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A Blog about Conshohocken, PA

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Montgomery County Budget Woes

December 1st, 2011 · General, News, Politics

George is Keeping an Eye On You!
I’ve been reading alot about the budget woes that Montgomery County is going through.  It’s incredible what the are planning to cut to make the numbers work.  The best coverage I’ve found is located at Patch (http://plymouthwhitemarsh.patch.com/articles/proposed-montco-budget-threatens-massive-service-cuts-e2486f1d).  BTW:  If anyone reading this blog is not keeping tabs on Patch, you need to start.  They have local reporters, covering local events and they do a great job of it.  Check them out.

In any case, one of the better overviews I have seen comes from a friend of mine.  Here is a bullet point list of items that will likely get cut or just go away:

  • Community revitalization grant funding would be eliminated.
  • A voice for Montgomery County project in the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission  funding review process would be lost.
  • County trail projects and maintenance would be lost.  It is possible that trail maintenance could fall to the municipalities in which sections of the trails are located, placing a burden on local municipalities.
  • County review and assistance in land development and planning would be lost.
  • The cutting of library funds would seriously impact the Conshohocken Library which is a branch of the county library system.  Conshohocken’s library could loose staff and operating funds, which the Borough probably could not make up, and or hours could be severely reduced.
  • Regional parks such as the Norristown Farm Park, Upper Perkiomen Park and Lower Perkiomen Park would suffer a loss as would the Zoo, whose funding is precarious at best.
  • Community College likewise would suffer loss for all County residents.

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New Deck in Conshy

September 16th, 2011 · General, Review

I’ve had a busy summer with building a new deck.  This has been the single most expensive and time consuming project I have ever taken on at my house, which I have owned since 2004.

One of the more challenging aspects of this project was my attempt at keeping my business (and money) as local to the Conshohocken economy as possible.  This is easier said then done for a number of reasons…

One of the first purchases I made for this project was a dumpster.  I contacted the Borough code officer to make sure it was acceptable to store the dumpter in the rear alleyway, instead of taking 1-2 parking spots on the street.  It is OK, but there must be 10′ of clearance so emergency vehicles can get through.  Luckily, my alley is 24′ and the dumpter was only 8′, so plenty of room.  The permit for the dumpster was $50, which I got from the Borough.

The dumpter was rented from Horizon Waste Service (http://www.horizonwasteservice.com) who provided me a quote via email, gave me a fair price and is local to Conshohocken.  They got my business without a second thought.

The next big purchase was the lumber.  There are a few local lumber yards in Norristown and Phoenixville, but I ended up going with Home Depot in Plymouth Meeting for a few reasons.  The big one was flexibility.  Generally, they are painless to deal with and any extra stuff you buy can be returned without even a question.  The Home Depot delivery was ontime and they navigated my alleyway with a whole lot of lumber and supplies without a problem.  Great job by them.

Decking was another story.  There are a bunch of different composite decking companies out there, including the big ones like Trex and TimberTech.  After doing hours of research (my favorite part of any big project) and getting demo pieces for my wife to look at, we decided on DuraLife Siesta Hardwood Blend, in Brazilian Cherry color.  Once again, I had trouble keeping my money local as there were no local distributors of this product.  I ended up buying the decking from Andalusia Wholesale Supply Company (http://www.andalusiawholesale.com), who did a great job delivering and correcting a mistake with the order within 2 days.

Lastly, was the railing around the deck.  Pretty much everyone makes similar railing, but my contractor recommended the railing that is sold by a company in Norristown called Plastic Lumber Yard (http://plasticlumberyard.com).  My wife and I made a visit and picked a style and color.  The price was comparable to others, the quality was first rate and I was able to support some local folks.

Overall, I’m happy with my decision.  I have to get the final inspection from the building inspector at the Borough, but that should be soon.  Pictures are below…

Original deck, before demo Demo Day 1, holes are dug for the new footers More demo, not much left
Decking as arrived.  Structure is being built out. Structure is complete.  Blocking going in, decking will start soon.
Decking as begun. Decking continue, railing has started. Decking almost complete.    Railing almost complete
Gate is up, railing complete, decking complete.  Deck is done.
   

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A Conshy Crematorium?

August 26th, 2011 · General, News, Real Estate

Did you know there is a proposal on the table to have a crematorium built in Conshohocken?  Ciavarelli Funeral Home has a item on the Zoning Hearing Board’s agenda to have a crematorium built on the premises.  Here is a interesting article from P-W Patch on the facility.

Personally, I’m am not informed enough on the positives and negative of a crematorium to provide an opinion, yet.  But, here are the items I can think of right away that may be an issues that I able to find so far:

  • Pollution:  The amount of pollution generated by the crematoria’s incinerators is a real concern. Mercury from dental fillings in the average crematorium gives off an estimated 11 kg of mercury annually. The chemicals and plastics in artifical joints and implants, in the clothes burned, in the formaldehyde used in preserving the body, hydrogen chloride, carbon dioxide, all add to the pollution.  The government, aware of the problem, has since 1990 been placing tighter and tighter regulations on crematoria emissions, which is pushing up the cost of cremation year by year.
  • Coffins:  All coffins are burned, though some now have ‘inner boxes’, the outer shell being removed to be resold by the funeral director. The coffins burning only adds to the pollution, from glues, metal hinges, metal and plastic decoration, and manmade fabric liners. There are some wonderful environmentally friendly coffins now on the market, made in willow wicker, bamboo, cardboard or even papier maché, but the majority of coffins sold are MDF, reconstituted wood bound together with plastic glues, veneered in wood and varnish. Some crematorium will not accept card, home-made coffins or shrouds, being awkward about the idea of anything other than the norm.
  • Smell:  It is possible that the smell of the burning bodies is present.  I’m sure the funeral homes do everything they can to minimize this, but it is a possibility.
As I get more information on the plan, I’ll post more info.  Right now I know the Zoning Hearing Board agenda items has been pushed back to October, so nothing should happen until then.

 

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Some Developments at 401 Diner

August 9th, 2011 · Food & Drink, News

I have some news on the ongoing changes taking place at the 401 Diner…

  • The 401 Diner will reopen as a diner – serving upscale, quality diner food
  • Offerings will include organic, local and healthy dishes
  • The new owners plan on creating a “Tree of Life” mosaic mural design on the Fayette St side of the building
  • No word on opening date, but I’ll keep you informed.

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Conshohocken Domains are getting picked up

August 8th, 2011 · General, News

One of my search engines scripts ran and these domains were just registered.  This is either domain squatting for future sale (and profit!) or we should start expecting a large marketing blitz on our fair Borough.

conshohockenattorney.com
conshohockenclinic.com
conshohockencondos.com
conshohockenconstruction.com
conshohockendaycare.com
conshohockendoctor.com
conshohockenhotel.com
conshohockenhouses.com
conshohockeninsurance.com
conshohockenlandscaping.com
conshohockenlawyer.com
conshohockenlimo.com
conshohockenlimos.com
conshohockenmassage.com
conshohockenpahomes.com
conshohockenplumber.com
conshohockenproperties.com
conshohockenproperty.com
conshohockenrental.com
conshohockenrentals.com
conshohockensalon.com
conshohockenspa.com
conshohockentaxi.com
conshohockenusedcars.com
conshohockenvet.com
conshohockenyoga.com

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