PECO President And CEO Craig Adams To Deliver 2016 MCCC Commencement Address

Blue Bell, PA—PECO President and CEO Craig L. Adams will deliver Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) 2016 Commencement address on May 19 at 7 p.m. in Blue Bell. Adams also serves on the board of directors of MontcoWorks, Montgomery County’s Workforce Investment Board.

“Partnerships between education and industry are essential for developing a comprehensive workforce development strategy. Montgomery County Community College and MontcoWorks share a vision—to build a 21^st-century workforce and to strengthen the economic vitality of our communities,” said Dr. Kevin Pollock, MCCC president.

MCCC’s graduates provide much-needed human resources to the County and Commonwealth. According to a 2014 graduate survey, 68 percent of MCCC alumni are employed in Montgomery County and 97 percent are employed in Pennsylvania. In addition, a 2013 study by Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) reveals that the average income at the career midpoint of someone with an associate’s degree in Montgomery County is 35 percent higher than someone with only a high school diploma.

The partnership between PECO and MCCC is an outstanding example of education and industry working together to strengthen the community’s workforce. For more than a decade, the organizations have collaborated to enhance student access and success and to help students complete their education and find gainful employment in their careers.

In honor of MCCC’s 50th anniversary in 2015, PECO awarded $25,000 in scholarships to 50 high-achieving STEM students to help defray the cost of tuition, textbooks, lab supplies and other program-related costs. PECO also supported Engineering Innovation, a collaborative effort between MCCC and Johns Hopkins University that provides an academically challenging summer program to high school students who aspire to pursue careers in engineering.

In addition to these, PECO has supported MCCC’s LEAD Institute, a program for underserved, at-risk high school juniors and seniors; Minority Student Mentoring Initiative, which helps African-American and Latino students reach their educational goals; Upward Bound, a program that encourages Norristown and Pottstown high school students to pursue higher education; and Gateway to College, a national initiative that helps at-risk students graduate from high school and earn college credits.

“PECO values education and is especially supportive of Montgomery County Community College’s efforts to improve college readiness and to build a pipeline of professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM),” said Pollock. “I have no doubt that Mr. Adams’ keynote will motivate and inspire this year’s graduates.”

As president and CEO of PECO, Adams is responsible for leading PECO’s overall performance, delivering innovation and advancing smart energy to provide safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy and energy services to customers. He also guides the company’s philanthropic efforts, which provide more than $5 million annually to hundreds of nonprofit organizations across the region.

Civically, Adams holds board positions with a number of educational and community organizations in the Philadelphia area. He is president of the board of directors at Camphill Special School and chairman of the board of LEADERSHIP Philadelphia. He also is a board member of WHYY, the American Gas Association (AGA) and the Energy Association of Pennsylvania (EAP). He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from the State University of New York in Albany.

Ribbon Cutting, Sustainability Festival On Tap For MCCC Earth Day 2016‏

Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa.—Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will join communities across the world in celebrating Earth Day 2016 with a series of activities that engage students, faculty and community members with the institution’s sustainability efforts.

MCCC’s celebration kicks off on Monday, April 18 with the grand opening of the college’s Sustainability and Innovation Hub, located 140 College Drive in Pottstown. The opening marks the completion of the multiphase Riverfront Academic and Heritage Center project, which transformed a former energy substation and three-acre Brownfield site into a state-of-the-art center for STEM education, conservation and recreation.   A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m., followed by tours of the Sustainability and Innovation Hub, as well as tours of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s Interpretative Center.

Prior to ceremony, MCCC’s West Campus will host a Sustainability Fair in its South Hall, 101 College Drive, from noon-1 p.m. The fair will highlight many of the College’s green practices and STEM-related academic programming.

MCCC’s observation of Earth Day continues on Wednesday, April 20 at noon with a Sustainability Festival in the Advanced Technology Center at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The festival will feature sustainable student and College exhibits, as well as information and activities from green vendors and community organizations. Assistant Professor of Biology Jerry Coleman will also offer a walking tour of a proposed trail route that will pass through MCCC’s Central Campus, weather permitting.

Following the Sustainability Festival on Wednesday, April 20, MCCC’s Student Environmental Sustainability Club will host a discussion with Montgomery County Recycling Coordinator Veronica Harris in Science Center room 308 from 2-3 p.m.

