Home Care In Fountainville, PA

The seahorses behind the art museum have endured various indignities in recent decades: cement patching, pool paint, a non-functional fountain setting, and a recent dismemberment. But a team of conservators is nearly finished restoring and rebuilding The Fountain of the Seahorses, and already the Italian Fountain looks better than anyone’s seen it in decades. Come July these muscular beasts will once again splash in their fountain.

The Italian Fountain, a gift from Mussolini’s Italy in 1926 to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of America, is made of more than 40 tons of travertine (a kind of limestone) in about 65 pieces. The four horses weigh about 5,000 lbs each, and the four sections of the shallow bowl clock in at about 4,000 lbs each. There are 36 coping stones that form the fountain’s basin – each with slightly different dimensions, with dedications carved in Italian and English.* Despite its beauty and craftsmanship, the fountain had seen better days.

Over time the seahorses’ tails had broken and were been replaced with cast concrete parts. Charles Mottershead, the Department of Public Property’s Project Director for Parks, explained those concrete pieces date from an effort during a well-intentioned attempt to spruce up the fountain before the Bicentennial.

Over time Fairmount Park crews did what they could to maintain the fountain given budgetary constraints. “Probably the pool paint was what they had at the time. It’s not typically how you do a fountain,” Mottershead said.

The fountain was turned off a few years ago because its drain to the Schuylkill River was clogged. Mottershead explained that the fountain and parking area drain into a narrow channel between the shore and an island in the river. The channel, however, gets silted up every two to three years and requires dredging to restore proper drainage, which costs about $200,000. And while the city didn’t have the budget to dredge the channel in recent years, that time was used to plan the fountain’s complete restoration as part of a phased effort to improve the landscape from the Water Works to Boathouse Row.

[UPDATED] **In 2012 the city posted an RFP for the fountain’s renovation, and Materials Conservation Co. (MCC) won the bid. Funding for the project largely came through a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant matched by city money, Mottershead said.

Expert riggers and crane operators carefully disassembled the fountain’s hulking pieces and removed them to MCC’s studio. There, conservators removed concrete patches, epoxy, and pool paint; cleaned the hulking travertine pieces; repaired fragile elements and fabricated missing parts. And of late, the fountain has been put back together again on a freshly-poured concrete basin.

Replacement tails were carved by master sculptor Jens Langlotz out of travertine sourced from Turkey. Those had to be attached with pins, but the rest of the fountain’s elements were largely reconstructed just as it was originally.

“Everything was done with shims and mortar and patience,” explained MCC conservator Marco Federico. “That’s sort of our reinstallation philosophy too.”

Once the fountain came apart the team discoverd an unfortunate surprise: The central disc that bears much of the load from the 4,000-pound pieces of stone that make up the bowl had cracked, compromising its strength. That meant that the team was forced to recast this section in concrete, which is fortunately well hidden from public view.

After the huge stone sections were reset in the fountain, the new tails were installed. Langlotz returned smooth and sharpen the lines of the replacement sections and make sure that the exuberant, organic forms looked just right.

To complement the fountain’s rejuvenated exterior, new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were also installed.

Until recently the fountain felt like the center of a traffic circle instead of a park, but the area’s auto-centricity is getting a makeover too. Olin developed plans for a new park zone between the Museum and Boathouse Row. The formerly paved expanse adjacent to the fountain will soon be populated with native and Italian-inspired plantings as well as new benches that will invite people to sit and enjoy the view and fountain itself. The next phase of this landscape proejct will include a bridge and boardwalk connection to the little island in the Schuylkill and further plantings toward Lloyd Hall.

*Prize goes to the first person to spot the fountain’s typo. (Yes, on the fountain.)

** [UPDATED 6/3/13] CORRECTION: This article incorrectly stated that Milner+Carr Conservation had been hired to do a conditons assessment of the fountain to plan for its rehabilitaiton prior to the firm’s new incarnation, MCC, winning the bid.

