See Life Through Their Lens

“Nightfire” by John Rizzo

“Vineyards in Winter” by Mary Kosar

“Rusty Summer” by Carol Brightbill

POTTSTOWN, PA – ArtFusion 19464 is proud to announce a new all photography show opening in their main gallery. Shutter showcases the work of 20 local photographers, giving visitors a unique view of the world of each artist as seen through the lens of their camera. The show includes a wonderful diversity of style, from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and textural pieces that intrigue the eye and engage the mind.

Shutter will run through March 21 and can be viewed any time during regular hours. The ArtFusion gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-5pm and Saturday from 10am-3pm. They are closed Sunday and Monday.

ArtFusion invites the greater Pottstown community to a reception on Saturday, March 14 from 12-2pm. Light refreshments will be served. All receptions are free and open to the public. RSVPs to 610-326-2506 are appreciated.

Participating artists are George Abruzzo, Kristy Bell, Carol Brightbill, Melanie Franz, Lisa Foster, Bob Hakun, Crystal Haring, Joe Hoover, Mary Kosar, Sylvia Landis, Charles McCann, Pam McLean-Parker, Donna Meyers, Geoffrey Meyers, Beverly Nuzzo, Gwendolyn Parrish, Peter Rampson, John Rizzo, Richard Whittaker and Jacqueline O. Young.

ArtFusion 19464 is a 501(c)3 non-profit community art center located at 254 E. High St. in downtown Pottstown. The school offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression. ArtFusion’s gallery hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.  The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. The gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.

Tours To Show Off Different Facets Of Pittsburgh

A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A decades-old Pittsburgh transportation company is adding to its repertoire a series of tours exploring the city’s quirky and eclectic side, from its famed slaw-and-fries sandwich to a Hill District home once rented by Pirates great Roberto Clemente.

Pittsburgh Tours and More, a division of Pittsburgh Transportation Group, also will offer a look at Western Pennsylvania’s Amish life and silver-screen locations, as well as stops at breweries where patrons can wash down local history with a cold pint.

“This provides another way to spotlight the city,” said Sherris Moreira, director of Tours and More. “We saw there was a need in Pittsburgh.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/6084363-74/pittsburgh-tours-tour#ixzz32BuqKqrt
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Next Generation Of Reading Police Cameras Keeping Watch

Security camera at London (Heathrow) Airport. Taken by Adrian Pingstone in August 2004 and released to the public domain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Pottstown needs to get cameras! There are grants out there!

Criminals, beware, for Big Brother is getting more eyes to see you.

And remember you.

Reading’s next round of 20 security cameras is being installed in new neighborhoods, augmenting the 27 cameras in the downtown network since 2008.

“We’ve been pretty successful with them,” Police Chief William M. Heim said, noting there have been dozens of cases in which the existing cameras have been helpful in solving crimes and arresting suspects.

In March, City Council awarded a $650,000 camera contract to New York-based Let’s Think Wireless, with money from the same 2007 federal grant of $1.7 million that bought the first round from the same company.

Read more:   http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=451985

Reading, PA To Nearly Double Number Of Street Cameras

Two Roy’s Rants thumbs up!  Reading is being proactive on crime and blight!  Make sure you read the rest of the article, especially Pottstown Borough Council and leadership!

Image via Wikipedia

City Council on Monday agreed to expand Reading’s security camera system, awarding a $650,000 contract to New York-based Let’s Think Wireless to add 20 or more cameras to the 27 the city already has.

Cameras in the first phase are mostly downtown, but the new cameras will be installed in other areas of the city, Police Chief William M. Heim said.

The new cameras also will connect wirelessly to City Hall monitoring stations, rather than via the fiber-optic links used by the current cameras.

“What we have so far has worked very well,” Heim said.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=370765

The Weather Is Getting Warmer And Problems Are On The Rise In Pottstown’s Core Neighborhood

Now that the weather is warmer and people are involved in more outdoor activities, we are noticing that problems are starting to escalate in the Washington Street Corridor.  The Mercury reported two shootings, in the last week, in that general area as well as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to a third person. 

It appears that noise and loitering are on the rise.  Large groups of people hanging around with nothing in particular to do which is a recipe for disaster.  Idle hands….

It has come to my attention that there is a particular hot spot of activity which needs to be addressed.  If we are serious about cleaning up and stabilizing the core neighborhood through homeownership, we better start putting our money where our mouth is.  The few homeowners in that area are sick of this behavior and are prisoners in their homes.  You will never attract new homeowners with this sort of lawlessness being allowed to go on.  Confronting these people is dangerous and should be handled by law enforcement professionals.

This activity is a black eye for Pottstown and continues to reinforce the stereotype that our community is a ghetto and unsafe.  This is of course not true, but perception is hard to change.  This problem area of town needs immediate and swift attention. 