During Earth Day events at both campuses, MCCC’s Ceramics Club, in collaboration with the Inter-Faith Housing Alliance in Ambler, will be selling handmade bowls as part of its Empty Bowls Project—an international grassroots effort to raise awareness in the fight to end hunger. Individuals who purchase a bowl—or who bring their own bowl—can receive a 25-cent discount off the purchase of soup in MCCC’s cafeterias.

Since signing the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007, sustainability has become a core value at Montgomery County Community College and is incorporated into the institution’s strategic plan, core curriculum, and in everyday best practices as they relate to facilities management, campus operations and transportation. A team of faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members comprise the Climate Commitment Advisory Council, which guides MCCC’s sustainability efforts toward attaining carbon neutrality by 2050.

Carbon Monoxide Sends 8 To Hospital In Norristown

NORRISTOWN, PA – Carbon monoxide emissions on the 100 block of West Airy Street in Norristown sent eight people to the hospital late Saturday night.

Crews were summoned to 156 W. Airy St. for a medical call around 11 p.m. Saturday, according to Norristown Fire Chief Tom O’Donnell

“There was a subject vomiting and not feeling well,” he said. “When they got there they immediately detected a generator running in the basement and called the Norristown Fire Department.”

A systematic house by house search was conducted for any other victims due to the extremely high levels of carbon monoxide in the home, O’Donnell said.

Read more:

http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20150524/carbon-monoxide-sends-8-to-hospital-in-norristown

Community Information Night At Limerick Generation Station

Date: October  16, 2014
Time: Visit us anytime between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Location: Limerick’s Learning Center

Meet our employees and learn how we produce electricity at Limerick Generating Station.  You can tour the main control room simulator, learn about our environmental programs and emergency preparedness, and get your own Limerick Generating Station souvenir badge! Children welcome!

Enter our property at the intersection of Sanatoga and Evergreen Roads in Limerick Twp. and follow signs for parking.

• Exelon representatives will be stationed in the parking area when you arrive.  A shuttle will be provided to the learning center.
• Contact us at LimerickGeneratingStation@exeloncorp.com with any questions.

We hope to see you there!

Meter Tamperer Generates Probation For Defrauding PECO Of $346K

NORRISTOWN, PA — A Philadelphia man who tampered with utility meters to reduce some account holders’ monthly PECO electrical bills, to the tune of nearly $350,000, has generated some court supervision in connection with the five-county theft scheme.

Marcelino Cuadra Jr., 47, of Aramingo Avenue, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to seven years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to charges of corrupt organizations, theft of services and conspiracy to commit theft of services in connection with the meter tampering incidents that occurred in Montgomery, Chester, Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia counties between December 2009 and October 2012.

Judge Garrett D. Page also ordered Cuadra to complete 60 hours of community service as a condition of the sentence. Cuadra must pay $346,750 in restitution to PECO, the judge said.

Read more: http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20140714/meter-tamperer-generates-probation-for-defrauding-peco-of-346k

150,000 Peco Customers Still In The Dark In Chester County

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

Update: At 8:45 a.m. Saturday, about 152,000 were still without electricity, according to Peco, down from 715,000 at the outage’s peak. Sixteen percent of the Pennsylvania suburbs remain without power; including 30% in Chester County.

Nearly 40 percent of Chester County remained powerless late Friday, with several communities entirely dark for a third straight night and officials warning that it might be days before all the lights were back on.

Peco, which had more than 5,000 utility workers – half from out of town – clearing downed trees and repairing wires Friday, continued to make progress restoring power, with more than 60,000 customers brought online during the day. At 10 p.m. Friday, about 182,000 were still without electricity, down from 715,000 at the outage’s peak.

Peco ranked the event as the largest winter power outage in its history, second overall to 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140208_Outages_drop__but_some_could_wait_days_for_power.html#4ypvLijq0jDuLQ2M.99

PECO: Montgomery County Ice Storm Second Worst For Power Outages Since Hurricane Sandy

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

NORRISTOWN, PA — A PECO spokesperson said they are looking into a multiple day restoration process for 67 percent of customers without power in Montgomery County.

At 1 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, 181,902 of the 302,600 PECO customers in Montgomery County are without power—not all Montgomery County residents are PECO customers— and crews are in the area trying to turn the lights back on.

“We’re looking at the second worst storm for power outages since Hurricane Sandy,” PECO Spokesperson Cathy Engel Mendez said on Wednesday.

