Library Expands Kids Room Offerings

A $2,500 Library Services and Technology Act grant helped The Union Library of Hatboro purchase items for its pre-school room.

Stay and play. That's the hope of The Union Library of Hatboro as far as visitors to its kids room. A recent addition of a comfy rocking chair and matching ottoman beckons families to sit and read. A new train set and magnetic and 3-D puzzles offer fun for pre-schoolers and plastic storage bins help to organize the library's assortment of legos and other small toys. Librarian Harriet Ehrsam said all were possible through a $2,500 Library Services and Technology Act grant and accompanying $1,000 worth of merchandise that the library received recently. The goal, she said, is to encourage families to visit the library longer by expanding offerings well beyond the realm of books. "I was thrilled. This was a good year for grants," Ehrsam said …

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Meet the Business Owner

Sausage Shop Could Open by June

The owner of Old World Sausage Factory is renovating the former Second Fiddle consignment store at 37 S. York Road in Hatboro.

Blair Vanacore hopes to share a taste of Italy with his customers in Hatboro. Vanacore, 52, of Jamison, a sausage-maker since his teen years when his grandmother passed on the family's tradition, plans to open Old World Sausage Factory in a few weeks at the former Second Fiddle consignment shop at 37 S. York Road in Hatboro.  "My sausage is made the way it’s made in Italy," Vanacore told Patch. "It's a totally different product than you’ll find in a grocery store or Altomonte’s. It has a very unique texture to it." In a matter of weeks, following the building's ongoing renovations, customers will be able to see–and taste–for themselves, when Vanacore opens his business's future residence, tentatively at the end of May, or beginning of June…

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Air Museum Extends Fence, Adds Picnic Space

An extended fence line at DVHAA's Wings of Freedom Museum allows greater access to aircraft, recreational space.

Even if you've been to The Wings of Freedom Museum 100 times and think you've seen it all, there's surely at least one sight you have not seen. The view beyond the fence.  Until recently, the planes–and picnic area–outside of that metal fence at the rear of the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association's volunteer-run aviation museum on Route 611 in Horsham was off limits for visitors. DVHAA last summer sought approval from the federal government to move the fence line to allow for greater public access.  The federal government owns the property currently in use by DVHAA. The Navy has a lease with the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority, which, in turn has a sublease with DVHAA. As part of the 862-acre redevelopment plan approved …

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Expanded Parking Lot Planned for Penn Mutual

The over-parked lot at Penn Mutual Life Insurance in Horsham may pose hazards, officials said.

The 540 parking spaces for 700 Penn Mutual employees in Horsham are not adequate. And it shows. "You can see cars parked on the grass," Horsham Township Manager Bill Walker said. "You can see cars parked in the aisles." In the event of a fire or other emergency, Walker said a fire truck might have difficulty navigating around the over-parked lot.  Penn Mutual representatives came before the Horsham Township Council this week to present a plan aimed at fixing the overcrowded lot. Under the plan, the company would add 96 additional parking spaces and add stormwater management features for better flood prevention on the Dresher Road property. The governing body took no action. A decision is expected at the council's June 12 meeting, according…

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Hatboro Library Makes Space for Seniors

The Union Library of Hatboro recently converted a portion of its building for 55 and up events, programs and features.

Comfy chairs. Coffee and tea. Reading materials. Conversation. All of the elements commonly found at coffeehouses are now an integral part of The Union Library of Hatboro, which recently converted two small rooms in the center of the library to house programs for people 55 and up. "They tell us not to use the word 'senior,' " Librarian Harriet Ehrsam said of the space she has instead dubbed the "next page." A $4,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant covered the cost of comfortable chairs, jigsaw puzzles, new computer monitors and keyboards for older individuals who have difficulty reading smaller print, as well as DVDs and books that are geared toward that age group, according to Ehrsam.  The library will hold a grand opening for …

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Toni Kistner

9:05 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013

A worthy endeavor, thanks to Harriet and the Library Board!   more ›

Sale of Limekiln Simmons on Hold

The Hatboro-Horsham School Board has agreed to extend an option agreement on the former Limekiln Simmons School for another year.

It could be another year before Hatboro-Horsham School District sells the former Limekiln Simmons School. The board, this week, approved another one-year extension of its option agreement with Horsham Township. The district has had an option agreement since 1992 with Horsham that would give the township the "right of first refusal" for the property. The Horsham Township Council approved a similar option agreement extension during Wednesday night's meeting.  "Those discussions are ongoing with the school district," Horsham Township Manager Bill Walker said, adding that both parties are seeking an "option that would benefit the school district and the township the best." With the latest option agreement extension, it will be in effect …

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Being a Firefighter

Volunteering to Put Yourself in Harm's Way

Enterprise Fire Co., like many fire departments, is constantly on the lookout for new volunteer firefighters.

Back when Enterprise Fire Co. Chief Keith Gordon joined the fire department 37 years ago, firefighters had to "fight" to get on a truck. "If you could hang on somewhere, you got on," Gordon recalled.  Not so much anymore. Now, if 15 or 20 people respond to a fire, that's a good day, Gordon said.  "Everybody has less volunteers," he said. "We've been in pretty good shape the last couple of years. But, you never have enough." The fire company has 30 active members and 75 regular members on its roster, according to Gordon. But, since some of the newer volunteers are younger–in some cases junior firefighters–the chief said he worries about holes in the lineup if they go away to college. To date, Enterprise has not really needed to do a …

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9 Teaching Positions to Be Cut for Next Year

The Hatboro-Horsham School District hopes to reduce staffing by a minimum of nine positions through attrition.

Declining double-digit student enrollment district-wide coupled with the budgetary need to cut $700,000 in staffing costs are the driving forces behind Hatboro-Horsham's intent to reduce its teaching staff, officials said.  In reviewing the first draft of Hatboro-Horsham's staffing plan for 2013-2014, Superintendent Curtis Griffin told the school board Monday that the district would be down a total of nine teaching positions next school year. Of those cuts, Griffin said he expected two to three to come at the elementary level; two to three to come at the high school; and two to three and "potentially more" to come at the middle school as a result of schedule changes.  "There’s no more money. This is it," Griffin said. "We have to do it …

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david fitzgerald

2:03 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I total agree with you. There is way to many asst. principles, etc. for a declining enrollment. Save the teachers and cut the overhead. Maybe this is a reason HH isn't ranked high in the surveys anymore. All of the teachers that were there when HH was the school district everyone wanted to go to are retiring, positions are being eliminated but the overhead keeps growing. The teachers are the ones…   more ›