Theater, Good Scotch and Don't Forget To Vote

The Norristown Project and Montco OIC upgraded their community calendar for easier reading. Check their link in the righthand column, and the link for the municipal calendar, for events not listed below.

Start your Friday evening at a Scotch Tasting from 6 to 8 pm at Centre Theater. Tickets are $50 each or two for $90. All proceeds go to the Centre Theater. For more information, click here. For tickets, call Robert Polsky at 610-585-9082 or email A4quad@comcast.net .

Friday night at 7 pm, Coffee Talk (507 W. Marshall) presents local educator Larry Reed in "Historic Norristown As Seen Through Old Photographs." Admission, $5. Call 610-272-4811 for info.

I saw "Hitchcock's 39 Steps" at Theatre Horizon (401 Dekalb St.) last night. It's extremely funny and entertaining, doubly so if you're a Hitchcock fan. The cast is amazing and full of energy. I highly recommend it. Tonight's show starts at 8 pm and is just up the street from the Centre Theater, so you can walk there if you've been sipping Scotch the 2 hours before (make a theater night of it). Best parking is at the end of Penn St., near the theater entrance. Other performances this week: Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 2 pm, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm. Wednesday is Norristown Night--members of the cast and creative team will be answering questions and leading a conversation about the play's themes immediately following this performance. Norristown residents can get in FREE to selected performances. Please contact Audience Services Manager Lyndsey Piecyk  at 610-283-2230 for more information and reservations.

Saturday starting at 8 am, multi-family yard sale on the 1500 block of Powell Street.

Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm, the Master Gardeners of Penn State will hold their annual Plant Sale at 1015 Bridge Rd in Collegeville. I mention it here because Penn State has presented wonderful free gardening workshops at the Norristown Library this past winter. The plant sale benefits the Master Gardener program (so maybe they'll be able to come back to the library next year). They'll have all kinds of herbs, vegetables, annuals and perennials and garden items. For more info, go to this link.

Also from 9 am to 2 pm on Saturday, Montgomery Co. Recycling is holding a rain barrel and compost bin sale at Montco Community College, 340 Dekalb Pike (enter on Morris Rd). I bought one of each a couple years ago from Montco--they're quality items and you can save at least 50% off the list price. Checks and credit cards only. No cash. Info at 610-278-3618. Just make sure you have a good-sized trunk and back seat. They're bigger than you expect them to be.

Tuesday is primary election day. We'll be voting for the candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, US Congress Rep, and State Representative. Polls open at 7. Click here to find your polling place.  To see a sample ballot, click here, choose "Norristown", then click on your Ward.

The Municipal Council meeting will be Wednesday night instead of Tuesday this week because of election day. 7:30 pm. No agenda yet.

CleanUpNorristown Week is actually a 10-day stretch from May 21 through the 30th.The Norristown Project will host various cleanup projects in the community each day. Residents around Norristown are encouraged to volunteer by either attending one of our projects or by doing gardening or other clean up around your own home. Next Saturday, May 24th at 9am - Elmwood Park Community Cleanup. Sunday, May 25th at 2pm - Riverfront Park Community Cleanup. If you're on Twitter or Facebook, post each day about what you're doing to keep Norristown beautiful.

Next weekend, May 24 and 25, the Norristown Business association and the Dragon Boat Club of Norristown will host a Flea Market in the lot at Airy and Dekalb from 8 am to 3 pm. Vendors interested in reserving a spot, please send an email this week to info@dragonboatclub.org. Space rental is $20 a day, or both days for $30. Bring your own tables, tents and chairs. A vendor space is equal to 2 parking spots and you'll be able to park your car right next to your space for easy unloading.

One Last Winter Chore - Potholes

Before I get to today's topic, I want to let everyone know that Central Presbyterian Church will be auctioned off tomorrow in an online auction between 11 am and 3 pm. You can follow the bidding at Auctionpoint.com. You might remember that I blogged about Central Pres back in February (read it here). The church's stained glass windows were created by a nationally-acclaimed artist, who also designed the windows for the Washington National Cathedral, Valley Forge Memorial Chapel, and historic Riverside Church in Manhattan. Let's all hope whoever buys the place doesn't do so with the thought of demolishing it. That would be a huge loss in and of itself, let alone coming on top of the loss of Montgomery Hospital.

