The proclamation authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel as necessary to cope with this emergency situation.

Corbett issued the disaster proclamation this morning after meeting with Glenn Cannon, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and other emergency officials at their headquarters in Harrisburg.
“We are urging all Pennsylvanians to take action now to be prepared,’’ Corbett said. “We will continue to monitor this changing situation statewide and plan for all possible emergencies. Should the need arise, we will be able to help as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Citizens can find a full list of helpful suggestions on how to plan for an emergency by visiting the state’s preparedness website, www.ReadyPA.org, or by calling 1-888-9-READY-PA.

The state’s Emergency Operations Center has been monitoring conditions statewide, as well as communicating with other states and federal officials, to assess conditions and coordinate any response necessary to support Pennsylvania’s counties and municipalities in the affected areas.

The latest weather forecasts predict that the eastern portion of the state will bear the brunt of the storm with heavy rains of up to 10 inches, and strong winds gusting to 60 mph or more. The combination of wind and rain could result in downed trees and utility lines, possibly resulting in extensive power outages and flash flooding.

In addition, state emergency officials are in communication with multiple state agencies, including the state departments of Transportation, Health, Public Welfare, General Services, State Police, Pennsylvania National Guard, Turnpike Commission, Public Utility Commission and the American Red Cross, to make sure supplies and personnel are ready if needed.

Individuals needing assistance should call their local municipal emergency management office in the “Blue Pages” section of the phone book or, if they have an emergency, should call 911 immediately. Never call 911 to request or report road conditions. When calling 911 to report an emergency, it is critical for callers to stay on the line, even if for an extended series of rings, until the operator answers.

Motorists can check road conditions on state roads by calling 511 or visiting www.511PA.com. Available 24 hours a day, the number provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, average traffic speeds on urban interstates and access to more than 500 traffic cameras. Regional Twitter alerts are also available on the 511PA website.

Plant equipment continued to function normally at each of the Exelon Nuclear stations. Operators are
currently performing “walk-downs” to identify any potential affects from the seismic activity, but no
damage to equipment or plant operations has been identified at this time. Each plant continued to operate
at normal power level throughout the event and no evacuations or additional safety measures were required.

Nuclear energy plants are designed specifically to withstand the impact of earthquakes and other severe acts of nature. The earthquake, reported to be at a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter Scale, did not challenge the engineered design of the Exelon facilities.

An “Unusual Event” is the lowest level emergency classifications as determined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

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Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with approximately $19 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 480,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.

This will provide a direct method by which interested and qualified borough residents can aid in the improvement of the quality of life in Pottstown.

You can find an application for the Citiznes Codes Inspector program here:

Download Citizen Codes Inspector Application

The owner of a home assessed at $168,580, the county average, will continue to pay $454.32 for the county portion of their real estate taxes next year.

The tax rate for the County portion of residents’ real estate taxes will remain 2.695 mills. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.

In fact, the 2011 budget maintains the same tax rate for four years in a row and one that is 5 percent less than homeowners were paying on the county portion of their real estate taxes in 2002.

The Commissioners voted 2-1 to approve the spending plan. Commissioners Chairman Jim Matthews and Vice Chairman Joseph Hoeffel voted in favor. Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr. voted against.

The budget reflects a $3.75 million reduction in expenditures that was accomplished by cutting expenditures in nearly every department.

The budget is funded in part through a $15.5 million fund balance appropriation.  The fund balance is essentially an emergency reserve fund that, through careful monitoring of spending and cost cutting, the County will maintain at $24.5 million in 2011.

“We are excited to welcome the Collegeville community to our newest store,” said Robert Resnik, Vice President of Sales. “This new store represents a larger commitment to the area and will deliver an inviting atmosphere for customers to shop and view our full line of merchandise in an easy-to-navigate environment. We want to create the best possible shopping experience for our customers” said Neil Goldberg, President and CEO.

The newly-constructed, 50,000 square foot building features a two-story showroom where customers can shop the retailer’s full line of products. Approximately 27 full-time and part-time associates are employed at the new location, including sales teams and customer-care representatives.

About Raymour & Flanigan Furniture

Established in 1947, the family-owned company is headquartered in Liverpool, New York. Across its 7 state footprint, Raymour & Flanigan has 86 full-line showrooms, 9 clearance centers, 13 Customer Services Centers, 4 Customer Distribution Centers and 1 main distribution center.

Now the 7th largest furniture and bedding retailer in the U.S. (Furniture Today 5/26/09) and 5th fastest growing furniture retailer (Furniture Today 6/5/09), Raymour & Flanigan continues its commitment of building the preeminent retail furniture brand in the Northeast and beyond.

For more information visit http://www.RaymourFlanigan.com

This form allows borough residents to notify the city of issues in their neighborhoods while helping others.

We are working to improve the quality of life in Pottstown. We believe that for homeowners and renters alike we can help the Borough become a better place to live, which will ultimately help with the revitalization of the Borough.

Before this can happen, the substandard housing, slumlords and unkempt housing conditions must be eliminated.

We believe this website can help us change the landscape in the Borough of Pottstown.

Should you have a complaint regarding the above mentioned items please visit http://www.acleanerpottstown.org

Thank you for your participation in this new initiative!

The flushing of the system is expected to last 5 weeks. Flushing will be done between the hours of 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM.

If water appears brown or rust colored, run the cold water for a few minutes until it is clear.

Questions, contact Public Works at 610-970-6527

To mitigate these problems, the Montgomery County Commissioners have authorized the Waste System Authority to hold a free tire collection so that residents can get rid of these hard-to-dispose-of items.

