Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Bud's Bar's gone psychedelic

Have you seen Bud's Bar in Lower Providence lately?
I know the owner and he doesn't really seem like the kind of guy who would sit outside with a basket of magic mushrooms, so I'm wondering what caused the change in color schemes.
I'm not really sure how to describe it to people since I haven't been by there myself, but mostly because every e-mail and telephone call I've received about the paint job has included a different description.
So I'll try to get a consensus here on the blog. How would you describe it?
I'll have to give you my description next week because I normally don't get over that way until I'm heading over to Tornambe's for a haircut.
Help me out with something else to please. Below is a link to a poll check it out. I'm trying to see if it will work off my blog. We haven't had Web Talk up since our new site was launched so I'm trying a new service for polls.
And yes, I know, we have to get the 'search' option up and running, too. We're working on it.
http://www.yourfreepoll.com/bxfbhjqwsp.html

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Lost without Wood's

Let's get this conversation started faster than a ProV1 off the head of a Nike Sumo driver.

Wood's Golf Center, excuse me, Woody's, has been a destination point for our family for years.
We heard the rumors about Einstein looking at it as a possible site for a new home for Montgomery Hospital, but I was hoping it was all just that, rumors. Turns out the rumors were true.

The Wood family has a right to do with their property whatever they wish. Let's get that on the record right now.

But...life without Woody's?

I find it hard to believe Einstein would want to build a hospital a couple of miles down the road from Mercy Suburban, but I don't know the hospital business. That's the first bogey.
I do know a little bit about traffic, though, and I don't believe that stretch of Germantown Pike can handle a hospital without some major reconstruction. That's a double bogey for sure.

Let's hear from East Norriton residents and supervisors. Is this what you want?
Maybe the township could step up and buy Woody's. West Norriton owns Jeffersonville, East Norriton should have its own slice of paradise, right?

OK, all of this is coming from an admitted golf addict, but seriously, there has to be some other place to put a new hospital besides a nice place to take a walk, even if it is sometimes spoiled (my apologies to Mr. Clemens).

Monday, June 4, 2007

New kid in town

I had lunch last week with Norristown's new municipal administrator. (And there wasn't a pork sandwich to be found. We were at a real Norristown treasure, though, August Moon.) I hope I didn't offend him with the 'kid' reference, but comparatively speaking.... Actually, everyone seems like a 'kid' to me anymore; am I really getting that old? If I am why haven't I had a mid-life crisis? I sure would like to be driving a Porsche. Anyway, as old folks are want to do, I digress.
David Forrest seems like a genuinely nice guy. He has his hands full and I sure hope he can handle it. Norristown needs a straight shooter sitting in that seat and they haven't had one in a while. There's a lot of good happening in Norristown right now and the best thing he could do would be to keep up the momentum. I know I certainly would like to see a shovel go in the ground at Main and Cherry street for that new parking garage with the retail space on the ground level. We're what, about two years behind on that project? In case you haven't noticed there are some fancy new sidewalks along DeKalb Street and the project is continuing along Main Street. Now what we really need are some fancy new street lights to shine down on those fancy new sidewalks so people can feel safe when they're out for a stroll. While he's at it he can see about getting the street lights over on Marshall back in working order.
I brought up my displeasure with council's insistence on moving forward with new plans for parking at the lot adjacent to Poley Park. The plans are already there. David said something about the study being paid for with grant money and I said something about not caring because we still pay for grant money with our tax dollars and in the end it's a parking lot for Pete's sake. Pave it, stripe it, and start charging people a dollar a day to park there and move on.
Anyway, we had a lively discussion about several things Norristown. Perhaps the most lively being about code enforcement. I'll just leave it at that for now.
Here's what I think. I think we need to give this guy a chance to get his feet wet and then give him a helping hand where ever we can.
Crazy, I know, but it just might work.
What do you think?