Potholes on Oak Street  

But today... hey, it's the middle of May. Memorial Day weekend is just over a week away. Time to finish off that one last pesky winter chore--filling potholes. Yes, we can all agree that this was a bad winter, especially hard on our roads. We understand that it might take a few months for public works to get around to all the potholes in town, but honestly, now that I'm starting to see efforts at patching these voids, I have to say that the patch jobs so far seem totally inadequate.

I traversed Hamilton yesterday, between James and Airy, which was pretty torn up this winter. Lots of little patches, but only the bottoms of the holes. There are still too many sunken-in spots and too much crumbled macadam around them. You might not break an axle now, but your car's alignment won't last long if you have to travel that street every day. Rocks could fly up and damage your or other cars. On a dark night, you could easily hit a depression the wrong way and lose control. And those crumbled spots will just get worse with traffic and rain.

I was on Buttonwood between James and Sterigere, and Harding Blvd between Sterigere and Fornance. Same problems, not quite as bad as Hamilton, but still, the patches aren't enough.

Every time I've headed downtown the last 2 months, I've had to dodge the growing craters on Swede Street between Pine and Elm. These are right in the middle of the street, so you can't avoid the holes. Lots of people double park in that stretch, making it all the more hazardous. And the half block between the library and Elm is chopped up and bumpy.

One of many bad patch jobs 

I've been hearing from West End residents that the absolute worst place is Oak Street, so I went over to check it out for myself. Between Noble and Buttonwood, it looks like the street was bombed. Shae Ashe sent me the photos of Oak that I'm posting here. Trust me, the images don't do justice to the reality. It's a wonder no one's been hurt there. The residents there have called in to public works multiple times about the problem and so far, they've been ignored.

Of course, I haven't been all over town, so I have to assume there are other bad spots that I haven't seen. If there are potholes that need fixing in your neighborhood, add a comment below or on Facebook or email me--give me the exact stretch of road in Norristown that needs fixing--and I'll update this Diary entry.

What worries me most is that those patches I've seen so far might be all we'll get. That's not good enough. Okay, so maybe we can't afford to completely redo streets, but make those patches adequate enough to level the area, smooth out the bumps, clear loose rocks, and prevent further deterioration of the street. We expect our taxes to pay for basic infrastructure and pothole repair is as basic as it gets.

A few decades ago, people used to say that Norristown was the speed bump on the way to King of Prussia. At the moment, it's literally true.

Last Word Before The Election

PA-13 looks like a lobster. 

For the candidates for our Congressional District, I tried doing a summary of issues, like I did with the candidates for governor, but the 4 Democratic candidates go into such detail, it's like writing a dissertation--a repetitive one, because all 4 of them say similar things.

The Republican candidates were easy--they each had next to nothing on their websites. Here they are--click on their names to link to their issues pages and read for yourself:

Carson Dee Adcock is the owner of W.W. Adcock, Inc., worth between $50 to 100 million in annual income, with 50 to 99 employees. They sell swimming pools and pool supplies. He only lists 2 issues on his site: the economy and healthcare. His only plan for the economy is to cut regulations on business. As for healthcare, he's against Obamacare, but states no plan of his own for a replacement.

Bev Plosa-Bowser was in the Air Force for 30 years. Her issues are the economy, national security, healthcare, Social Security, energy independence, and immigration. She's anti-abortion. She'd cut taxes, eliminate Obamacare, support fracking, tighten border security. She lists no actual plans for how to do any of these things.

For the Democrats, I've also linked their names to their issue pages. What I'll tell you instead is the glimpse I got into their minds by how they worded their statements, along with what I found out about claims and accusations they each made on ads and through junk mail and robo-calls.

