Why Isn’t Pottstown A Tree City USA Community???

I have wondered about this for years.  I did some research to see what is involved with a community becoming a Tree City USA.

Since Pottstown is the recipient of the Thomas Hylton Memorial Forest, one would think we would be at the top of the list!  There are 114 Tree City USA communities in the state of Pennsylvania.  They include: Boyertown, West Chester, Wyomissing, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Lancaster, Lower Merion, Philadelphia, Phoenixville, Reading, Pottsville and the list goes on.

Communities of varying sizes are on the list.  The largest to the smallest municipalities are all represented, so size is not an issue.

There are four criteria:

1. A Tree Board or Department
2. A Tree Care Ordinance
3. An Annual Budget of $2 per capita
4. An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation

I believe we have a tree board, a tree ordinance, we probably spend $40,000+ a year on tree care and we could always throw in an Arbor Day Observance.

The benefits are framework for action, education, public image, civic pride, financial assistance, publicity and there is a list of 15 more reasons to become a Tree City USA.  The Tree City program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

IMHO since we have all these trees why don’t we use them to our advantage?  Just sayin…..

For more information:  http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA/index.cfm

Why Does Pottstown Need To Be Concerned About Its Housing Stock?

Housing stock is a pivotal issue that will make or break Pottstown’s revitalization efforts.  A key piece regarding housing stock is rental properties.  Specifically, the conversion of single-family homes into multi-unit “house apartments”.  Our fair city has an overabundance of “house apartments”.  I speak from experience having lived in several.

I was told a number of years ago that this phenomena started during the construction of the Limerick Nuclear Generating Station.  The story goes that with the influx of Bechtel workers and the need for housing, many people turned their homes into rental properties.  I can attest that some of these “house apartments” are configured oddly, again having lived in several.

If we are to restore balance (as a Libra, I am all about balance) in the housing stock and reduce the number of “house apartments” in Pottstown, Borough Council must take steps to ensure this practice a. stops and b. provide incentives for homeowners to move into Pottstown and restore “house apartments” back to their original intent as a single-family home. 

Without a middle class, Pottstown will not be able to reverse the situation we find ourselves in.  That would be broke and surrounded by prosperity.  This all goes hand-in-hand.  One way to stop border development is to make the borough more attractive to homeowners and investors.  Attracting taxpayers and investment dollars will solve our financial woes.

Norristown Borough recently made a bold stand to end the practice of “chopping up” perfectly good single-family homes into rental units.  Several organizations in Pottstown have been desperately trying to shed light on this subject.  Code Blue comes to mind with their attendance at Council meetings, their participation in blighted property reviews, their participation at the First Suburbs meetings (here and in Lancaster) and their posts on The Pulse!

I would encourage our elected leadership, along with the Mercury, to make stopping the conversion of single-family homes into multi-unit apartments a high priority along with the new rules for landlords that the borough is working on so diligently.  This combination is important to revitalization efforts.

If Norristown can do it, why can’t we?

Today’s Pottstown Mercury Readers View

I was pleased to see a nice thank you letter in the Mercury today.  Courtney Sell was the recipient of a college scholarship from the now defunct Century Club of Pottstown.  It is gratifying to see young people who were taught to say please and thank you.  Courtney’s letter showed true appreciation.

The loss of service organizations are devastating to the communities they served.  Four less college scholarships will be awarded next year because the Century Club is now only a memory.   The loss of these scholarships could mean four less Pottstown students attend college next year or place a further burden on the student and their family to find other financial aid.

😦

Northampton County Mulls Sale Of County Nursing Home

Northampton County is debating the privatization of Gracedale.  Gracedale is the county’s nursing home with 650 residents.

This would be a big deal as Gracedale is Pennsylvania’s second-largest nursing home.  There are 750 employees.  The reason for this consideration is the drain on the county budget.  $7.8 million to be exact.  Northampton County is looking at a $10 million budget deficit and possible 20% tax hike.  Ouch!

Gracedale has more beds than demand.  725 beds, 650 residents.  Employee benefits are also gobbling up the profits.  Can you say pension plan nightmare!

At this time, leasing the facility seems to be the preferred course of action. However, patient care would have to be guaranteed.  By leasing Gracedale, the county would be off the hook for the $7.8 million while receiving $2.5 million in annual revenue from whatever company would lease the facility.  $10 million deficit eliminated.  Selling Gracedale would generate $31 million for the county.

There seems to be a growing trend of Pennsylvania counties selling their nursing homes.  Carbon, Dauphin, Luzerne, Lancaster and Cambria counties have all unloaded their county nursing homes. 

Lehigh County has no plans to sell their nursing home but they are seeking ways to contain costs.

Ford Sells Volvo To Chinese Company

Ford Motor Company unloaded money losing Volvo to Zhejiang Geely Automotive of Hong Kong.

Volvo lost $653 MILLION in 2009.  I find that rather startling news. 

Zhejiang Geely paid Ford $1.3 BILLION in cash and issued a $200 MILLION note to buy Volvo.

Starting Today A New Insurance Plan For Pennsylvania Residents With Pre-existing Conditions

A new plan to help Pennsylvania residents with pre-existing conditions is taking applications starting this week.  The plan is called “PA Fair Care” and is being designed to help those who can not get insurance because they have a pre-existing medical condition.

The monthly premium is an affordable $283.20.  The plan has a $1,000.00 yearly deductible and a $25.00 co-pay for doctor visits.

There is no financial need criteria!  You must be a US citizen, have been without health insurance for six months and have been turned down or charged unaffordable premiums because of a pre-existing condition.

Only 3,500 people will be initially signed up on a first come, first serve basis.  Eventually, 5,600 people will be covered until 2014.

Highmark Blue Shield is the plan provider.  PA Fair Care is being funded by a $160,000,000.00 federal grant.

To sign up or get further information, go to: http://www.PAFairCare.com

Scranton Triple-A Baseball Park Grant – No Comment

An interesting article appeared in yesterday’s Morning Call about PNC Field in Moosic, a Scranton suburb.  The 22-year-old, 10,000 seat stadium is in need of repairs to its concrete and steel structure.  PNC Field is the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, a Triple A farm team for MLB’s New York Yankees.

So along comes Fast Eddie offering a $20,000,000.00 grant to help repair the aging stadium.  This would be the largest grant ever given during the Rendell administration’s tenure.  The money would come from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

It seems officials would like to see PNC Field become more like Coca Cola Park in Allentown, which is more family-friendly. 

Now the catch is, there must be matching funding for the project.  As of Monday, there was no definite answer where the other half of the money would come from.  The entire project is being kept a secret for some reason.  Rendell’s office is not commenting on what exactly the money will be used for.  At this juncture, one can only speculate what the project will entail.

The Rendell administration is braying about the economic impact of fixing the stadium.  That is all well and good but why all the secrecy?  The Yankees are making no comments either.  It is time for new leadership in this state who believe in transparency!