Mendez said the most common cause of the outages have to do with tree limbs coming down on power lines.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140205/peco-montgomery-county-ice-storm-second-worst-for-power-outages-since-hurricane-sandy

UPDATED: PECO Determines Cause Of Power Loss In Pottstown

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

POTTSTOWN, PA — Several hours after a temporary power outage plunged more than 2,000 people around the borough into darkness on Tuesday, PECO crews determined the cause of the problem.

The outage occurred around 10:40 a.m. and impacted 2,250 customers. Power to all but five customers was restored around 11 a.m.

Greg Smore, a PECO spokesperson, said an issue with a piece of equipment and a downed wire cause the outage, which lasted a little under an hour.

“It was not a malfunction and it was not weather related,” Smore said.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140114/updated-peco-determines-cause-of-power-loss-in-pottstown

$2.3M Restoration Of Frick’s Lock Village Unveiled

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

EAST COVENTRY TOWNSHIP, PA — In its heyday, Frick’s Lock Village was one of dozens of stops along the Schuylkill Navigation for coal making its way from the coal regions and the river’s headwaters to energy-starved industrial cities like Philadelphia.

But it lost its economic lustre when the railroads took over the job of carrying the coal and it slipped from public view entirely in 1969, when it was purchased by PECO as part of the construction of the Limerick nuclear plant.

But it never slipped entirely from memory, at least not for people like Bill Carl, who lived in the former locktender’s house in the late 1930s, when it had no electricity and no plumbing.

“We rented this from the Reading Railroad Co. for $5 a month,” he said.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130512/NEWS01/130519819/-2-3m-restoration-of-frick-s-lock-village-unveiled#full_story

PA-NY-NJ Picking Up After Hurricane Sandy’s Epic Devastation

The sodden, wind-blown tri-state region of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania began an arduous journey back to normal on Wednesday after mammoth storm Sandy killed at least 82 people in a rampage that swamped coastal cities and cut power to millions across the Northeast.

Financial markets reopened with the New York Stock Exchange running on generator power after the first weather-related two-day closure since an 1888 blizzard. Packed buses took commuters to work with New York’s subway system idle after seawater flooded its tunnels.

The U. S. Navy said it was moving ships closer to areas affected by the disaster in case they might be needed, including the helicopter carrier USS Wasp.

Sandy killed 69 people in the Caribbean as a hurricane before crashing ashore just south of Atlantic City, N.J. Monday night as Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy, which became a rare hybrid superstorm after merging with another weather system to deliver 80 mile-per-hour winds and record storm surges.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-ny-nj-hurricane-sandy-update-1101-20121101,0,5611775,full.story

Philadelphia, Suburbs Emerge From Sandy

English: This is my own work, Public Domain Photograph, not copyrighted Ed Yakovich http://www.flickr.com/photos/10396190@N04 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The scene at the corner of Chelten and Wissahickon avenues in Philadelphia said it all: A blue mountain bike, badly mangled and turned upside down, but still somehow tethered to a bicycle rack.

The city and its suburbs emerged shaken but largely intact Tuesday morning, after taking a night’s beating from Sandy’s high winds and rain. Some people remained in shelters, but waterways were receding in certain areas, and many residents were coming outside to survey the damage and take a deep breath of relief.

Travel remained challenging, with downed power lines and trees closing streets. SEPTA began resuming services at noon, hoping to bring the system to full strength piece by piece. Shopping malls planned to reopen Tuesday, though an estimated 1.2 million were without power across Pennsylvania.

A Peco spokesperson said total outages for Southeastern Pennsylvania reached more than 800,000 at the height of the storm, shattering previous records, and as of Tuesday morning 585,000 were without service. Restoration could take days.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20121030_Philadelphia__suburbs_emerge_from_Sandy.html

Montgomery County Public Safety Department Provides Public Inquiry Lines

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

NORRISTOWN, PA (COURTHOUSE) — As Hurricane Sandy bears down on Montgomery County, residents can turn to county public safety officials for information about the hurricane.

The Montgomery County Public Safety Department announced Monday morning that staffers are manning phone lines to answer residents’ questions about the storm. Residents with questions about what is happening in their area can call 610-631-9700.

John A. Corcoran, deputy director of external affairs for the Montgomery County Public Safety Department, stressed the phone lines are for general questions, not emergencies.