Marjorie Margolies was in Congress for a single 2-year term 20 years ago. She has a multiple-page PDF of plans for each of the 4 issues she lists. I noticed that she says things like "Philadelphia area","Delaware River" and "Schuylkill Expressway" a lot. She obviously considers the 13th district to be only Philadelphia--surrounding areas like Norristown have no unique identity in her mind. We're just a 'burb. She does mention bringing rail service to King of Prussia, so Philadelphians can get to the mall. So much for getting shoppers to come here. As I said yesterday--she never answered my question about Norristown. Maybe she doesn't know we exist. I also was rather surprised that under her stance on the environment, she never mentions climate change or global warming.
     Margolies only really began campaigning in the last two weeks. Before that you saw no TV ads, she didn't show up at debates, and she'd hardly raised any money. Fundraisers that she did have weren't held here in the district. The biggest one was in New York City. Daylin Leach accused her of violating campaign finance laws--you can only spend a percentage of funds raised on the primary and apparently she may have spent much more. The Philly Inquirer picked up the story yesterday. There's also been some rumors about whether Margolis actually lives in the district, or if she just rents a house in Philadelphia but spends most of her time elsewhere. Unlike the rest of the candidates, I couldn't find out anything at all about where she lives. I think she's banking on name recognition to win. For me, she comes across as too politically savvy and somehow seeing herself as above us mere mortals especially now that she has the Clintons for in-laws. I don't think she'd be in touch with her constituents.

Brendan Boyle lives in the state district he represents in Northeast Philly and also has his Campaign HQ there. He lists 8 issues, but on most, he only says a paragraph or 2 about what he believes. No real plans about what he'd do. Margolies and Arkoosh accused Boyle of lying about his stand as a pro-choice candidate, saying he'd voted against abortion and or Planned Parenthood. His voting record says that he voted opposite ways on 2 abortion bills, and didn't vote at all on a 3rd, so they're only 1/3 right. On a related topic, though, he brags on his website and in junk mail about sponsoring free mammograms for women in his district. The thing is, since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, ALL mammograms in the US have been free. So Mr. Boyle can't take credit for that. He keeps accusing his opponents of being millionaires (as if that alone equates them with Satan), but his claims seem questionable.
     Yesterday I received a rather frightening robo-call, defending Boyle against Margolies's accusations. The caller said she was Michele Bachmann and I assume she meant THE Michele Bachmann--Republican US Rep from Minnesota who's completely against everything that Boyle says he's for, including being fiercely anti-abortion. Why would Bachmann be stumping for Boyle? Unless the GOP is merely trying to discredit both. (The caller was Michele LOCKMAN. See comment below.) But even without that call, I can't take Boyle seriously as a candidate. He has no plans, and there just seems to be an air of blarney about him.

Val Arkoosh is a physician. She insists on reminding us of this every chance she gets, even in her website's descriptions of her stands on the issues. On TV ads, she's frequently seen in a lab coat having a compassionate discussion with a patient. I don't know about you, but my experience with anesthesiologists has been only a 3 minute meeting before major surgery. Not a lot of time for chatting about my health concerns. Maybe obstetric anesthesiology is different. I realize that being a physician is the only credential she can present since she has no experience in legislating, but to me, her constant reminders of it only tell she has a very limited view of the world, and she seems to want to keep it that way.
    That said, her issues statements on the Jobs, Healthcare, Clean Energy, Social Security and Defense Spending are more comprehensive than Boyle's. Other issues, though, are vague, something-needs-to-be-done statements, education being the worst. On her TV ads, she only mentions women's issues and Social Security. And despite her statement that climate change is the "greatest, long-term threat," she's sent out more junk mailers than any other candidate, telling me she thinks her campaign is more important than Mother Earth. I believe she'd be a good rep if Healthcare were the only issue, but unfortunately, it's not.
     I should mention that Arkoosh lives Springfield, Montgomery County and has her campaign HQ in Glenside, though, as I said yesterday, she's got a field office in Norristown.

Daylin Leach lives in Upper Merion Township and his campaign HQ is in Jenkintown.  He lists the most issues on his website of any of the candidates--13. As you click on the links, you'll see a 1 to 3 minute video in which he talks about his stand on each issue, and about his planned legislation for each. I was only disappointed that, like Margolies, he doesn't mention climate change under his Environment issues, and that he doesn't mention women's equality in the workplace under Women's Issues or Worker's Issues. Otherwise, his statements on the issues, and number of the issues he covers, seem much more comprehensive than his opponents. Leach is probably the most liberal of the candidates (by dictionary definition, meaning he believes more in progress and change than in status quo and tradition). I also think he has the best sense of humor of any politician I've ever met. I think humor may be the best political and legislative tool ever.

