King Of Prussia Rail: Where Will It Go?

As SEPTA moves further down the line in planning a rail extension to King of Prussia, there are a few things we know – and many more that we don’t.

Among the decisions so far: It will be a spur off the Norristown High-Speed Rail Line. The entire five-mile route will be on an elevated concrete track. It will stop at the King of Prussia Mall, end at the Valley Forge Casino and Convention Center, and include two to four stops along the way.

But transit planners, township officials, and business groups are still studying some of the most crucial details, including which of five proposed routes would get the most ridership, how much each route would cost, and how each would affect noise, traffic, and other environmental conditions.

With planning well underway and strong potential for federal funding, SEPTA says the line could be running by 2023.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20150322_King_of_Prussia_rail__Where_will_it_go_.html#ADk7y2t3i7i1u2V0.99

Popular ‘Starting A Successful Woman-Owned Business’ Series Returns To MCCC

Blue Bell, Pa.—Aspiring entrepreneurs can learn more about Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) popular “Starting a Successful Woman-Owned Business” series during a free open house on Tuesday, Sept. 2, from 7-8 p.m. The open house will be held in Parkhouse Hall room 129 at the College’s Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. RSVP to Marge Philippsen at 215-641-6374 or mphilipp@mc3.edu.

“Staring a Successful Woman-Owned Business” is a 12-week certificate program designed to encourage women to develop their business ideas into a roadmap for success. Taught by a successful woman entrepreneur, the program enables participants to get practical knowledge about what it takes to make it as a business owner while being exposed to subject-matter experts across a wide range of business topics. Participants will also go through a business planning process and will receive course certification upon successful completion of a business plan.

The fall installment of the biannual series begins Sept. 9 and continues on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-9:30 p.m. through Nov. 25. The cost, including textbooks, is $495.

To learn more, visit mc3.edu/academics, select Areas of Study, Business and Entrepreneurial Initiatives, then Career Training Programs.

Gain Skills, Credentials In MCCC’s New Office Assistant Certificate Program

Map of Montgomery County. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Blue Bell, Pa.— Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) is offering a twist to traditional workforce development with the introduction of its new Office Assistant Certificate this fall. The program—part of the national Job Ready, Willing and Able (JRWA) Initiative—provides built-in job placement assistance and a coach to guide students through the training and certificate completion.

The fall iteration of this 11-week program runs from Sept. 29 through Dec. 11. Classes are held Monday through Thursday from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the College’s Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Students are also required to attend six workshop sessions, which are held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, Oct. 28, Nov. 11 and Dec. 4, and from 9:30 a.m.-noon on Saturdays, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13. The cost is $495, which includes instruction, workshops, course textbooks and Microsoft Office Specialist certification exam fees. To learn more or to apply, call 215-461-1468 or email JobTrakPA@mc3.edu.

Students enrolled in the Office Assistant Certificate Program will learn critical computer literacy and other skills expected by employers in business environments. Course modules include Business Software Essentials, Microsoft Word Applications and Modern Office Management.

“Local industry is in search of qualified office assistants,” said Suzanne Holloman, dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at MCCC.  “This 135-hour certificate is laser-focused to train individuals who are unemployed for a middle-skills job.”

After completing the certificate, students may pursue the Microsoft Office Specialist certification exam for Microsoft Word 2013. This sought-after credential provides students with marketable skills that will further increase their chances for employment. In addition, students who complete the certificate can apply the courses to the College’s Office Administration Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree program.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, office and administrative support occupations comprise one of the largest occupation groups in the Commonwealth. The Center for Workforce Information and Analysis projects 105 annual openings in this field in Montgomery County. Additionally, there is a growing need in the Montgomery County Region for general office clerks, with an expected 338 annual openings in the County and an estimated 14,620 total jobs in 2016.

