Pottstown Cleanup Effort Brings Out Volunteers

Editor’s note:  Evan Brandt did a nice job of promoting a positive event that happened in Pottstown recently which demonstrated some civic pride and community spirit.  Both are in short supply.  We enjoyed reading Evan’s article until this statement caught our eye:

During Monday’s council meeting, Flanders agreed and added, “There are a lot of special interest groups in town who come to borough council asking for fees and permits to be waived.  I didn’t see any of those groups represented and I share that with you as food for thought.”

We have a problem with BM Flander’s comment.  As Borough Manager, you should be trying to unite factions, bring people together and be the biggest promoter of Pottstown.  Instead, we get the above “finger-pointing” comment.  A total “us and them” statement with a negative connotation.

So Mark, do you think making snide comments will encourage any of these groups to pitch in next time there is a community event like this?  There could be any number of reasons why people did not attend.  Every organization can’t take part in every borough activity.  Many of the organizations you are throwing out as “food for thought” are already doing something for the community.  

It’s time to put away the “tough guy” shtick and start acting like a leader who brings people together.   Maybe try to smile more.  You look angry all the time.  It’s hard to feel the love.

POTTSTOWN — A group of about 50 dedicated volunteers braved the heat recently to help spruce up the borough for the summer.

Unlike some previous efforts, efforts which once had Councilman Mark Gibson declare he would no longer help organize such efforts, this most recent clean-up was “a great success and I want to thank the community for doing an excellent job,” he told council at the June 5 meeting.

“Even during the heat, they showed up and they picked up,” Gibson said.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130611/NEWS01/130619784#full_story

Edward Snowden Fired, Booz Allen Hamilton Says

WASHINGTON – Consulting giant Booz Allen Hamilton said Tuesday that it had fired Edward Snowden “for violations of the firm’s code of ethics and firm policy” after the 29-year-old admitted he leaked secrets of the U.S. government’s surveillance programs to the news media.

The company said that Snowden, who had been assigned to a team in Hawaii for less than three months, was earning a salary “at a rate of $122,000.”  Snowden claimed he made about $200,000, a figure that could have included overtime pay and other bonuses.

Snowden, a computer technician from Maryland who previously worked for the CIA and the National Security Agency, had been holed up in a sleek hotel in Hong Kong for weeks before checking out on Monday.  His whereabouts are unknown.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/la-pn-edward-snowden-fired-booz-allen-20130611,0,234483.story

In a related story:

FBI Visits Family Of NSA Leaker In Upper Macungie

The father and stepmother of Edward Snowden, the man who said he leaked news of the government’s classified surveillance program, live in Upper Macungie Township and were visited Monday afternoon by two people who identified themselves as FBI agents.

Karen Snowden, 48, said the couple had been “bombarded” by media, including ABC’s “Good Morning America,” since the story broke Sunday.

Her husband, Lonnie Snowden, 52, briefly spoke to ABC News on Sunday, saying he had last seen his son months ago for dinner and the two parted with a hug.  The elder Snowden told the network he was still “digesting and processing” the news about his son.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pa-ed-snowden-nsa-leak-20130610,0,7199785.story

Linden Hill: An ‘Open’ House For Just $24.5 Million

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County

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

Linden Hill, the Gladwyne estate once owned by Campbell Soup heir John T. Dorrance Jr., is on the market for $24.5 million.

The secluded, 50-plus-acre property at 1543 Monk Rd., with its 14,000-square-foot, 20-room Norman-style manor house, formal gardens, orchards, two heated pools, pool house, and tennis court, has been owned since 1999 by Robert L. Burch, a venture capitalist and, with his brother, J. Christopher Burch, cofounder of Eagle Eye, a retailer of outdoors sportswear they sold the same year.

Robert Burch is chief executive officer of UgMO Technologies of King of Prussia, which develops irrigation systems.  He declined to be interviewed.

The property listing was activated Monday in time for the start of this week’s U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. John C. Dubbs and Eleanor Morsbach Godin, of Prudential Fox & Roach in Malvern, believe the tournament will give the residence national exposure.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/classifieds/real_estate/20130611_Linden_Hill__an__Open__house_for_just__24_5M.html#uifd7h0vT6i3DKma.99

Regional Housing Market Rebounds

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County

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

Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors’ most recent HomExpert market report showed positive signs in the housing market for Chester County and the Greater Philadelphia region.

“We’re seeing an increase in sales and median and average sale prices, and we’re seeing a reduction in inventory and a significant reduction in days-on-market,” Prudential Fox and Roach Senior Vice President of Marketing Steve Storti said, “So, we’re seeing a market that is significantly improving, and we hope it continues.”

In April, 517 homes sold in Chester County, with a median price of $287,000.  The number sold was 15 percent higher than April 2012, and 64 percent more than April 2011.

In the first quarter of 2013, Greater Philadelphia saw a 7.8 percent home sales increase over the same quarter a year ago.  Chester County had 1,027 existing home sales during the quarter, up 6.8 percent over 2012.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130611/FINANCE01/130619868/regional-housing-market-rebounds#full_story

Pottstown May Create Authority To Run Buses, Airport, Parking

POTTSTOWN — The borough is looking at forming a new transit authority that would oversee the PART bus system, the Pottstown Municipal Airport and possibly even parking in town.

Assistant Borough Manager Erica Weekley told borough council on June 5 that the suggestion came from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as part of its five-year performance review of the Pottstown Area Rapid Transit bus system, better known as PART.

According to PennDOT, it’s unusual for a system as large as PART to be in a town as small as Pottstown and for it to be run by the local government instead of an authority specifically dedicated to its management, Weekley said.

“I can’t think of any other municipality with as many assets to oversee as this council does,” said Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130611/NEWS01/130619906/pottstown-may-create-authority-to-run-buses-airport-parking#full_story

Antietam, Exeter Hold Public Session On Merger Possibilities

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United Stat...

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States Public School Districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At a town meeting Monday night at Reformation Lutheran Church in Exeter Township, the questions reached so far across the board that Arlene Unger had to admit, “I think we’re a little premature with the specifics of the questions.”

“Some questions can’t be answered until the (school) boards decide which model they want to pursue,” Unger of Exeter Township said at the meeting hosted by the church and organized by area pastors.

Just what direction school officials plan to go is a question that’s still up in the air.

“It’s important for us to get a feel of what you feel,” said Exeter School Board President Robert H. Quinter Jr.  “We’re going to make the decision.  So the more information I get from you at meetings like this, the better off I am.”

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=484010

Shickshinny Seeks Aid In Battling Meth Labs

English: 1 lb (454 g) of methamphetamine found...

English: 1 lb (454 g) of methamphetamine found on a passenger at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SHICKSHINNY — Authorities searching for a wanted man said they uncovered a methamphetamine laboratory in the basement of a Glen Avenue house, the second discovery of a meth operation in the tiny borough in a week.

Police said a large amount of methamphetamine was being cooked inside 10 Glen Ave., where two teenagers were residing with Victoria Ann Maslar, 42, and her husband, David Maslar, 53, on Thursday.

The discovery was made when authorities went to the Maslar household searching for a fugitive.

It was the second meth discovery in the borough in four days, prompting a plea for help from Shickshinny officials.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/587362/Shickshinny-seeks-aid-in-battling-meth-labs