Home Care In Mont Clare, PA

In the neighboring Montgomery County villages of Mont Clare and Port Providence, both blasted a year ago by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, Saturday was a day for reconnecting.

“Some of us haven’t been around. A lot of us just moved back in, and we’re showing off our new houses, our new, restored houses,” said Gerrie Cirigliano, who wasn’t able to return to her Port Providence house until June.

» READ MORE: Their house was flooded by Hurricane Ida. So they lifted it 8 feet in the air.

“What was amazing is how many people gathered together to help each other get everything done,” said Don Frisco, who has lived in his house on Walnut Street for nearly 60 years.

Rachel Poggi, who lives in Mont Clare, said she gets goose bumps when she talks about the help so many people provided — including a couple from Phoenixville at Saturday’s gathering.

“This has really brought this little community together. It’s remarkable,” said Poggi, who was hosting Saturday afternoon’s potluck in her backyard, which backs up to the Schuylkill Canal.

The sense of loss remains palpable. Next door, Poggi’s daughter’s house is waiting to be demolished. The kitchen floor collapsed and a corner of the house fell off, opening it up as if it were a dollhouse. Poggi said her son-in-law has a landscaping business and had to move because he couldn’t risk losing his equipment again.

Mont Clare residents David and Sarah Clark tried to find another place to live but said they couldn’t find anywhere they liked as much as Mont Clare. “There’s nothing like it,” Sarah Clark said.

For many families, financial uncertainty remains.

Erin Hovoet said she and her husband, who moved their beds back into their house on June 30, are still waiting for their final insurance check. “We don’t know how much it will be. It’s great that we’re home, but there’s still the financial stress of it,” she said.

It’s even worse for some neighbors who still haven’t returned because they haven’t been able to settle with their insurers, said Hovoet, who has 17- and 13-year-old sons.

When people ask her why she would return to a place with all that water and the risk of flooding, Cirigliano says she couldn’t stay away.

“It’s beautiful to have the path, the river, the environment, the nature, the birds, and the turtles, and we have all this every day. It’s like paradise to us,” Cirigliano said.

“In fact, I renamed it Portopia,” she said. “It’s Port Providence, but I call it Portopia because of the nature and how much we love it.”

In Montgomery and Chester Counties, a combined 537 people impacted by the flood are still homeless and living in hotels.

In a church parking lot, Mont Clare residents greet each other with hugs, their embraces long and tight. They share a smile and a nod that says, “I know what you’re going through.”

This is ground zero for Hurricane Ida’s destruction in Upper Providence Township, where in the first week of September, historic floods ravaged nearly 200 homes — about a quarter of the some 800 residences impacted across Southeastern Pennsylvania — displaced hundreds, and caused $120 million in public infrastructure damage.

Phoenixville and Mont Clare are often thought of as one unit, but Phoenixville is a separate borough in Chester County, and has about eight times as many residents. Since it experienced significantly less damage than Mont Clare, its charitable organizations deployed resources there.

Officials like Phoenixville Mayor Urscheler went door to door offering resources. Karin Williams, the volunteer director of the borough’s Office of Emergency Management, landed a $300,000 grant from the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation to cut checks directly to impacted Mont Clare residents.

“A bridge should not stop people from getting resources,” Urscheler said.

Then residents started wondering, Where are our local officials?

***

Shortly after the flood, Upper Providence Township raised $10,605 on GoFundMe for residents, and provided a water tank, ice truck, Salvation Army food truck, and portable toilets along some streets. But the township said those resources were being underused, and took them away about three weeks later.

Residents like Cirigliano said that was not true, and that losing them was devastating. She and her neighbors had no refrigerators, working bathrooms, or water to clean their muck-covered belongings. Some people used dirty canal water to flush their toilets.

On Cirigliano’s block, no lights were set up outside, despite her three requests. With no electricity nearby, nights were pitch black. She would drive to a business’ parking lot to clean items under its lights.

» READ MORE: Hurricane Ida wrecked a major water plant and nearly caused a drinking-water catastrophe for Philly’s suburbs

The township “separated” from its emergency management coordinator last week due to “ongoing performance issues” not specific to Ida, said Starling, of the township supervisors. He wouldn’t give details, citing employee privacy. The township plans to replace him.

At Monday’s township meeting, residents’ frustration boiled over. They told supervisors their communication was poor and questioned their lack of visibility in the community. Fischer asked why they had never contacted their volunteer group, even just to say thank you, and why volunteers, not township officials, were canvassing door-to-door to know who lacked water or power.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

In an interview, Starling said some residents’ frustrations were unfair, and that officials have coordinated tremendous efforts behind the scenes. Many issues, like insurance and electricity inspection delays, were out of their control, he said, and at the end of the day, it’s up to homeowners to fix their homes.