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The property, located at 101 Broad Street, which has been vacant for several years and has exchanged hands a few times over that time, is currently up for bid online by auctioneer, Ten-X.

https://www.ten-x.com/commercial/listing/101-broad-street-ashland-pa-17921/1000014472/

The online auction, which began on Monday, June 14th, 2021 with a starting bid of $200,000, is currently being bid at $400,000 but is listed as "reserve not met" as of 10:45am, Wednesday.

UPDATE: As of June 17th, 2021, the auction is now closed and is listed as "in escrow". We will continue to monitor this and release any information we get when it's available.

The Dunkle Group of Marcus & Millichap is listed as the current owner.

According to the website, the property is described as a:

6 story 191,858 SF brick 3-winged structure with a typical hospital layout with a central kitchen and glass ceiling cafeteria. This former acute care general hospital includes three additional buildings, 285 parking spaces and a Heli-Pad. It’s been recently updated including a new natural gas/heating oil dual boiler system, new roofing, and electrical systems. The building is located along RT 61 in Schuylkill County, minutes from I-81, RT 54, RT 901 & RT 924, approximately 60 miles northeast of Harrisburg, 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia and with approximately 150,000 people living within a 15-mile radius.

The property is also includes over 20 acres of land.

The last owner that actually used the property was during the days of St. Catherine's which closed abruptly in 2012.

The present day facility was completed in 1967 with the old structure being demolished. Ashland State General Hospital was divested by the state in 1992 & became Ashland Regional Medical Center.

It was a rough financial ride for the hospital after state divestiture. In May, 2006, new owners renamed the hospital St. Catherine's Medical Center. A new name did not bring the facility good fortune. The hospital closed unexpectedly in the spring of 2012.

The property was the site up for discussion for Schuylkill County's first hospital in the early 1870's with construction beginning the 1880's with the first patient being treated in 1883.

That building was used until the 1960's when the current building was built and completed in 1967 which became the Ashland State General Hospital and eventually Ashland Regional Medical Center in 1992.

Funding became a problem during the late 1990's and early 2000's until St. Catherine's purchased the facility in 2006.

What do you think is in store for the property if it would find new owners?

BEDMINSTER, NJ and FOUNTAINVILLE, PA--(Marketwired - May 8, 2015) - The Investment Center, Inc. (TIC), an independent broker-dealer, honored William (Bill) Krempa with the Ralph S. DeVito Award at its National Educational Conference at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD. The Ralph S. DeVito Award is a distinguished honor for those advisors who demonstrate excellence with their clients, execute on business development, give back to their community, deliver unparalleled service to their clients and have an exceptional reputation. Ralph S. Devito is the founder of The Investment Center, Inc., a five-time winner of Investment Advisor Magazine's "Broker-Dealer of the Year" award.*

"With pride we honor Bill with the Ralph S. DeVito Award," said Ralph J. DeVito, President and CEO. "Bill brings an incredibly positive attitude and a tradition of strong family values to the profession. As a result, he has experienced continued growth and long-lasting relationships with his clients and fosters a fun work environment for those around him. We congratulate Bill and look forward to supporting him in his future endeavors."

Bill has over 24 years' experience in the financial services industry. He provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management to businesses and individuals. Bill uses the talents of institutional managers along with his own management experience to provide sound solutions to each individual client's personal situation.

Bill stated, "Every day my team and I come to work to help make our clients lives more fulfilling. We offer to improve their understanding of their future financial needs by listening to their financial fears and designing a plan to help meet their retirement needs. Since joining The Investment Center, Inc. in 2006, the support and encouragement of the management team and home office staff has been outstanding and I am privileged and humbled by receiving this distinguished award."

Bill Krempa is a Certified Financial Planner™ Practitioner (CFP®), a Certified Fund Specialist (CFS®), a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA®), Licensed Life and Health Insurance Agent and Broker, as well as a member of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners and the Financial Planning Association.

Bill and his brother, Chip, co-manage Krempa Associates, Inc., a second generation financial services firm located in Fountainville, PA, whose history extends back to 1971. He is dedicated to serving clients by recommending the same course of action that he would apply to himself and his family.