I don't usually endorse candidates on this blog, but I'm going to endorse Daylin Leach. I think he and Arkoosh would probably vote the same way on legislation, but Leach has experience as a legislator already. I like that he's put a lot of thought into so many issues, and I like that he knows Norristown and seems to believe in our community. We wouldn't just be constituents somewhere out in the nether lands like we would be for Boyle and Margolies.

Whoever you decide on, don't forget to vote on May 20th. Don't stay home. The winner of this race will likely be the representative we send to Washington.

What Would YOU Do For Norristown?

The primary election is one week away.  I was going to do today's Diary entry on all the various candidates for Congress in District 13, and what they say about the issues plus the other things I've found out about them, but with 2 GOPs and 4 Democrats running, a blog like that would be way too long. Plus, it's taking me more time than I thought to read through their websites. So tomorrow I'll summarize the issues. Today, I'll start with the most important question I put to the candidates: "If elected, what would you do for Norristown?"

This started at the last Norristown Business Association meeting, when Val Arkoosh showed up and gave a little spiel about her candidacy. I had a chance to talk to her, so I asked her the above question. She pointed out that she was the only candidate with a field office in Norristown (turns out, when I looked it up, that it's in what used to be Ronca's Bar, once owned by my cousins, on E. Main near Walnut). She kind of made it sound like her whole campaign operated out of that office, but her actual headquarters is in Glenside. However, her campaign DID have a table at the Arts Hill Fest, the only candidate I saw represented there (though I didn't get all the way up the hill). I should mention that she's been an anesthesiologist and healthcare activist, but has no experience in public office.

Anyway, to my question, she stated that she would seek funding to help bring economic development to Norristown. No details, but at least she recognized the need for development in Norristown.

A couple nights later, I went to a Daylin Leach appearance at Ray's Diner, one of those deals where I got a robo-call inviting me and promising a free dinner. I don't turn down free dinners. He gave a short speech outlining the issues, then took questions, so I identified myself (he knew of the Norristown Diary!--his office had kept up on it when I did my blogs on the mural on Lafayette). I asked the same question I asked Arkoosh. As our state senator, Leach has probably spent more time in Norristown than the other candidates. He sponsored a Kids' Fair for Mercy Suburban at our zoo last year. He was instrumental in the implementation of our mural project. He stated that he believes that Norristown is on its way up, but that economic development can't happen unless we improve the infrastructure. He specifically mentioned wanting to make sure that funding is in place for the slip ramp off the turnpike, so we can get people into Norristown and develop the riverfront and downtown.

I emailed or went through the contact page on their websites to ask the other candidates the question.

 Brendan Boyle is State Representative for District 170, which is between the turnpike and Northeast Philadelphia. His campaign contact page didn't work, so I messaged his Facebook page. He answered fairly quickly. He claims he's held "4 community meetings in Norristown since the winter; the only candidate to do so." I was only able to find where he was here twice--once for a morning breakfast appearance at the Norristown Diner, that wasn't generally advertized, at least not in town. The other time was a noontime press conference at the courthouse. No one in N-town considers PR at the courthouse to be a "community meeting." You're there for the media and county politicos, most of whom don't live here in town. He went on to say "I would love to play an active role in securing federal funding for improvements needed in Norristown, especially the Main St and High St corridors," pretty much proving that he hasn't spent enough time in town to know that High St isn't a main corridor, but a small residential street in the East End. Confusing us with some other town, no doubt. The end of his statement: ",,,older cities and Burroughs will have real infrastructure issues over the next two decades." I think he meant "boroughs." Possibly an auto-correct issue, but if I were running for a major office, I'd want to present myself as an educated human being, so I'd check what I typed before hitting send.  He does claim that he'd like to put a congressional constituent service office in Norristown.

Marjorie Margolies was a former US Congresswoman, though for only one term (1993-95). She never answered my message.