“It’s been all hands on deck. I could not be more pleased with the staff at the township,” he said, adding that nearly all other operations outside of flood recovery ceased for almost a month.

The township brought the water tank back out Wednesday following residents’ concerns. It plans to review their response in November to learn from this moving forward, he said. Residents now need to focus on submitting documentation to the government, getting their homes winterized, or making the tough decision to leave entirely, he said.

“In the end, maybe we were a little tone deaf on how we pulled some of the support items out,” he said. “This is very traumatizing. Their homes were inundated ... and now the best option they’re being offered is to accept a buyout and move away.”

***

Residents fed up with floods approached the township looking for information about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s buyout program, a voluntary program where the government will buy homes in flood zones at pre-flood values, then raze the structure and create permanent green space. It lets the federal government avoid paying out further flooding claims from a homeowner through the National Flood Insurance Program, and helps municipalities create natural buffers.

The township recently hosted two meetings, attracting 90 people. It has also contracted someone to coordinate the buyout process, which can take over a year to complete, with interested residents.

Some residents have suggested the township engineer the river to prevent future flooding. Starling said that’s not financially feasible and would require a levee and 30-foot concrete wall. Residents, of course, have a right to stay, but there’s also potential for ordinances that require homes in certain areas to be lifted, he said, but that’s down the line.

» READ MORE: Hurricane Ida flooding washed away most of Spiral Q’s history, including the famous Dancing Mailbox

And what about the area’s history? “It’s heartbreaking,” he said.

Linda Jo Marosek, who grew up on Port Providence Road and now lives in her grandparents’ home, built in 1832, has been running from water her entire life. Enough is enough, she said. If the buyout offer is good, they’ll leave.

Brenda Morgan, a resident of 17 years, won’t. She loves it too much.

“The water makes me want to leave,” she said, “but the community makes me want to stay.”

A flag that reads “Don’t give up the ship” flies outside her home.

Staff writer Frank Kummer contributed to this article.

SPRING-FORD, PA —Standing outside an 1827 farmhouse, Martin Witte, remembers the days when Limerick Township was a farming community with a population of 5,000 and lots of open space.

The 79-year-old historian remembers going to the drive-in movie theater and Lakeview Amusement Park, featuring roller coasters and a carousel.

“We had an amusement park in Limerick,” said Witte, president of the Limerick Township Historical Society located in the farmhouse. “ We had a Limerick School.”

Find out what's happening in Limerick-Royersford-Spring Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Witte provides these two reasons:

The power plant, owned by Constellation Energy Corp, has 840 employees.“We are getting more and more townhouse developments,” Witte said. “More than half the people living here, are here less than 40 years.

By 1955, Limerick became part of the Spring-Ford Area School District, which includes Royersford and Upper Providence Township; Montgomery County, and Spring City, Chester County.The district has a population of 51,371, straddles the Route 422 bypass, and covers 44.4 square miles. The Spring-Ford communities in the school district, which has 7,888 students, has a graduation rate of 95.3 percent, according to U.S. News.

Once called the “Pulse of Schuylkill Valley,” the boroughs of Royersford in Montgomery County and Spring City in Chester County were manufacturing towns with foundries, knitting mills, and other businesses, according to Ryan Conroy, president of the Spring-Ford Area Historical Society.

“You can’t mention Spring City and Royersford without the foundries,” Dave Willauer, treasurer of the historical society, said this week when providing a tour of the Spring-Ford museum, 526 Main St., Royersford.

The museum features a 19th-century plantation house, a cobbler shop, and a barn renovated with exhibits telling the history of the area.

Standing by a cash register from Latshaw’s Bakery in Spring City, Willauer proudly shares some of his family histories.

His great-grandfather Horsea started the bakery. His dad, who decorated cakes, bought the business in the 1960s. He and his brothers baked. The bakery has since closed.

During a program on the history of the bakery, in 2019, Willauer said shared how the family worked together, passing using recipes that had been passed down from one generation to another to make amazingly delicious baked goods.

Royersford is a .8-square-mile borough along the Schuylkill River with a population of 4,940.The borough has been the backdrop of some famous movies. The borough was formed in the southeast corner of Limerick Township in 1879.

Parts of 1958, The Blob, starring Steve McQueen, were filmed in the borough. Lovely Bones, starring Mark Wahlberg, was filmed in the borough in 2007.