After 31 years, the Fountain will serve its final dinner service on Saturday, December 27.The Four Seasons hotel, where the restaurant makes its home, announced back in January that it would be leaving its longtime Logan Square location to take up residence in the upper levels of the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center tower at 18th and Arch.

An end date for the hotel's run on the Parkway has not yet been released, but chef de cuisine William DiStefano told Philly.com that restaurant management felt it would be more dignified "to give the Fountain its own designated departure time."

Given the service it provides for the hotel, the restaurant will not shut down operations entirely: It will continue to serve breakfast and lunch, and you will still be able to get dinner and Sunday brunch at the adjacent Lounge.

One of the few true stalwarts of fine dining in Philadelphia, the Fountain holds a rare four-bell rating from the Inquirer's Craig LaBan, and top ratings from multiple travel guides (five diamonds from AAA; five stars from Forbes). It again topped the rankings for service in this year's Philadelphia restaurant survey from Zagat, released yesterday.

It was also at the Fountain that chef Jean-Marie Lacroix — mentor to many of the city's new guard of French chefs — made his name and cooked for more than two decades, before moving on to open Lacroix at the Rittenhouse.

From now through their final service, the Fountain is asking customers to share memories and photos via their Facebook page, and to make use of the hashtag #FountainFinalCourse when sharing food photos on Instagram.

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Once a beloved and prominent Easton symbol, the fountain in Nevin Park has resembled little more than a pile of rocks since it was scrapped and melted down in the 1940s to support World War II efforts.

Easton volunteers have been trying for years to have that fountain restored, and now the College Hill Neighborhood Association is prepared to do it, along with an extension of the city's Karl Stirner Arts Trail.

Association team leader Hubert Etchison said he hopes the fountain will be restored by June 2014 and the trail extensions will be completed sometime after that.

“The restoration of the fountain will provide a focal point for activity, provide an adult-friendly vista in the park itself and aid in the economic growth of College Hill through increased traffic to its key business corridor,” Etchison said during a city council presentation today.

The association plans to build a three-tiered, Victorian-style fountain in a round base for $37,600, exactly replicating an existing fountain in Marietta, Ga., Etchison said.

They will also extend the Karl Stirner Arts Trail by adding two new pedestrian trails that run from the West Ward into the College Hill neighborhood.

One of the trials will run along Route 611 and the Delaware River for leisurely walkers, while the second, more challenging trail will go down Cattell Street and turn at Lafayette Street. Both will end at Nevin Park and the new fountain.

"This is a truly visionary project for the city and I'm so excited to see the arts trail aspect of this," said Councilman Jeff Warren. "It's really going to be a significant, positive change for the city."

Etchison said the entire project will cost about $205,000. They have collected about $21,700 in fundraising and plan to raise $18,000 more, in addition to seeking about $90,000 in grants.

The city previously pledged about $75,000 from its capital budget, including a $31,000 donation and a 2-for-1-dollar match of the fundraising, which comes out to about $44,000, said Mayor Sal Panto Jr.

“We’re 100 percent on board with this project, speaking for the administration, and I think you can hear the council agrees,” Panto said. “It’s a go.”

The existing 2.5-mile Karl Stirner Arts Trail starts at Route 611 and Northampton Street, then goes across Third Street, then along the Bushkill Creek.

Etchison said he hopes the new trails will include signs detailing various aspects of Easton’s history, like the canal during the Industrial Revolution, the 1955 flood, Lenni Lenape encampments and the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.

He hopes to ask students from Easton area schools to record audio history readings that visitors can access and listen to using their smartphones.

The original Nevin Park fountain was built in Centre Square in 1862, but was relocated in 1899 to make way for the Civil War monument.

Etchison said the association previously considered a full re-creation of the original Nevin Park fountain, but backed off when they realized it would cost $367,500.

“It would take a lot of yard sales to get there,” he said in reference to the group’s fundraising.

Contact reporter Colin McEvoy at 610-258-7171 ex. 3631 or [email protected].

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