There are 2 candidates on the GOP ticket, Bev Plosa-Bowser, an ex-Air Force colonel, and Carson Dee Adcock, a businessman. I wasn't able to contact either one. Frankly, they give me the impression that they're only running to give the Dems a name to run against and aren't very serious candidates. Adcock was the candidate that Allyson Schwartz defeated last time.

Oh, and I should mention--I've run into some people who are under the impression that if Allyson Schwartz loses the governor's race, she'd remain our US Rep. Her term is up at the end of this year, and she decided not to run in the race for Congress so she could run for governor. So, no, the only candidates for PA 13 are the ones above.

Tomorrow, the issues.

Requiem for a Hospital

You might remember, the last time I blogged about Montgomery Hospital, I reported that Einstein plan to demolish the buildings had triggered a PA Section 106 Project Review. A review like this is held anytime someone plans to demolish a property supposedly protected under the PA History Code and/or National Historic Preservation Act. You can read about the review on the PA Historic and Museum Commission's site.

Triggering this type of review, though, doesn't  mean the buildings can't be demolished. All it means is that the state takes a look at the individual case to determine what's legal. The law states that no federal or state money can be used in a project that has an adverse effect on an historic property. That's the main thing.

The 106 Review for Montgomery Hospital was held 2 weeks ago. It's a fact that Elon will be asking for tax credits, and will therefore be using public money, and that they're the ones asking for Einstein to level the site for their project. It's also a fact that Einstein and Elon keep referring to their arrangement as a partnership--Elon will be responsible for a quarter of the demo costs. However, at the review meeting, Einstein stated that they intended to demolish the buildings regardless whether or not Elon receives funding. The state essentially decided that the demolition and the development were two different projects, and since the demolition uses no public funds, they decided that Einstein could legally level the site.

Einstein got their way, as usual. Montgomery Hospital will come down.

Let's take one last look at what Einstein has said in the last 5 years or so. I'm only repeating what I, in person, heard their representatives say at town meetings. First they said they weren't taking the hospital out of Norristown. Then, when they announced the building of their new place in East Norriton (which the loss of hundreds of jobs here), they said they planned to keep Montgomery open as a clinic for emergency medical care, with the rest of the building used for other medical purposes. Well, THAT didn't happen, and our community's close access to emergency care went away when the hospital closed.

They really did take a community survey about what we thought the hospital buildings should be used for. I answered the survey myself. And they did have one developer, Mission First, come in to do the conversion to senior apartments. But the process seems to have been a closed one--no open town meetings as they had these last months with Elon. We had no input. Possibly if we had, especially the Norristown Preservation Society, we could have helped make those plans work.

Next we heard that Einstein planned to demolish the site. At the last 2 town meetings with them, the community expressed concern that, if Elon couldn't get funding, we'd be left with a vacant lot. Einstein assured us, more than once, that they were partnering with Elon and that they were committed to making sure the site was developed and not vacant. Now they tell the State Review that they intend to level the site no matter what.

I heard it said last week that Einstein took heroic measures to try to preserve the hospital. Heroic is not the word I'd use for people who lie at every turn and who obviously don't care about us. We didn't just lose a pile of pretty Art Deco bricks out of this deal, we lost our largest employer, and close access to emergency care. Lots of our citizens can't afford the $1500+ for Plymouth Ambulance and many don't have a car. NOTHING Einstein has done since buying Montgomery has been in Norristown's best interest.

And what of Elon and their development? Last week, John Cover of Montgomery County Planning explained the zoning for that district to a group of residents living near the hospital. What Elon has proposed so far isn't allowed in the existing OR the proposed code. They can and should make modifications to their plans before submitting it. And if we want quality senior housing on that site--housing that fits in with the neighborhood, doesn't lower the property values, and is an asset to the community--we need to make sure we show up en masse at zoning and planning meetings and INSIST that the code be followed. Remember, they'll be using our tax money to build. We get a say.

That is, of course, assuming Elon gets funding and development takes place at all. Otherwise, another vacant lot for Norristown.

In the meantime, for at least the next year, the demolition will take place..