Through JRWA, MCCC joins 17 other community colleges across the country in providing middle-skills training, industry recognized credentials, and access to employment across varying industry sectors for unemployed individuals. The initiative is funded by a three-year grant from the Walmart Foundation and is led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

Largest Target On East Coast Set To Open In Upper Merion

Location of Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — King of Prussia’s fire and police departments are prepared for action when the largest Target store on the East coast opens its doors in one of the busiest shopping areas in the Philadelphia area on Sunday.

Ever since the August 2013 announcement of the planned opening, township police and fire personnel have been working continuously with store officials to address all issues of safety and security.

The store, located at 160 West DeKalb Pike in the Valley Forge Shopping Center, will occupy approximately 165,000 square feet of floor area and will provide 800 parking spaces, half of which will be underground.

“When any retail establishment opens in Upper Merion Township, we set up a working relationship with them,” said Lt. Michael Martin, Upper Merion Police Department’s investigation division commander. “We have meetings with the management team and store employees so our officers become familiar with store security, how they operate and what our responsibilities are when a crime arises”

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140721/target-set-to-open-in-upper-merion-police-fire-departments-prepared

MCCC, TD Bank To Host Free Workshops On Building, Keeping Great Credit

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

Blue Bell/Pottstown, PA — April is National Financial Literacy Month, and Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) and TD Bank will offer free workshops to help students and community members learn how to build and keep great credit.

The workshops will be held on April 23 from 12:15-1:15 p.m. and April 24 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in Parkhouse Hall room 121 at MCCC’s Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, and on April 29 from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in South Hall room 221 at MCCC’s West Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown.

The workshops are free of charge and are open to the public. Questions can be directed to MCCC’s Financial Aid Office at 215-641-6566.

Norristown Planning Commission To Review Senior Housing Proposal For Former Kennedy-Kenrick High School

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

NORRISTOWN ­­— The proposed 208-unit senior housing project at the former Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School will add 69 new vehicle trips during the weekday AM “peak” hour and 93 new vehicle trips during the weekday PM “peak” hour, according to a traffic impact study submitted to the Norristown Planning Commission.

The June 27 study, produced by Traffic Planning and Design (TPD) of Pottstown, and the preliminary site plans by the developer, Hallman Retirement Neighborhoods of Pottstown, will be reviewed by the planning commission at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The proposed $50 million project will include 46 units and a community center in the former high school, two multi-family buildings with a total of 98 units, 28 townhouses and two single-family homes for residential staff on the main school property at Johnson Highway and Arch Street.  The plan also calls for the former convent building to be razed and a 36-unit building and a separate, two-story retail/medical office building to be built in the former parking lot off Arch Street.

Two driveways will be built on Johnson Highway including a full-access driveway and a limited-access (egress only) driveway located 200 feet west of Arch Street.  full-access driveways will be built on Arch Street.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130708/NEWS01/130709735/norristown-planning-commission-to-review-senior-housing-proposal-for-former-kennedy-kenrick-high-school

Burger King To Unveil A New Restaurant In King Of Prussia This Fall

Location of Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER MERION — The king is getting some new digs, and it’s going to be a whopper of a castle.

Just two months shy of its 50th anniversary, the Burger King on DeKalb Pike in King of Prussia was demolished Wednesday to make way for a stone and stucco beauty featuring a drive-through and a Wired Your Way Café — amenities fitting the king’s royally updated new image.

Debuting on Aug. 13, 1963 as store number 113 under the future fast food empire’s brief ownership of partners James McLamore and David Edgerton, the intriguing fresh concept in fast casual dining that specialized in Whopper and Whaler (fish) sandwiches, French fries and milk shakes kicked off in King of Prussia the same year as The Plaza, another icon that’s gone through a radical transformation over the years.

The 568 W. DeKalb Pike store was the first Home of the Whopper — an enduring trademark that will figure prominently into the signage of the new design — to stake its claim in the area, ahead of Trooper (store number 179) and Blue Bell (363).

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130605/FINANCE01/130609835/burger-king-to-unveil-a-new-restaurant-in-king-of-prussia-this-fall#full_story