ItsAmity - Amity Township, Berks County, PA

Snow Season Tips

2011-01-24T13:04:00.002-05:00

The township police apparently decided to start enforcing the 'no street parking during snow clearing times' this year, even though it has been on the books for years.

The only announcement I found about this was not in the township newsletter or on the township website in 2010 but on the township website in 2011 after I heard people complaining about it.

I learned on ItsAmity Talk that it was discussed after the fact at the January crime watch meeting.

At least it was enforced uniformly. The Amity police chief got cited.

http://itsamity.com/files/News/Police_chief_cited_for_parking_violation.pdf

Also remember these other points from the township website:

-Do not to put your snow in the road. You can be cited and it creates hazards after they have already cleared the roads.
-Clear your own sidewalks.
-Do not expect reimbursement for a mailbox damaged by the snow plows.

Bookmobile is no longer

2009-09-16T06:24:00.002-04:00

I visited the Berks County Bookmobile page this morning to get dats for the October community calendar and fouind this message:

Discontinued
Effective September 30, 2009, Community Bookmobile service will be discontinued.

All materials checked out from the Bookmobile may be returned to any of the libraries located throughout the county. Click here for a list of the libraries, their phone numbers, and addresses.

We are sorry for this inconvenience. It has been our pleasure to serve you.

I am not sure if it is the budget crunch or was being planned anyways due to lack of use. I know the Amity hours and locations had been scaled back this past year.

Local entertainment

2008-12-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

Last night we attended the play Miracle on 34th Street in Pottstown tri-county performing arts center (http://www.villageproductions.org/). It is the new site and was the first public performance in the black box stage. It is almost a theater in the round but only on 3 sides.

The acting was good and they showed real emotion. They even brought out my emotion, especially when Santa (who is probably a professional with a real white beard and hair) spoke Dutch to the orphan girl at Macy’s.

There were 13 acts in the first half and 14 in the second half. It started at 7:30, had announcements, a twenty minute intermission and was over by 10:10. They even had refreshments for purchase and the chocolate dessert bar I had was great.

I would consider going to every play, if the cost were less. $40 for entertainment is not cheap and that did not include dinner or babysitting. Compared to the Pottstown movie with a combo popcorn/drink it is still $10 more but it is live acting and fun too.

Enjoy the Schuylkill River trail

2008-12-05T11:23:00.001-05:00

I had the chance recently to ride the Schuylkill River trail from Pottstown to Birdsboro. (http://www.schuylkillriver.org).

It was paved from Pottstown park to Grosstown road. It is a crushed stone trail from Grosstown road to Armorcast Road in Birdsboro. There is parking at Grosstown Road, Old Morlatton Village, Tim’s Ugly Mug or Moyers, and where the trail ends near Rita’s. I did not want to chance the roadside trail on 724 even though it is supposedly marked and I hope wide enough.

It is a great walk too and each part is different. Pottstown is paved flat and sunny, Douglassville is in the trees but smooth. Birdsboro was a little bumpy since it is lower with more trees, leaves and water and along the back yards of houses.

If you get a chance to enjoy it, please do. It is best when it is dry.

Grateful to be in Amity

2008-12-05T07:04:00.001-05:00

I thought there has not been a lot to discuss in Amity since I was only thinking about issues that needed to be made known. But with Thanksgiving just past and the thought of gratitude, I realize there is something to be said. Since I was sick for 2 days on Thanksgiving, I am grateful we have an emergency care center in Amity. Even though it was not open at 7 am when I went over, it did open at 9 am and I was in and out within 45 minutes. I am sure the others that were there were glad they could get seen. I think it was worth the extra $30 I had to pay since my normal Dr. office was closed. It was also nice the pharmacy was open too.

I am also grateful we have some fast food. Even though McDonalds is not the best it is convenient to drive through and pick up a quick meal. It is also great to be able to grab a sandwich at Wawa or Subway. I think the new Dunkin Donuts has food too.

I also tried the new Jays Lanes bowling recently. It is a lot better now that it has been rebuilt and is non smoking. Their website is at http://jaylanesbowling.com.

Gas Price Update (for the good)

2008-12-05T06:39:00.001-05:00

It has been over a year since the last gas price post. Prices peaked at $3.99 a gallon which is better than most places around that went over $4 a gallon. With the fall in the price of oil because of the poor economy Wawa is down to$1.85 which is average for the area.

