Conshohocken AMBUCS’ Ninth Annual Restaurant Rally Set For May 17

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA – According to one French proverb, “A good meal ought to begin with hunger.”

Conshohocken Restaurant Rally organizer Vince Flocco isn’t about to try one-upping the French when it comes to matters of cuisine. But Flocco would add this for food-lovers who plan to participate in Conshohocken AMBUCS’ ninth annual Restaurant Rally Sunday, May 17 from noon to 4:30 p.m.:

“You really have to pace yourself. You’re not getting a full meal at these restaurants, but when you have 20 or so offering a very generous taste, it’s a substantial amount of food by the time the day ends. People can always use the shuttle buses (provided as part of the Rally) to get from restaurant to restaurant. But, maybe, it’s best to just walk it off.”

Walk or ride, no one leaves hungry. Restaurant Rally tickets are $60, and you’d be hard-pressed to find more bang for your buck.

Read more:

http://www.timesherald.com/lifestyle/20150512/conshohocken-ambucs-ninth-annual-restaurant-rally-set-for-may-17

Conshohocken Council Approves $10.5 Million Bid For Borough Hall, Offices

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

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — Council approved the apparently low bid of $10.5 million to construct the Conshohocken Borough Hall and police station and retail spaces in the former Verizon building Wednesday night, contingent on a favorable review of the contractor’s qualifications by the borough engineer.

Borough Engineer Paul Hughes said he will review TN Ward Co. of Lower Merion, and the contract can be signed after Sept. 15.

Hughes opened the $10,497,600 electronic bid from TN Ward Friday, along with nine alternate bid options to give council leeway to trim the ultimate cost of the project. Allied Construction Services of Philadelphia bid $10,583,439, and Murphy Quigley Co. Inc. of Lower Merion bid $12,976,000 for the general contract.

Hughes recommended authorizing an intent to award the base bid and five alternate bid items with a total cost of $10,709,600 on Wednesday night.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/government-and-politics/20140903/conshohocken-council-approves-105-million-bid-for-borough-hall-offices

New Rental Policy To Take Effect In Conshohocken

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

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA – Under a new residential rental policy that takes effect Jan. 1, 2014, landlords will have to live within 12 miles of the borough or designate a person to make decisions for them in case of an emergency.

The borough council in June unanimously passed the ordinance, rewriting what officials said had been a patchwork rental code.

Under the new ordinance, each rental property requires an annual permit, and code inspections will be conducted every other year.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20131226_New_rental_policy_to_take_effect_in_Conshohocken.html#7kE6SRFgk012F7W6.99

Developer’s Agreement For $200 Million Plan Adopted In Conshohocken

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

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — A developer’s agreement with  Keystone Property Group (KPG) of Lower Merion to build a hotel, an office tower and a parking garage on Fayette Street and a new borough building for police and borough workers was unanimously approved Wednesday by Borough Council.

The $200 million KPG plan was selected by council in mid-September over a competing proposal by Brandywine Realty Trust (BRT) of Radnor.

The 32-page agreement will be ratified Friday by the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority.

KPG agreed to build an 18-story, 200-room hotel at the intersection of Fayette and Elm streets, an eight-story parking garage to replace an existing three-story garage and a new, 16-story, 200,000-square-foot office building at the intersection of First Avenue and Fayette Street.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20131218/developers-agreement-for-200-million-plan-adopted-in-conshohocken

Conditional Use Hearing By Council For 619-Unit Apartment Proposal In Conshohocken

Location of Conshohocken in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA ­­— Borough Council held a conditional use hearing Wednesday night on a proposal to build 619 apartments at 401 Washington Street proposed by the O’Neill Properties Group of Upper Merion.

The four buildings will have four stories of apartments built over a single level of parking.  Part of the 10.7-acre parcel is located in the floodway of the Schuylkill River.

The conditional use was recommended by the Conshohocken Planning Commission with several land development requirements, said Christine Stetler, the borough Director of Community Development.  Part of the parcel is located in Whitemarsh.

Attorney Edmund Campbell Jr., representing the developer, O’Neill Properties Group, said the conditional use would allow the walking trail, two storm water outfalls and several rain gardens to be built within 100 feet of the Schuylkill River bank.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130822/NEWS01/130829879/conditional-use-hearing-by-council-for-619-unit-apartment-proposal-in-conshohocken#full_story

Two Developers Set Sights On Fayette And Elm, Conshohocken

Location of Conshohocken in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CONSHOHOCKEN — The Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority (RDA) has released redacted copies of two proposals to redevelop the Verizon building and a vacant parcel at the intersection of Fayette and Elm streets, reuse the historic Washington Fire Co. building and provide additional parking for Fayette Street merchants and shoppers.

The Times Herald filed a Right to Know request July 26 for the two proposals from Brandywine Realty Trust (BRT) of Radnor, Delaware County, and Keystone Property Group (KPG) of Lower Merion after officials at the RDA refused to provide the proposals without allowing the two realty development companies to redact “confidential and proprietary information.”

Jerry Nugent III, the executive director of the RDA, said in a July 31 letter that the information was “commercial or financial information received by an agency which is privileged or confidential and the disclosure of which would cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the person that submitted the information.”