The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, which opened in 1938 stopped in Royersford. On a recent afternoon, a Norfolk Southern train sped by the station, located along the Schuylkill River, on Main Street.

The passenger service, which stopped in 1981, is in the process of being restored.

Spring City is a .82-mile square borough in Chester County, also on the Schuylkill River, across from Royersford, with a population of 3,482.

The area was originally referred to as “Pump Town” because it has a public water pump from natural springs. In 1872, the name changed to Spring City.

The Spring-Ford Museum features a display of uniforms from the former Pennhurst State Hospital and School.

It was initially known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Institute for the Feeble-minded and Epileptic.

Pennhurst opened in 1908 on a 633-acre tract in the Spring City section of East Vincent Township. It was home to 10,600 clients and hundreds of employees.

“When Pennhurst closed, the residents rented apartments in the area,” Willauer said.

Pennhurst played a significant role for many people living in the Spring City area.

By 1982, 640 patients had lived there for more than 35 years. In 1977, a federal judge ordered that the facility make arrangements to release patients to the community. The facility closed in 1986.

In 2010, the state school was transformed into the Pennhurt Asylum haunted house, a popular tourist attraction. A Chester County judge declined to issue an order preventing the haunted house from opening.

Upper Providence Township

Upper Providence is an 18.17-square-mile township on the western side of Montgomery County. It has a population of 24,438. It was originally owned by William Penn. A five-mile Schuylkill Canal was built in 1846. The canal was used in the 19th century to transport coal between Pottstown and Philadelphia.

The river traffic grew, and two settlements, at the locks in Upper Providence Township, developed. They are now Mont Clare and Lumberville.

In 1923, the River Crest Preventorium opened in Mont Clare to provide a retreat for children who were exposed to tuberculosis but did not have the disease.

Lock 60 at the Schuylkill Canal Park has five miles of trails and is adjacent to Phoenixville. The canal reopened in 2005 after a 10-year restoration project.

The canal can be paddled. There is a trail featuring wildflowers, walks, and a board launch.

Pottstown, PA (June 14, 2019) – Last week, more than two hundred paddlers of all experience levels took to the water in colorful kayaks as part of the 21st Annual Schuylkill River Sojourn in Pennsylvania.

A signature event of the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area, the Sojourn is a weeklong river adventure, summer camp, and history exploration all rolled into one. Participants this year came from all over the United States—and one from Switzerland—to participate in the 112-mile journey. While most joined for only a day or two, more than a quarter made the entire journey from Schuylkill Haven to Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, just upriver from where the Schuylkill joins the Delaware River. In river communities all along the way, locals gathered on bridges and overlooks to watch the sojourners pass.

In addition to the experience on the river, paddlers stopped along the way for meals and educational programs about the history, nature, and cultural heritage of the river. This year’s theme was “Our Working River.” Programs revolved around the Schuylkill River Valley's industrial history. For example, participants stopped in Valley Forge National Historical Park to learn about the historical iron production of Valley Forge. A designated “Sojourn Steward,” sponsored by Schuylkill Action Network, helped identify wildlife and draw attention to the natural resources of the river, a source of drinking water for more than 1.5 million people.

To help open up this opportunity to a wider audience, scholarships allowed four people to participate for one or more days. A group of college and high school students from Reading, many of whom had never kayaked before, also joined the Sojourn with experienced mentors, thanks to a partnership between Schuylkill River Greenways’ and Make the Road Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization that works in Latino communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, community leadership and survival services.

Schuylkill River Greenways Executive Director Elaine Paul Schaefer explained, “Our mission is to introduce new people to this historical river with the hope that after experiencing this resource, they are inspired to protect it so future generations can enjoy it just as much as they do.”

The massive new passenger rail proposal, which could transform the Route 422 corridor, now has the backing of Gov. Wolf and Amtrak.

Patch Staff

|Updated Thu, Sep 16, 2021 at 9:18 pm ET

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — A massive new passenger rail proposal that would link New York City with Philadelphia and the Route 422 corridor in southeastern Pennsylvania out to Reading is taking shape. Gov. Tom Wolf is working with Amtrak officials to help realize the project, which has gone through countless iterations over the past several decades.

Officials are hopeful the rail, which would make three daily round trips between Reading, Philadelphia, and New York, would be a boon to the regional economy and improve growing traffic concerns on the Route 422 corridor.

"Amtrak is ready to do its part and has created a forward-looking vision for train service throughout the northeast," Gov. Wolf said. "A vision that is good for jobs, good for the economy, and good for the climate."