Remember you can check prices (if they are low enough to make the list and we have not always been on it) at http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStations.aspx?m=1&l=1&zip=19518&x=21&y=9

Gas Price Abuse?

2007-11-16T19:44:00.001-05:00

Amity used to have the cheapest gas for miles and was usually 10-15 cents cheaper than Pottstown and the mainline. However they are now 10 cents or more than those expensive areas. What happened? They cannot blame it on oil prices since those impact everyone.

It seems that when Wawa closed for remodeling last month, the area stations raised their prices since they did not have competition. Once Wawa opened they matched the other's elevated prices and have been going up ever since.

As of this evening it was $3.13; this morning it was $3.11 and last night it was $3.09. I filled up this morning on the mainline at $3.01. In Boyertown yesterday, $2.99 was posted.

Maybe the days of competition are over or maybe we just have to pay for the remodeled Wawa. I have been in there once and except for new signs and rearranged shelves, I did not notice improvements.

If anyone knows what is happening, please let me know....

Halloween – A time for fun, a time for teaching

2007-11-16T06:35:00.000-05:00

Halloween has come and gone. No major problems, but some interesting observations.

It is definitely a time to see who has been taught respect and not to be greedy. Knowing most kids that live in our neighborhood, it was easy to see who does not live there. Those that live in our neighborhood have been taught respect in that they use the sidewalks and say thank you when getting candy. Many of those who came to our neighborhood to trick or treat apparently have not been taught. They would cut across lawns and gardens to make it easier to get to and from the door.

It seems they are also greedy in that they would grab a handful of candy, instead of taking one and then being offered to take another.Halloween is a time for fun. Fortunately, I did not see anyone get upset at the kids for being greedy and cutting across lawns, though I have seen it in the past.

There is always room for improvement and something as simple as respect for another’s property is a good place to start.

Safer to walk than bus?

2007-08-29T10:25:00.001-04:00

I read in the paper about a family whose kids in the Daniel Boone School district have to walk 8/10ths of a mile on a narrow tree and bush lined road with traffic to get to the bus. Superintendent Robinson said that is just the way it is and they are not required to provide bussing; it is the parent’s responsibility to get kids to school. He declined allowing the bus to go up the road and then back in because of safety issues.

Ok, maybe the district is not responsible and the parents have to get their kids to school. But if they can’t and they walk the dangerous road to the bus stop and something happens……

I do not have all the facts but from what I read it seems the bus should serve the kids. I would not want to be blamed for an accident I could have prevented.

Maybe it is less unsafe for the bus to back in. If the facts are available to make the decision, why not share them with the public to help us understand why decisions are made?

Issue - Gun Sales

2007-08-24T06:43:00.000-04:00

Amity has no gun sales that I am aware of. We do have hunters.

The news on gun checks being suspended for a computer system upgrade and the uproar from at least one law maker about politics being involved makes me wonder.

Do all hunters wait until the opening of hunting season to buy their guns? If they are hunters they should have their guns unless it breaks on opening day. Can hunters not plan ahead if it is known gun checks will not be available?

Did the planning agency real take the first opportunity for the system upgrade and did they look at gun check figures for that period when considering the upgrade?

I wish the media would ask questions like this and report on them so we can have more detail and be able to judge for ourselves if these issues in the news are really worth thinking about….

First Day Blog

2007-08-22T06:43:00.000-04:00

On the rainy drive in to work on 422 today, (after being grateful the grass is green again) I thought about being able to tell people about what bothers me with some of the drivers and thought of a community blog (thanks to my daughter recently sharing her's). I guess one of my pet peeves is those drivers who think the fast lane is too slow, so as soon as there is a break in traffic in the right lane, they accelerate into the opening and speed up to the car in front and then cut into a small opening between 2 cars in the left lane causing the one behind to have to break to avoid collision. They must be so proud as they are in front of a car or 2 that they were behind previously. I wonder if they really think that those 2 spots are worth the risk?

Another thought to consider from the News on KYW1060. Lawmakers are considering mandating that school not start until after Labor Day. The reason stated by one lawmaker was to save tourist dollars. I never really thought about it that way. I always thought it would be nice not to have to go back before the holiday and would make it easier to plan vacations. Unfortunately, we would pay on the backend with an extra several days in school.