The redacted version of the BRT proposal included an executive summary and six conceptual drawings illustrating the firm’s plans for replacing the Verizon building at 402 Fayette St., with a 24,000-square-foot building for borough workers and the police department.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130802/NEWS01/130809921/two-developers-set-sights-on-fayette-and-elm-conshohocken-#full_story

Steel For I-81 Rebuild Sourced From Pennsylvania Steel Mills

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

In about a month, the massive bridge beams being manufactured for the emergency Interstate 81 rebuild project will be coming from beam fabricator High Steel Structures in Lancaster.

The company’s manufacturing facility — one of three in that city and four in the state — stands in sharp contrast to the fallen production factories that dot parts of the rust belt as it loops through Pennsylvania.

The steel industry was once a giant in Pennsylvania, and not just in Pittsburgh, Johnstown or Bethlehem, cities whose names are synonymous with steel.

While many of the heavy industrial mills closed — and indeed, Bethlehem Steel ceased to exist in 2003 — steel manufacturing is still a part of the state’s industrial landscape.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/07/all_in_family_steel_for_i-81_r.html#incart_river_default

Conshohocken Residential Rental License Ordinance Adopted Over Landlord, Realtor Objections

Location of Conshohocken in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CONSHOHOCKEN ­­— A revised Conshohocken Residential Rental License Permit ordinance was unanimously adopted by Borough Council Wednesday night despite the objections from a Realtor association representative, a Conshohocken landlord and a Realtor.

The ordinance established permit fees and inspection fees for each apartment, required landlords to have a resident agent within 12 miles of the leased building and provided penalties for landlords if tenants violate a detailed list of conduct.

“Council has been considering the revised rental ordinance for more than a year.  It creates different classes of licenses and provides for a biannual inspection,” said Solicitor Michael Savona.  “We have a requirement that landlords have a designated rental agent.  Conshohocken will have a very comprehensive and cutting-edge rental license ordinance.”

Borough Manager Fran Marabella said there were more than 2,000 rental apartments in the borough.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130621/NEWS01/130629915/conshohocken-residential-rental-license-ordinance-adopted-over-landlord-realtor-objections

Conshohocken Retains Its Sense Of Community

Location of Conshohocken in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Forty-nine years ago, Conshohocken leaders began crafting a comprehensive plan to transform the grimy old mill town into a modern, livable municipality, albeit a small one.

At just over one square mile, Conshohocken is shoehorned into a bend of the Schuylkill River, but is within earshot of I-476 and the Schuylkill Expressway, two of the region’s major arteries.

It took several decades, but between the vision of past leaders and the impact of that pair of highways, Conshohocken has become one of the region’s hottest neighborhoods, with sleek condo towers, destination restaurants and corporate headquarters along the waterfront, and a locally owned, family-friendly strip of restaurants, bars, and stores along Fayette Street.

Over the last decade, Conshohocken’s population has grown younger, wealthier and whiter, according to U.S. Census data.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/neighbors/main_line/20130429_Conshohocken_retains_its_sense_of_community.html

Horse Meat Found In Ikea’s Swedish Meatballs

English: Meatballs, produced in Sweden for IKEA Food Services Polski: Klopsy, pulpety – wyprodukowany w Szwecji dla IKEA Food Services (Usługi żywnościowe) Svenska: Köttbullar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

STOCKHOLM – Swedish furniture giant Ikea was drawn into Europe’s widening food labeling scandal Monday as authorities said they had detected horse meat in frozen meatballs labeled as beef and pork and sold in 13 countries across the continent.

The Czech State Veterinary Administration said that horse meat was found in one-kilogram (2.2 pound) packs of frozen meatballs made in Sweden and shipped to the Czech Republic for sale in Ikea stores there.  A total of 760 kilograms (1,675 pounds) of the meatballs were stopped from reaching the shelves.

Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said meatballs from the same batch had gone out to Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Ireland.  Magnusson said meatballs from that batch were taken off the shelves in Ikea stores in all those countries.  Other shipments of meatballs were not affected, including to the U.S., even though they all come from the same Swedish supplier, Magnusson said.

“Our global recommendation is to not recall or stop selling meatballs,” she said.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20130225_ap_horsemeatfoundinikeasswedishmeatballs.html#ixzz2LvXDxCiW
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The Best Pizzas In America?

English: Tony’s special Neapolitan pizza ready to eat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Best-of lists start more arguments than they settle.

New York Magazine’s rundown of 101 awesome pizzas surely will have pie fans debating the inclusions and the omissions.

Let’s start with the eight Philadelphia-area selections.

Some are painfully obvious – otherwise fine choices plucked from every other best-of list – like the Lombarda from Osteria, Margherita from Pizzeria Stella, Neapolitan from Nomad Pizza, and Lardo from Barbuzzo.  Same for the duck-fat-enriched deep-dish crusts from Garces Trading Company.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/food/The_best_pizza_in_America.html

Conshohocken Community Garden Gives Borough Grand Green Makeover

Location of Conshohocken in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — Hey Conshy, how does your garden grow?

Last spring, while the rest of us were procrastinating on that mythical vegetable garden we swore we’d finally get around to planting, those early birds at the Conshohocken Community Garden were busy tilling the organically fertilized soil and getting their cucumber seeds and tomato plants into the earth where they needed to be.

And now they’re reaping the harvest.

Practically everything’s growing like crazy here at 411 E. Elm Street — c’mon, cantaloupes, what’re you waiting for? — on what was for decades an eyesore of a vacant lot.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120729/NEWS01/120729484/conshohocken-community-garden-gives-borough-grand-green-makeover&pager=1