Moon Schools Eager To Talk Merger With Cornell

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

When the Moon Area School board voted recently to reach out to its much smaller neighbor, the Cornell School District, to discuss a possible merger, it resurrected an issue that had been explored at least twice before.

In 1992 and 1998, the districts studied the idea of a merger or of Cornell students attending Moon on a tuition basis. It died both times because of opposition in the communities and the lack of state financial incentives, but the voluntary merger of the Center Area and Monaca districts, to form Central Valley School District, in recent years has some Moon board members taking a new look at the prospect of sharing resources.

The Central Valley merger, initiated with board votes in 2007 and finalized in 2010, was the first since the court-ordered formation of the Woodland Hills School District in 1981 and the only district in Pennsylvania to be formed through a voluntary merger.

“I just think it’s something we should take a look at,” said Moon school director Laura Schisler, who raised the idea at a May 25 board meeting to vote on the closing of an elementary school.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2014/07/07/Moon-schools-eager-to-talk-merger-with-Cornell/stories/201407070045#ixzz36o7qTuSO

Steinman Family Foundations Merge, Form One Of The Largest Philanthropic Forces In Lancaster County

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Uniting to be a stronger force for good in the community, two Steinman family foundations are now one.

Tuesday, the James Hale Steinman Foundation and the John Frederick Steinman Foundation, operating separately for 62 years, became simply the Steinman Foundation.

The new charitable organization, with combined assets of more than $85 million, will be one of the largest private foundations in the area, certainly the largest in Lancaster County.

The mission of the foundations has always been to improve the quality of life for people who live here.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/steinman-family-foundations-merge-form-one-of-the-largest-philanthropic/article_5105ba3e-aed1-11e3-928f-001a4bcf6878.html

In Camden, Christie Hails New Force

English: , U.S. Attorney, Governor-elect of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gov. Christie came to Camden Wednesday to hail the advent of a new county-run police force in the city as “a transformational moment for both the city of Camden and Camden County – most importantly for the people, the children, the families, and the neighborhoods that they live in.”

Christie, an early supporter of the new Camden County Police, which Wednesday replaced the nearly 184-year-old city police department, said it would lead to “better, stronger, more effective, more visible law enforcement.”

Flanked by the new department’s leadership, the governor spoke at the swearing-in ceremony for former city Police Chief Scott Thomson, the new chief of the city’s metro division, in Malandra Hall, a community center in the Fairview Village section.

Before Christie’s remarks, more than a dozen former city officers gathered outside.  Some carried signs indicating their years of service and made a symbolic line on the street with their patrolman’s boots in a neat row. One retired sergeant said the group had come to attend the ceremony but was told it was a private event.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20130502_Camden_Council_approves_county_police_agreement.html

Freedom Valley YMCA Members Approve Merger

English: Center City Philadelphia YMCA building. Now it looks like condos with the word “Metropolitan” over it’s doorway. On NRHP since December 2, 1980. 115 North 15th Street (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LOWER PROVIDENCE — Several hundred members of the Freedom Valley YMCA approved a proposal to merge with the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity in a vote Thursday night.  The final vote tally was 507 voting yes, 449 voting no, according to the tabulation on the Freedom Valley Y’s website.

The merger proposal had been presented to members attending a Monday night town hall meeting at the Spring Valley YMCA.  The proposal will merge the Freedom Valley YMCA, with locations in West Norriton, Phoenixville, Pottstown, Limerick and Pennsburg, with the larger Philadelphia YMCA, which has 10 locations in the Philadelphia region.

Proponents of the merger plan said it would allow the combined YMCAs to build a branch in Conshohocken, pay one national YMCA fee, tap into the larger corporate donor base of the Philadelphia YMCA and achieve cost savings with the larger organization.  Fees would not be increased due to the merger, members would continue using their “home” YMCA facilities and overcrowding would not be a by-product of the merger, officials said.

On Thursday night, YMCA officials provided bus service from three of the Freedom Valley YMCAs for members who wanted to vote during a two-hour period.

Read more:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121116/NEWS01/121119504/freedom-valley-ymca-members-approve-merger-(video)#full_story

Mount Penn Formally Ends Merger Talks With Lower Alsace

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lower Alsace Supervisor John Theodossiou made one final plea asking Mount Penn Borough Council to reopen merger talks between the two municipalities.