On Saturday, September 25th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Municipal parking , 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, the Waste System Authority will hold a tire collection for Montgomery County residents only.  A maximum of 4 tires per vehicle will be allowed, and no tires from commercial activities will be accepted.

Waste tires present environmental, health, and safety hazards. Rainwater accumulates in tire piles creating an ideal environment for mosquitoes, which are known to transmit West Nile Virus.  Another hazard is fire.  A massive tire fire under a major highway in Philadelphia cost millions of dollars in damage and affected commuters and businesses in the region over several months.  Large tire piles can burn for weeks causing the rubber to decompose into oil, which can pollute ground and surface water.

“Disposing of tires properly is an expensive proposition and it’s crucial for the environment and for people’s quality of life,” Commissioners Chairman James R. Matthews said.

“One tire with standing water in it can make it impossible for all the neighbors to enjoy their back yards,” Matthews said. “Even if you’re willing to pay, it’s hard to find anyone who will take old tires.”

Please join the Waste System Authority on September 25th in our efforts to create a cleaner and safer place to work and live. Four tires maximum.

For additional information, contact: Chris Kaasmann, Montgomery County Recycling Coordinator, 610-278-3618 or at recycling@wsaemc.org

Economists Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi estimate the national unemployment would now be approaching 16% without the economic policy actions of the Federal Reserve, the Bush and Obama administrations, and Congress. The effect in Pennsylvania, factoring in population growth, would be an economy roughly 690,000 jobs short of full employment and a state unemployment rate above 14%.

“Our economy is a product of conscious policy choices,” said Dr. Mark Price, Labor Economist for the Keystone Research Center. “Federal policy stopped the economic free fall. And policy choices at the national and state level will powerfully shape the future health of the economy for middle-class families.”

In the center’s annual State of Working Pennsylvania report, researchers note that the public debate has shifted from boosting the economy to closing the federal deficit. However, the report finds, two deficits of another kind are far more threatening to the economic recovery: a jobs deficit and a deficit in the buying power of the middle class.

“The federal deficit is the wrong enemy,” said Dr. Stephen Herzenberg, Economist and Executive Director of the Keystone Research Center. “Our economy will recover only when we put Americans back to work and pay them a fair wage.”

Federal Policies Avoid Second Great Depression but Challenges Remain

Federal policy actions taken in the wake of the Great Recession have worked by stabilizing an economy that was on the brink after the recession took hold, the report found.

Before passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in early 2009, Pennsylvania was losing nearly 30,000 jobs per month. By contrast this year, job growth has returned to the Pennsylvania economy, which added 64,000 jobs during the first half of 2010.

More recently, Congress’ extension of federal Medicaid assistance to the states and additional school funding to preserve teacher jobs have averted the further loss of as many as 12,000 jobs in Pennsylvania.

Despite the success of ARRA and other measures, Pennsylvania’s economy faces an enormous jobs deficit that requires further policy action. Current projections put the state’s unemployment rate at a high 7.2% in 2014 – a full seven years after the recession started.

In July, Pennsylvania was nearly 300,000 jobs short of full employment and had an unemployment rate of 9.3%.  To close this jobs deficit by July 2015, the Pennsylvania economy would have to produce 7,900 jobs a month – a rate of job growth more than three times larger than the average job growth that occurred during the last economic expansion.

Middle-class families are also struggling with a deficit in buying power, after decades of stagnant wages, the report found. This deficit prompted many working families to borrow against their homes or take on risky loans that helped precipitate the Great Recession. When the housing bubble burst, it took $8 trillion out of the economy, prompting massive job losses.

The wage deficit is a product of decades of stagnant wages for working families. In Pennsylvania, over the past 15 years, productivity grew by 43%, while the inflation-adjusted hourly wages of college- and high school-educated workers barely budged.

Had wage distribution remained as equal as it was in 1979, full-time, year-round workers would be earning between $2,800 and $3,750 more per year today. Two-earner, middle-class families would be making between $5,600 and $7,500 more per year – more than most Pennsylvania families pays in state and local taxes.

A Need to Shift Focus

The jobs and wage deficits pose far more immediate problems for Pennsylvania families than the federal debt and deficit, which has dominated public discourse during this election cycle, the report concludes.

Despite the contributions of ARRA, economic growth has stalled again in recent months and unemployment remains stubbornly high. Cuts in state and local government are reducing economic demand that much further.

“We have reached a moment of truth,” Dr. Price said. “Anything less than stellar employment growth over the next several years will be an unmitigated disaster for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania families. Our policymakers need to make averting this disaster Priority No. 1.”

View the full report at: http://keystoneresearch.org/sites/keystoneresearch.org/files/state-of-working-pa-2010.pdf

The Keystone Research Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that promotes a more prosperous and equitable Pennsylvania economy.

Blox has 65 skilled employees manufacturing the modular units and 11 administrative employees. It has eight projects either underway or contracted to begin over the next three years and projects it will add another 57 employees during that time.

The company is eligible to take an additional $50,000 in loans for every 15 jobs it adds to its Pottstown facility up to a maximum of $250,000 in calendar year 2010.

The Commissioners also gave a $50,000 grant to Brooks Instrument for the company to upgrade its headquarters on West Vine Street in Hatfield.

Brooks Instrument manufacturers high-precision flow meters, pressure meters and other measuring devices. It employs 204 at its Hatfield facility and will move 113 high-skill jobs from Texas over the next two years.

The Montgomery County Commissioners awarded $50,000 grants to these two companies that will create jobs under the County’s Economic Development program.

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