Controversial Deer Kill Thins Valley Forge Herd

White-tailed deer in Toronto, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jeff Houdret once enjoyed watching white-tailed deer roam Valley Forge National Historical Park.

But Houdret, whose Wayne home borders Valley Forge, has not seen a deer in at least a year.

“They’re all gone,” he said as he walked his two Yorkshire terriers through the park on Thursday afternoon.

With birth control not yet a viable option for combatting deer overpopulation, officials from Valley Forge said they would continue to employ sharpshooters next winter as part of their deer management plan.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140609_Controversial_deer_kill_thins_Valley_Forge_herd.html#Lss3le0CP020DwoL.99

PhillyDeals: French Building Firm Chooses Malvern For New U.S. HQ

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

John Crowe is the top North American executive for Saint-Gobain, the $55 billion- a-year French construction- materials maker that traces its roots to the group that built Versailles for King Louis XIV. Crowe has been looking for a place to build another palace – in Pennsylvania – as Saint-Gobain’s U.S. base and showroom.

To replace the company’s aging U.S. headquarters near Valley Forge, Crowe scouted sites for “an absolutely spectacular building that will incorporate all aspects of what we know as a building-materials company in terms of energy efficiency and a sustainable, open, collaborative workplace,” he tells me. Plus, a research and development center to replace the old labs in Blue Bell.

The search, extended by the recession, took Saint- Gobain six years. The company plans to announce this week that it has picked a potentially spectacular fixer-upper, an $80 million-plus expansion of the once-innovative but now-rusted and vacant complex built in 1969 by the former National Liberty Life Insurance Co. on 65 acres north of Malvern, close to the new State Route 29 ramp from the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20140413_PhillyDeals__French_building_firm_chooses_Malvern_for_new_U_S__HQ.html#2pYscMdh5kLGVKze.99

King Of Prussia Rail Project Public Meeting / Open House – January 30th!

SEPTA logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SEPTA has scheduled a Public Meeting/Open House for the King of Prussia Rail Project. The King of Prussia Rail Project will evaluate various alternative alignments to make the connection to the NHSL and destinations in King of Prussia.

Date: Thursday, January 30, 2014
Time: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Open House) | 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Presentations)
Location: Radisson Hotel at Valley Forge – South Ballroom 1160 First Avenue, King of Prussia, PA 19406

Meeting attendees should use the hotel entrance to reach the South Ballroom.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) welcomes your interest and participation in the King of Prussia Rail Project. Early in fall 2012, SEPTA initiated this study to evaluate an extension of the Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) to the King of Prussia area. The NHSL currently provides service between the 69th Street Transportation Center and Norristown Transportation Center, serving the Main Line area in Delaware and Montgomery Counties, and connecting to Center City Philadelphia. While the transit system is expansive, a rail connection to the King of Prussia area is missing.

The project will evaluate various alignments to provide increased transit service to the King of Prussia area. The project need stems from deficiencies in area transit services that result in long travel times, delays due to roadway congestion, and transfers between services. In addition, there are many destinations in the King of Prussia/Valley Forge area that are underserved or currently not served by public transit.

SEPTA invites you to participate in the project development process and provide input.

Website: http://www.kingofprussiarail.com/

Historical Lecture At Pottsgrove Manor

Pottstown, Pennsylvania — On Saturday, October 20th at 1:00 p.m., Pottsgrove Manor will host a talk by Potts’ family historian Daniel A. Graham.

In the lecture “That Healthy and Handsome Country Seat: A Look at Potts Family Real Estate,” Graham will speak about some of the other properties that were built and owned by members of the Potts family in addition to Pottsgrove Manor, including the house that would become Washington’s Headquarters at Valley Forge.  A donation of $2 per person is suggested for this program.

After the presentation, a guided tour of the manor house and Pottsgrove Manor’s current exhibit, “Matters Personal, Details Private: Cleanliness, Hygiene, and Personal Pursuits in the Colonial Home,” will be offered.

Pottsgrove Manor, home of John Potts, colonial ironmaster and founder of Pottstown, is located at 100 West King Street near the intersection of King Street and Route 100, just off Route 422, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Pottsgrove Manor is operated by Montgomery County under the direction of the Parks and Heritage Services Division of the Assets & Infrastructure Department.

Regular museum hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. & Sunday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Tours are given on the hour; last tour of the day begins as 3:00 p.m.  Groups of 10 or more should pre-register by calling (610) 326.4014.  For more information and a full calendar of events, visit us on the web at http://historicsites.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor or http://www.facebook.com/PottsgroveManor.