FOOD, Music, Carnival, and a Clean Car

Another busy weekend, plus events coming up later that you should plan for now. They're calling for summer-like weather. And remember, Sunday's Mom's Day. Take her to a Norristown restaurant, to the Zoo's carnival, bring her flowers from a Norristown flower shop or greenhouse, and buy her tickets to the upcoming play at Theatre Horizon. Pick her up in a car newly washed by NASD students. See below.

The Dragon Boat Club and Norristown Business Association are partnering to sponsor a Community Flea Market on May 24-25 from 8 am to 3 pm at Airy and Dekalb Sts. If you're interested in being a vendor, the cost per space is $20 for one day and $30 for both days. Reserve your space NOW by email info@dragonboatclub.org . Details will be forthcoming.

There are 3 days left on Restaurant Week. Remember, the participating restaurants are Almaz Cafe, Banh Mi Bar, Casa Bonita, Crispy & Juicy, Diva's Kitchen, Jus' Java, and Taqueria La Michoacana. They all have Friday and Saturday hours. The latter 3 have Sunday hours. For a complete listing of discounts and hours, go to Restaurant Week's Facebook page. You don't have to sign in to Facebook to see the information.
  
Elmwood Park Zoo's Season Kickoff Carnival is still on tonight, 5-10 pm, Saturday, noon to 10 pm, and Sunday, noon to 5 pm. Rides, games, food and fun right in the Zoo's parking lot. Admission to the carnival is FREE and separate from Zoo admission. Tickets for rides and games may be purchased at the carnival. The Zoo will be open its regularly scheduled hours of 10 am to 5 pm.

Tonight is another Family Feud Game Night: The reigning champions of the Norristown Council will take on the Norristown Men of Excellence. 7 pm at Caffe Galileo (317 Swede). The trash talk started at the Arts Hill Fest last week. Come out and see who will emerge victorious.

Saturday, 11 am - 2 pm, Car Wash at Stewart Middle School to benefit the Music Boosters. If I find out cost, I'll update this entry. Get a clean car and help keep music in our schools.

At 4 pm, Saturday, The Norristown Chorale will present its spring concert, "The Music's Always There" at Victory Church, 2650 Audubon Rd, Audubon. FREE admission--good-will offering accepted.

Saturday night from 8:30 to 1 am is Comedy Night @TheCarver, featuring Norristown's Own Comedians, NASIR, Stan Tannell. Tickets $10. Carver Center, 249 East Jacoby St.

Tuesday at 7 pm, Planning Commission Meeting at Municipal Hall. No agenda yet.

Also Tuesday at 7 pm, INTRODUCTION TO GENEALOGY presented by Genealogist Rose Brown at The Historical Society of Montgomery County (1654 DeKalb Street). This begins a 4-week workshop for beginners, each Tuesday through June 3. $7.50 member/$10 non-member non-refundable materials fee. Seating is limited. For information or to reserve a space, cal: 610-272-0297 or email contact@hsmcpa.org

Wednesday from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Library (Swede and Powell), the Montgomery County Health Department will have certified child car seat technicians who'll inspect child safety seats. Participants are educated on the proper way to install a car seat in their car, and to ensure their child is properly restrained in the car seat. Car seat checks are by appointment only. Call 610-278-5119 to make an appointment

On Thursday, May 15th, at 7:30 pm, HITCHCOCK'S THE 39 STEPS opens at Theatre Horizon with a "Pay What You Can" Preview. (They'd really appreciate at least a $10 donation). The play is described as "...a fast-paced whodunit...packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance!" Discounted previews ($20-22) will continue on Friday (16th) and Saturday (17th) at 8 pm, and Sunday (18th) at 2 pm. The show will run through June 8th. And remember, Norristown residents can get FREE tickets through the PNC Norristown Neighbor Program. Email Ticket@TheatreHorizon.org or call 610-283-2230 for information. Or reserve regular seats online at http://www.theatrehorizon.org/shows/the39steps.html.

Remember to check the calendar links to the right of this blog for more events.

In The Loop

I read The Norristown Project blog yesterday with interest. Shae Ashe shared some ideas about making Norristown a "commuter-friendly community." He talked about Washington D.C.'s bikeshare program, in which you can essentially rent a bicycle at any bike station in the city and return it to any other station. The first 30 minutes of your ride is free, then you pay a nominal fee per hour.

