Countdown to April 29 to PERMANENTLY close M. R. Reiter. Ask the board to see the 6 point plan.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Fundraising Tips

Dear Dr. Yonson,

The board approves your travel money. Bring back the million.

William I, Rex Educationalis


School Chief Kathy Cox Wins $1 Million On Game Show
Cox Won 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'

POSTED: 6:26 am EDT September 6, 2008

Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox proved she is smarter than a 5th grader, winning a million for her school system on a popular game show on Friday night.

Cox appeared on the third season premiere of Fox's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" She answered 10 questions correctly before getting the final million dollar one who was the longest reigning British monarch.

Cox competed against two others on the show, which was filmed last month with host Jeff Foxworthy.

The Republican superintendent drew criticism for appearing on the show from some who said she had better things to do.

Cox said she accepted the invitation because the show is family-friendly and promotes education

Another RFP For the Emperor to Ignore

Caveat bidder.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS
MORRISVILLE BOROUGH
SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Morrisville Board of School Directors are requesting sealed bids for electrical work to be performed at the Morrisville High School. Specifications are available at an approximate cost of $20.00. If interested, please respond by September 22, 2008 (215-736-5933). A mandatory walk-thru will be September 30, 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room F-10 of the High School. Sealed bids must be received no later than Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 10:00 a.m. at which time they will be opened publicly in Conference Room F-10 of the Morrisville High School.
Description of Work:
* Rebuild and recalibrate existing 5000 volt main service circuit breaker.
* Disconnect and replace existing 1600A secondary service board with new 3000A service board at the same location.Provide temporary 1600A panel board to temporarily feed existing building loads during replacement of existing service board.
* Provided new branch panel boards, branch circuits and wiring devices in
selected existing classrooms.
* All work shall be performed after normal working hours (3:00 pm - 11 pm with the exception of the switchboard. All power shutdowns at the switchboard shall be performed in weekend hours.
The contractors shall be responsible for securing and furnishing all necessary permits,labor, materials and supervision as well as adherence to building requirements and timely completion of all work.
Marlys Mihok
Secretary

Morrisville Comprehensive Plan

Thanks to the emailer who sent this in.

There is a Morrisville Comprehensive Plan posted on the borough web site http://morrisville-boro-gov.com/CompPlan.asp - it's over 150 pages plus appendices. According to Jane Burger there will be a meeting Tuesday, September 9 at 6:30 to vote on approval of this plan - or to at least discuss it. Public comment will be accepted. Legal notices have been posted.

Thumbs Up

From the BCCT

To Morrisville resident Mark Coassolo, who suggested a way that the perpetually cash-strapped Morrisville School District could produce some much-needed additional funding. Coassolo is now heading a steering committee charged by the school board with implementing his proposal.

Coassolo’s idea of establishing a nonprofit education foundation isn’t new; other districts have similar foundations and business partnerships. But it’s among the few positive developments from the school board in recent years.

The goal of the fledgling foundation is to solicit donations from businesses and individuals to help improve the district. And much help is needed what with buildings that are in varying stages of disrepair. Encouragingly, interested donors already have surfaced.

Kudos to Coassolo on his enterprising idea and his willingness to lead the effort.

Cell Phones: No / Cell Towers: Maybe

Here's a story about erecting a cell phone tower in Upper Southampton from the BCCT. There's a no cell phone rule inside the schools, but what if the school board were to explore this option for land it uses in Morrisville?

Cell tower could be built on township land
But first it will have to be determined that the location on Second Street Pike isn’t a wetland.
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE

A proposed 150-foot cell phone tower might not make it to Tamanend Park after all.

Verizon Wireless representative Sue Manchel asked the Upper Southampton supervisors to amend a lease agreement signed in July, so the company can instead erect a tower on township property at 1555 Second Street Pike, on the southeast corner of Second Street Pike and Bristol Road.

After hearing residents’ concerns, the board voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve the change. Supervisor Marguerite Genesio wasn’t at the meeting.

But before any tower can go up there, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to determine that the new location isn’t a wetland. If it is, Verizon officials said the company will go with its initial plan and build the tower in a wooded area of the park along Second Street Pike near the Maple Avenue intersection.

If it’s built on township property, the tower would be 15 feet away from a gas pipe and near a designated 100-year flood plain.

The company has exhausted existing antennas so it needs to raise a new one for the seamless coverage required by the Federal Communications Commission, Verizon Wireless officials have said. The tower will be used by multiple carriers and the township will control the use of it when negotiating with those carriers.

Supervisor Stephen Ullrich said building on township land would be a “win-win” for the township and Verizon, since Upper Southampton initially purchased the land for cell tower purposes.

Supervisor Chairman Keith Froggatt, who voted against the tower in the park back in July, said he prefers the new location as well. The request for the change followed talks between Verizon and residents who don’t want a tower in the park.

Since July, the company has looked at three other possible sites suggested by the Friends of Tamanend Park. “We are trying to accommodate the township,” Manchel said.

But the company is finding out some residents want the tower in the park.

Gretchen Haertsch said a tree-disguised tower would fit best tucked in the park for less visibility. She added that a tower at the latest proposed location would surround three historic properties, ruining the area’s historical value.

Elizabeth Finnegan said she’s worried about safety during construction on the latest proposed site, which is close to schools.

She said she fears that the nearby gas pipe will be hit or moved during digging.

“I’m really concerned about the gas pipe and the children,” she said.

Resident Ron Thoma said he tried to purchase the township property a few year ago, but couldn’t because the “government said it was designated wetlands. You can’t build on wetlands.”

Verizon Wireless didn’t conduct wetlands studies before proposing the location, company officials said.

Verizon isn’t the only wireless company dealing with the supervisors. The board voted 4-0 to send the township solicitor to Wednesday’s zoning hearing board to say that the supervisors don’t recommend giving TMobile several variances to build a cell tower to close a reported gap in coverage for its customers.

T-Mobile wants to erect a 120-foot tower on land that it would lease from the Churchville Inn on Bristol Road and Bustleton Pike. The variances requested have to do with the tower’s proposed height and distance from the inn’s property line.

In the proposal presented in August, T-Mobile said the tower would be 3 feet from the side yard property line of the inn, as opposed to the 15 feet required by the township ordinance. It would be 3 feet from the rear property line, but the township requires 35 feet. Since the tower would be in a residential zone, the maximum allowed height is 25 feet, not the 120 feet requested.

On Tuesday, the company presented a slightly revised plan that would still require buffer and set-back variances.

T-Mobile has another possible location, representatives said, but they won’t know if the property owner will lease the land to them until this Tuesday. If that deals go through, Ullrich said, TMobile wouldn’t need the variances.