“I understand there are a lot of differences and things got derailed,” he said. “At the very least go to the next meeting.”

But Theodossiou’s effort landed with a thud, as Mount Penn council voted on Tuesday to send letters to the Pennsylvania Economy League and Berks County formally ending the merger study.

Read more:

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=428047

Mount Penn Borough and Lower Alsace Township Agree To Merger Study

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After much discussion and two joint meetings, Mount Penn Borough Council and the Lower Alsace supervisors agreed Monday to move forward with a study of the pros and cons of merging or consolidating the municipalities.

Council then voted to approve a $22,500 contract with the Pennsylvania Economy League for the study. Lower Alsace had approved the contract in May after the first joint municipality meeting, contingent on Mount Penn’s involvement.

Councilman Thomas Smith said the study would provide the information needed to help supervisors and council decide whether merging or consolidating would be beneficial to both municipalities and their residents.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=399499

Mount Penn Borough, Lower Alsace Township Meet, Talk Merger

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Claudia Hurwitz and Josh Nowotarski were there to find facts.

John Theodossiou wanted to promote moving forward with an open mind.

Hurwitz, a Mount Penn council member, Nowotarski, the Mount Penn mayor, and Theodossiou, a Lower Alsace Township supervisor, were speaking at a joint public meeting on the possibility of pursuing a study that would examine the advantages and disadvantages of merging the two municipalities.

For weeks the borough and township discussed whether they wanted to meet with one another to discuss a potential study. After deliberating at meetings, they independently decided to meet Tuesday at the Antietam Junior-Senior High School in Lower Alsace.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=386464

Antietam School District Exploring The Possibility Of Merging With Exeter SD

 

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It’s a tune the Antietam School District has heard before: The district is once again exploring the possibility of merging with Exeter Township School District.

This is not the first time the neighboring districts have considered merging, nor the second. Or even the third. The idea has been discussed, repeatedly, as far back as the 1960s.

And for some Antietam residents, the history of failed mergers clouds their opinion of a new consideration.

“I don’t think they’ll merge,” said Brandy High, a Lower Alsace Township mother with two children in Antietam schools. “They’ve been saying it for a long time and never did.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=362292

VIST Financial Sold To New York Company

These mergers are ridiculous!

Spring Township-based VIST Financial Corp. was sold today to Tompkins Financial Corp. for about $86 million.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=361603

Fire Companies Consolidate In Eastern Berks County

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Three Berks County fire companies that have fought fires together for decades will be merging to form the Eastern Berks Fire Department in January.

The Goodwill Fire Co. in Bally, Volunteer Barto Fire Co. and the Keystone Fire Co. of Bechtelsville will join for what they say will provide better service, according to a news release.

“After three years of talks, negotiations, forms, inventories and legal approval, the three will begin operating as a single department at 4 p.m. on Jan. 3,” Rev. Paul Bartlett of the fire department said in the release.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-berks-fire-company-merger-20111226,0,7133192.story

Merger? Harleysville And Nationwide

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There is much speculation that Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is looking to swallow up much smaller Harleysville Insurance (HGIC).  These rumors caused Harleysville‘s stock price to jump 24 percent last week.  Harleysville is based in Lower Salford Township, Montgomery County.  Nationwide is based in Columbus, OH.

Harleysville had a large loss in second quarter this fiscal year.

An interesting side note – the same man who founded Harleysville Insurance Company also founded Harleysville National Bank.  Harleysville National Bank recently merged with Buffalo, NY based First Niagara.  What a sad coincidence it would be if this company succumbed to an out-of-state merger and disappeared as well.

First Niagara Gobbles Up Another Bank

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Pottstown newcomer First Niagara Bank is expanding again.  No sooner did the ink dry on the Harleysville sale that brought First Niagara here…they went bought another bank! 

New Alliance Bank of Connecticut was purchased in a $1.5 billion dollar transaction.  The deal will close the second quarter of 2011.  This will give First Niagara Bank 340 offices, $29 billion in assets, $18 billion in deposits and about 5000 employees. 

In comparison, the Harleysville sale price was $300 million.