Eight of the proposed 16 stops on the route are in southeastern Pennsylvania. From New York's Penn Station, the route would progress through several stations in North Jersey to Trenton, then proceed to existing stations at Cornwall Heights in Bucks County, North Philadelphia, and 30th Street Station, before hitting new stops in Norristown, King of Prussia, Phoenixville, Pottstown, and Reading (a full list of station stops is included below).

Amtrak Has Been Aboard The Philly-To-Reading Train

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Amtrak made the proposal to bring back rail service long before the recent conference. In a statement of its vision, Amtrak said it was ready to invest in the proposed new stations.

"Reading and Philadelphia are only 60 miles apart but the destinations have not been connected by passenger rail service since 1981," Amtrak noted in support of its proposal. "The proposed route will add frequencies along the Northeast Corridor between New York City and Philadelphia and connect Reading to Philadelphia with five stops on the corridor."

Amtrak also pointed out how the additions would drive local economies, bringing $54 million annually. The new route would connect over a dozen universities and over fifty Fortune 500 companies and connect to services on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak's national network, SEPTA, Metro-North, Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit. These new rail connections would improve mobility for underserved communities and provide reliable and efficient transportation to education and employment opportunities in the region, Amtrak's statement said.

Amtrak's reasons for a route into Berks County begin with Reading's population growth of over 15 percent in the past two decades. The Greater Reading population is over 700,000 residents, making it the fifth-largest metro in the state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since 2000, Reading has added 35,000 new jobs to the economy. New York City and Philadelphia have added 750,000 jobs and 100,000 jobs in the same period, respectively, according to Amtrak's proposal.

Another big piece of Amtrak's proposal is the environment. As the New York – Philadelphia - Reading corridor continues to grow, the need also grows for more sustainable transportation alternatives.

"Due to the short distance, there are few alternatives to driving between the cities, leading to traffic congestion on Interstate 76 between Philadelphia and Reading and on Interstate 95 between Philadelphia and New York City. In early 2020, Philadelphia reported the worst traffic congestion in its history," Amtrak said.

Amtrak reporters over 250,000 people commute into Philadelphia each day. According to IRNX’s 2020 study, the average Philadelphian lost 94 hours, in 2020 alone, sitting in traffic, costing over $1,300 a year in fuel expenses.

All Proposed Station Stops

University Connections

A New York to Philadelphia to Reading Amtrak service would create new connections between major metropolitan cities, medium-sized cities, and colleges and universities, Amtrak pointed out. Students, their families, faculty, and staff could avoid traffic between destinations and likely find greater productivity or relaxation while they travel, Amtrak said.

Colleges and universities served by the New York – Philadelphia - Reading corridor include:

Amtrak executives joined the governor on Sept. 10 to go over the newly released Amtrak vision for the Northeast Corridor and the proposed enhancements to Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure.

In the recent conference were Amtrak President Stephen Gardner, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-8th), Allentown Deputy Mayor Leonard Lightner, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, and Jim Gerlach, Greater Reading Chamber Alliance President and CEO.

Cartwright, from the Scranton area, serves on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and is the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, and Science, where he oversees more than $70 billion in annual federal spending. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Financial Services & General Government Appropriations Subcommittee.

Wolf expressed a hopeful attitude that state and federal efforts can make the changes needed to meet transportation needs. "With federal leaders at the helm who understand the importance of investing in the future of our country's transportation infrastructure, we have an opportunity before us to build a transportation system that will meet the needs of the 21st century."

Amtrak currently runs two commonwealth-supported routes in Pennsylvania: Keystone and Pennsylvanian. In fiscal year 2019, there were 1.8 million riders between these routes. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor vision proposes three new services in Pennsylvania. Amtrak estimates there would be 1.3 million riders annually by 2035, with the services contributing $200 million in annual economic impact and $6 billion in incremental economic activity from capital investments, based on a projected capital investment needed of $2,700 million.

"Amtrak's plan for expansion will improve equity, accessibility, and reliability in transportation and that’s exactly what our commonwealth needs to continue growing and thriving," said Wolf.

The Governor said, "We need state-level transportation solutions to match this federal leadership so we can build and sustain this vision. I am pleased to support this plan which would expand services to many more Pennsylvanians, strengthen local businesses, the regional economy, and the commonwealth as a whole."

Amtrak's Other Expansions and Changes

The proposal calls for three new service lines and expansion of two existing services:

Nationwide, Amtrak’s vision proposes key improvements on 25 existing routes, adding 39 new routes, and bringing service to more than 160 new communities.

For more information on Amtrak and their proposed enhancements, visit their website here. Information on how Pennsylvania has invested and continues to invest in its existing passenger rail services is on its Plan the Keystone site.

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