If we expect PAID to do their job, crime MUST be brought under control.  How is PAID supposed to attract business and industry to Pottstown if this Wild West behavior is tolerated??  Who the hell will invest in Pottstown if we cannot get a handle on criminal activity??  The answer is Section 8 slumlords!

We need to start enforcing the laws we have on the books and being a little more clever.  Again, I suggest cameras for problem areas and beefed up patrols.  If we cannot get the criminal element in this town under control PAID is DOA!

Pittsburgh And Its Suburbs Having Success With Surveillance Cameras

Image via Wikipedia

The City of Pittsburgh and some adjacent suburbs are successfully using surveillance cameras to deter and solve crime. 

Pittsburgh has surveillance cameras in place downtown and in various neighborhoods throughout the city.  According to their 2009 Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Police, Annual Report, there are 120 cameras throughout the city they hope to tie-in to a wireless platform at the Emergency Operations Center and other key locations for constant monitoring of video and data transmissions. 

Another goal is to have at least 32 cameras on 16 bridges.  The mayor also wants to install gunshot locator and detection cameras in high-risk neighborhoods. (I believe Harrisburg uses these.)

Pittsburgh is adding 28 more cameras, using a $3 million grant along with 25 percent matching funds from the city, as part of the Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime program.  Pittsburgh’s ultimate goal is a city-wide camera system, which includes the Port of Pittsburgh (the second largest inland port in the U.S.)

Surveillance cameras will be added in suburban Swissvale, prompted by a rash of crime in Regent Square.  Three cameras will be installed along Braddock Avenue within two months.  Ten to twelve more cameras will be added at other locations in the borough.  Each camera costs $9,000, which includes installation, but there are grants available for municipalities to buy surveillance cameras.

Other communities with surveillance cameras include Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall.

Under Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Pittsburgh has experienced three consecutive years of historic-crime-lows, according to the city’s website.  According to our friends at City-data.com, Pittsburgh’s crime index has dropped from 558.3 in 2007 to 474.8 in 2009 (Pottstown’s 2009 crime index was 454.7 if you live locally). Murders dropped from 72 in 2008 to 39 in 2009.  Most crime categories showed drops between 2008 and 2009.  2010 crime data is not available at this time.

HINT: If the inexpensive crime tracking software Scranton purchased was used to determine surveillance camera placement that would seem to be an ideal crime fighting tool for Pottstown’s core neighborhood!  Just sayin’….

Harrisburg Mulls Surveillance Camera Installation In High Crime Areas

Mayor Linda Thompson stated one of her goals for 2011 is to have surveillance cameras installed throughout the city.  Public grants can be used to fund this project.

South Allison Hill and parts of Uptown and Downtown Harrisburg are being targeted as the most likely places to have cameras installed.  These areas experience high crime and surveillance cameras would act as a deterrent as well as provide police with evidence.

Wilkes-Barre has installed 230 cameras in various sites around the city.  They used $3 million in state funds from the Department of Community and Economic Development.  In Wilkes-Barre’s case, the cameras have not been a deterrent; however, the footage has helped police solve more crimes.  Wilkes-Barre has only experienced very minor equipment malfunctions.  Police officers rotate on camera duty.  The footage is monitored 24/7!

Larger Scranton has only installed 12 cameras (obviously not nearly enough).  The say the cameras malfunction often and are down sometimes for two weeks at a time.  Scranton obtained a grant for $200,000 to pay for their project.  Unlike Wilkes-Barre, the camera monitor is put behind the front desk.  The officer on duty is constantly being distracted with other work so footage is only monitored “as time permits”.  (See Wilkes-Barre model, Scranton PD)

And then there is progressive Lancaster!  Lancaster has had cameras installed since early in the last decade.  There are 165 cameras monitored by the Safety Coalition.  The Safety Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization.

During a six-month period is 2009, surveillance footage assisted in 51 arrests.  Police requested footage for 166 cases.  The Lancaster police love cameras!  Public and private grants fund the camera system.  Delegations from Baltimore, New York and Warren, OH have paid a visit to Lancaster to learn how their system works.  An interesting story is told of a man who was found dead on a sidewalk in Lancaster.  Police reviewed the surveillance footage and watched the man trip and fall.  He was not the victim of a crime.  Think of the cost savings to city residents by not having detectives investigate a simple slip and fall as a possible homicide!!

Carlisle is spending $270,000 in federal grants to install 15 cameras in their downtown area.

Harrisburg does have “some” surveillance cameras already in place.  Harrisburg Police and the Dauphin County District Attorney feel more cameras would be helpful.  Residents of Allison Hill and Uptown reacted favorably to surveillance cameras hoping they will reduce crime in the neighborhood.  Neighbors said the idea makes them feel safer and more protected.

We think these cameras are a great idea.  Personally, I would love to see them in Pottstown!  Remember, grants can pay for these projects.  No taxpayer cost involved.