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bookmark_borderMontgomery County High School Art Exhibition and Competition

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Blue Bell, Pennsylvania — Montgomery County high school art students will present the best of their artwork at Montgomery County Community College’s 34th Annual Montgomery County High School Art Exhibition and Competition from Sunday, March 4, through Friday, March 23, at the Fine Arts Center Art Gallery at Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

The artists’ reception will be held Sunday, March 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. with the awards presentation at 2 p.m.

Students from 32 public, parochial and private schools in Montgomery County were invited to participate in the exhibition. The artwork features a variety of subjects and styles in an array of media. College art faculty members will be judging the artwork.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed weekends.

For more information about the exhibition, contact Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

You can help support the arts and art education programs at Montgomery County Community College by becoming a Friend of The Galleries. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact the College Foundation at 215-641-6535.

by Diane VanDyke

bookmark_borderPennsylvania Falcon-cam

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HARRISBURG — The Department of Environmental Protection has begun its annual live, 24-hour webcast of a nesting pair of peregrine falcons living on a ledge on the Market Street side of the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg. Three cameras chronicle the falcons while streaming the footage live on the Internet to viewers around the world.

“Technology enables us to provide the world’s bird lovers with a front-row seat to watch the story of our falcon couple and offspring unfold before our eyes,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “This is a great show and more people are tuning in all the time.”

Follow the falcons by visiting www.dep.state.pa.us and clicking on the live stream button. There, fans can also sign up to receive the Falcon Wire electronic newsletter. Follow the falcons on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FalconChatter.

Already this year, the resident male, who has been at the site since 2005, has had to defend his territory from an ambitious adolescent tiercel. This development leaves the female falcon with two potential mates this season.

“The encouraging thing is that the female is here and healthy,” DEP Environmental Education director Jack Farster said. “My expectation is that the breeding season will be successful and the resident male will maintain his breeding dominance.”

Falcons have nested at the building for 12 years. To date, the nest has produced 53 eggs and 45 hatchlings. Of these, 29 falcons survived; 13 males and 16 females. The gender of one of the nestlings that hatched in 2008, the runt of the clutch, or set of offspring, could not be determined.

Last year, the female falcon laid a clutch of four eggs, and only one hatched. The first eggs of the 2012 breeding season will be laid in late March. The eggs should begin to hatch around mid-May and the young falcons, or “eyases,” will begin to take their first flights, or “fledge” in mid-June.

While their numbers are increasing, the Pennsylvania Game Commission still lists peregrine falcons as an endangered species. The bird’s population in Pennsylvania has increased since the early 1990s as a direct result of conservation efforts like this one. There are now 32 pairs of peregrine falcons nesting at various locations across the state, according to the Game Commission.

Nationally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bird from its list of endangered and threatened species in 1999.

bookmark_borderAmbler News On The Environment

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BARE ROOTS TREES

If you or your neighbors want a bare roots tree, they would need to be planted on April 27 or 28 and need to be within 10′ of a sidewalk or street curb. $20 shared cost. Property owners need to call me before Feb 23 to claim one. 215-591-1551.

 

BOTTOM DOLLAR

Plans were submitted to the Zoning Hearing Board Thursday night. ZHB postponed their deliberations until Feb 21, when they do not intend to take more public input. I urged them not to approve a monument sign size increase that would stand 8′ tall and 4 feet wide at the entrance near Serrao’s State Insurance property. There will also be a high and tall name of the store on the front flush wall of the store. They believe that the store will be out of the flood level but they are only planning using the 100-year flood levels of old mapping. Because of vegetation, they will be reducing impervious surface by 49 square feet.

The plan shows an addition of 21 trees, with 6 internal tree islands, and 15 along Butler and the two entrances.

There seem to be traffic conflicts with delivery trucks which will entail driving into the parking area and then backing (beep-beep-beep) into a loading dock very near Cone Heads. They will have about 45 employees, 25-30 part-time positions. Store hours will be open 7:00 Am to 10:00 PM — 7 days a week. They will share parking with the beer store. There is a culvert for Tannery Run that cuts through the middle of the 3 combined properties. Recent TV investigations revealed there were no weaknesses or need of repairs.

BILLBOARDS — 3rd party advertising

MC Outdoors, a company that sells billboard advertising, has signed a lease with the owners of the property where Shell/Dunkin Donuts are merely tenants. The owners are Bronson Oil of NJ. The lease is for 29 years pending compliance with a new ordinance that Ambler has to write. Ambler has 3 more months to create our ordinance. MC Outdoors wants a billboard more than 668 square feet (56 feet tall, 14 feet wide) It would be installed along the back wall of the property to be seen by traffic from both directions of Bethlehem Pike. The LRB Club turned down a similar lease.

Neighbors from Upper Dublin and Lower Gwynedd showed up to try to stop this before more of the same gets to their townships along Bethlehem. A staff from Todd Stevens office is trying to get something to limit billboards through state actions.

The Council are not in favor of any billboards, but the Supreme Court has ruled that these companies have Right to make a living. The Borough can restrict the location, size and frequency of billboards. Another township lost its appeal to allow only 25 square foot signage. Joe Bresnan, solicitor, will draw up a test ordinance that although painful, may be the biggest size that the borough can tolerate. If it is appealed, the extra court costs could run $200,000 (there is no lawyer cost since Bresnan is on retainer), so Bresnan recommended the Council accept the largest area that they could tolerate.

I urged them to prevent billboards ( i.e. off-premises advertising) from being allowed to be erected on roofs.

TEMPLE AMBLER FLOODPLAIN STUDY

The Borough was approached to contribute some amount toward a study of the Rose Valley Creek true flood plains with identification of places for beneficial remediation. I urged Council to contribute SOMETHING.

All residents who suffered flood damage will receive some small reimbursement through Borough administered FEMA funds (a total amount of $3,000 will be divided equally among all claimants.)

UPDATING LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT PLANS to remove any invasive species

Still in progress!

RATE INCREASE

The Borough is filing with Public Utilities Commission for a rate increase. It will likely be 10 months before it goes in effect. The PUC (Pennsylvania Utilities Commission) governs the water and sewer rates for Ambler.  The borough CAN NOT increase rates without the approval of the PUC there is a great deal that goes into the borough getting a rate hike and it can take years.  These rates will increase for those who have accounts with the borough water department.  These are usually the property owners but can be a renter.  Remember the borough water department services Ambler, parts of Upper Dublin, Lower Gwynedd, Whitemarsh, and Whitpain.