“They should call 911 if they have an emergency and call their utility if they have a power outage,” Corcoran explained.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/article/20121029/NEWS01/121029520/montgomery-county-public-safety-department-provides-public-inquiry-lines&pager=full_story

Pottstown Area Information Regarding Hurricane Sandy

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

By 8:30 p.m. Sunday night, the storm shelter at Pottstown High School already had 20 guests.

In Pottstown, Hanover Street between Third and Fourth streets has been closed for low tree branches and power lines.  (Thanks to Tom Hylton!)

The Coventry Mall will close at 2 p.m. today.

However, as of 10:30 a.m., Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target all planned to remain open throughout the day.

Read full story: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121029/NEWS01/121029419/click-for-local-hurricane-sandy-updates&pager=full_story

Monster Storm Closing In On Lehigh Valley Region

Icon for a Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale Category 1 hurricane. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After almost a week of ominous forecasts, the weather system born of a giant hurricane, a winter storm and an arctic air mass is upon us.  And it’s not going anywhere fast.

Across the Lehigh Valley, residents and government officials worked through the weekend to protect lives and property as Hurricane Sandy morphed into a gargantuan storm that will affect every part of the Northeast.

Although Sandy, which remained a Category 1 hurricane, was not expected to make landfall on the New Jersey coast until late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, the storm’s effects have been felt since Sunday evening.  Ahead of Sandy’s landfall, every school district in the Lehigh Valley canceled Monday’s classes.  Some colleges closed through Tuesday.

The worst of the weather will persist throughout the day Monday, with sustained winds from 35 to 45 mph and gusts up to 55 mph.  That will bring down tree limbs and small trees causing power outages and property damage.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-hurricane-sandy-impact-20121028,0,6460543.story

Electricity Costs Increase For PECO Customers

The 473,000 PECO customers who have made the switch to an alternative energy supplier must have felt pretty good about their choice Monday.

“PECO’s energy delivery rates have not changed but the price we are paying to purchase electricity for customers who have not switched to an alternative provider has gone up 21.5 percent from the third to the fourth quarter,” said PECO spokeswoman Cathy Engle Menendez.

“The price is adjusted quarterly and tied directly to the wholesale cost of electricity.  We have no control over this price.  It’s a pass-through.”

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-mercury/story/electricity-costs-increase-peco-customers/1

150,000 PECO Customers Still Without Power

PECO is reporting that at the height of yesterday’s freak blizzard, 250,000 customers were without power.  That number has been reduced to 150,000.

Chester, Bucks and Montgomery Counties were the hardest hit.  Customers in these three counties represent almost 100% of the 150,000 still left without power.

Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power In Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA – Mother Nature’s October surprise snowfall has cut power to about 428,000 customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania as trees weighted down by heavy flakes topple onto power lines or traffic accidents bring down utility poles.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20111029_ap_rareoctobersnowcutspowertothousandsinpa.html?ref=twitter.com#ixzz1cCoU0WAf
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Roy’s Rants And North End Lose Power When Truck Hits Utility Poles

We were without power for about four hours this afternoon when a semi, coming up Hale Street (never a good idea), tried to make a left hand turn on Mineral Street and took out five utility poles.  Above/below are some pictures from the scene.  Took us out of commission all afternoon, on a good writing day….grrrrrr.

One of the firemen on duty said he lives on Grant Street and the power flickered there shortly before he got the call about the accident.  It is amazing how little one can do in this day and age without electricity.  Many thanks to PECO for restoring our power!  Also many thanks to Pottstown police, fire and rescue workers for promptly arriving on the scene!

Met Ed & PECO Rate Caps To Expire 12/31/10

Metropolitan Edison‘s (Met-Ed) electricity rate cap is set to expire on 12/31/10 (for Pennsylvania customers.)  Rates are expected to rise 10%.  Consumers will be offered the choice to stay with Met-Ed or switch to another electricity supplier which could save them money.

Allentown based PPL raised their rates by one-third after their rate cap expired 12/30/09.

PECO Energy aka Exelon’s rate cap is also set to expire 12/31/10.  You can expect to see a 7% increase in your electric bill if you stay with PECO after the rate cap ends.

This link should give you information on the rates for all state-licensed electric suppliers: www.papowerswitch.com

Pennsylvania Power and Light Rates To Jump 29.7% January 1st

Rate cap expirations are coming 12/31/09.  PP&L rates will rise 30% – so if your current bill is $106.08 a month it will jump to $137.64.

I shudder to think what is going to happen to those of us with Exelon aka PECO when our rate cap expires!

I see more candles in my future.