I looked up what most cyclists cal their average commuting speed and it's in the neighborhood of 15 mph, depending on traffic and weather. But figure 7 miles for free with a bikeshare.  Even if we had a bikeshare in Norristown with the first quarter hour free, you could, say, park at Logan Square and probably cycle to the courthouse in the allotted time, saving you the cost and hassle of parking downtown. If you stuck to smaller streets like Pine, Maple Alley and Church St, you probably wouldn't take your life into your hands too much.

I don't think Norristown is unfriendly to pedestrians, despite what I've heard from County Planning on the subject. When I was in junior high, I used to walk from the North End to Stewart for summer band, lugging a French horn. When the new library was built little more than a half mile away, I started walking there regularly. In college, I thought nothing of walking the mile and a quarter downtown to catch the P&W (now the high speed line) to 69th Street so I could get a bus into West Chester. Up until 10 years ago, a few times a year I'd walk to and from the Elm Street train station so I could get into 30th Street to catch Amtrak for book tours and conventions. And I did it pulling a suitcase on wheels behind me that was often weighed down with books. Bike-wise, I used to cycle the 2 miles over through Elmwood Park and the West End to Hartranft St. to visit my grandmother.

Last October during the Ghost Tours at Selma, we had students come who'd walked from the Carver Center 2 miles away. They weren't even winded.

If you're physically able, Norristown is easy to navigate on foot. In nice weather, you can be across town in either direction in less than an hour. Cycling isn't bad either, as long as you can do the hills. The major concern is traffic.

SEPTA's 90 bus route.

But once my knee problems began, I became dependent on driving to get around town. I almost never go downtown during the day anymore because, as Shae put it, "Parking is horrible in Norristown." The last time I had to go there on a weekday was to talk to the lawyer for my dad's estate. Took longer than we thought and my brother had to run out to feed the meter twice. Even if Main Street was filled with as much retail as it was in the 1960s, there's no chance of a relaxing afternoon of shopping or meeting friends for lunch if you have to constantly watch the clock to make sure your parking spot is still legal.

I'm not the only one with mobility issues in town. We have a lot of seniors, some of whom don't walk easily anymore. We have disabled residents, some veterans. We have people who, for whatever physical reason, can't walk or cycle. Some can't drive. And when it's raining or icy or too cold or too hot outside, even the most athletic residents would opt for an alternative way to get around.

True, SEPTA has 7 bus routes through Norristown. I know a lot of seniors who use them, though mostly to go OUT of town, to the malls. Most non-seniors who aren't regular commuters don't use the buses much--figuring out the routes can be confusing. I could use SEPTA to get downtown, but really, if I get 24 or more mpg in my car, why would I spend $4.50 for a round trip of less than 3 miles? I'd still have to walk a half mile to and from the bus stop.

So I propose an in-town bus shuttle, sort of like the King of Prussia Rover. It could connect all 3 of our (potential) main shopping areas--Logan Square, West Marshall, and Downtown. It could follow an easy loop that wouldn't be confusing. (I drew up a tentative loop-photo at left. The part though the West End could be extended further out, maybe to a public parking lot?). The shuttle could stop at the train stations and connect with SEPTA buses, and stop at each block in the business districts. Commuters to the courthouse might use it if they could park at Logan Square. People working in town might hop on it to go grab lunch at places in the North or West Ends.

The photo at the top is an electric shuttle that holds 15 passengers and costs about 2 cents a mile. It recharges overnight, but can also recharge with a rooftop solar panel during the day. It goes about 50 miles on a charge. The price tag on the website is about $25,000, cheaper than a lot of cars. Other website have similar eco-friendly vehicles. Charge riders $1 a ride, with all-day, all-month, and all-year packages available. Maybe seniors could ride for free.

Of course, we'd have to have great drivers, who presents the best impression of Norristown--drivers who let people know how to get to the zoo, what restaurants are where, what plays are going on in our theaters, etc. Our shuttle wouldn't simply duplicate SEPTA's function, it would advertize Norristown and all we have to offer.

So there's my notion for the day. What do you think?