates 29,100, and Washington, number three, 29,000.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/arts/20120924_Arts_in_Phila__economy__A_pretty_picture.html

Early Budget Shows Difficulty Quakertown SD Faces

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Quakertown Community School Board reviewed an early 2012-13 budget that would require a 3 percent tax hike to maintain district programs and staffing.

The $93.6 million budget calls for raising taxes by 4.23 mills to 144.48 mills.  That means a property owner with the district’s average assessment of $26,304, would pay about $3,801 — about $112 more — in property taxes.  A mill is worth $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

“This is a status quo budget.  There are no new initiatives, no new programs, and no new spending,” Superintendent Lisa Andrejko told directors on Thursday.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-quakertown-school-board-0105-20120106,0,677133.story

150,000 PECO Customers Still Without Power

PECO is reporting that at the height of yesterday’s freak blizzard, 250,000 customers were without power.  That number has been reduced to 150,000.

Chester, Bucks and Montgomery Counties were the hardest hit.  Customers in these three counties represent almost 100% of the 150,000 still left without power.

Metropolitan Philadelphia Air Quality Alert!

...AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR TUESDAY, JULY 12...

THE DELAWARE VALLEY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION HAS ISSUED
A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT TUESDAY FOR THE PHILADELPHIA
METRO AREA.

A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT MEANS THAT AIR POLLUTION
CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN THE REGION MAY BECOME UNHEALTHY FOR
SENSITIVE GROUPS. SENSITIVE GROUPS INCLUDE CHILDREN...PEOPLE
SUFFERING FROM ASTHMA... HEART DISEASE OR OTHER LUNG
DISEASES...AND THE ELDERLY. THE EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION CAN
BE MINIMIZED BY AVOIDING STRENUOUS ACTIVITY OR EXERCISE OUTDOORS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE
PARTICLES...

There’s No Place Like Home – Pink Returning To Philly For Baby Shower

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Outspoken rocker and PETA activist Pink is pregnant and returning to the Philadelphia area to celebrate with family and friends.  Her baby shower will be this Saturday afternoon.

Pink, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, burst on to the music scene in 2000 with her hit single “There You Go”.  Since then, Pink has released five albums and a greatest hits collection.  Billboard ranks Pink as 13^th on a list of Artists of the Decade and #1 Pop Song Artist of the decade.  Pink has achieved 10 Top Ten US hits and received two Grammy’s and five MTV Music Awards.

Pink has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and is ranked as the 27^th most powerful celebrity earning $44 million between June 2009 and June 2010 by Forbes Magazine.

Pink attended Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown and married motocross racer Carey Hart on January 7, 2006.  Despite a rocky road, Pink and Carey have reconciled and are expecting their first child in the near future (the reason for the trip home).

SEPTA Replacing Aging Passenger Rail Cars

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The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is spending $274 million to replace 120 passenger cars in their commuter rail system.

73 of these new cars will replace ones built in the 1960’s!!!  The first three new cars went on their maiden voyage this morning.

The new Silverliner V rail cars are being partially built in South Korea and finished in Philly.  The new cars have better air-conditioning and heating systems, wider doors, wider aisles, larger windows and wheelchair areas.  All 120 cars should be in service by mid 2011.

Bucks County Borough Takes A Tough Stand On Rental Properties

The small borough of Trumbauersville, Bucks County, is ensuring their rental properties are up to snuff!  Trumbauersville Council has approved annual rental inspections and property owners are required to have a residential rental license (yes, there is  fee) for each unit.  Much larger Quakertown has similar ordinances on their books.  Trumbauersville is located in Milford Township over near Quakertown.

These new regulations are a direct result of problems which have been reported to the borough and in some cases involved out-of-town property owners (absentee landlords).  There are 50 rental properties in this .4 square mile borough of 1059 souls.

Recently, a fire inspection of a vacant rental property found maggots in the refrigerator and 5 dump trucks full of trash inside.  The Code Enforcement Officer will use a checklist and report his findings to the property owner who in turn has a set amount of time to make corrections or appeal them to Borough Council.

This ordinance has some teeth to it (imagine that).  Landlords living more than 20 miles from town must has a property manager living or working within 20 miles of the borough or a license will not be granted.  If tenants have three disruptive conduct reports on file within a twelve month period, they will be evicted (disruptive conduct includes public drunkenness and fighting for example).  Violations of the new ordinance can lead to fines or imprisonment!

Some food for thought if we are serious about cleaning up slumlord and rental property issues in Pottstown.  If tiny Trumbauersville can do it, why can’t Pottstown!?!