Tag Archives: PENNDot

east goshen responds to right to know request on 352 and king intersection improvements

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3 intersection

UPDATE 5/3/2019: Today I received a US Mail reply to my Right To Know submitted on 4/23/2019 to PennDOT which was identical to my requests of East Goshen and East Whiteland.

This is why people believe in conspiracy theories.  What any of us have asked for should be simple, right? We live in one of the two municipalities contemplating intersection changes , we live in Chester County, this has SORT OF been being discussed mostly out of the public view for a couple of years, right? (I can’t say intersection improvements any longer since two out of the three parties seem hell bent on hiding from the public what is going on and why?)

Well as per the response from PennDOT well,  they also want additional time to contemplate their bureaucratic navels…letter very similar to East Whiteland’s response so I guess this is going to be a thing?

I am thinking it already is a “thing” since someone I think of as a total social media blowhard (they are not someone I would chose to have in my circle in real life and removed them from a social media group for essentially harassing and haranguing myself and anyone else who didn’t agree with his limited view of the world and life as we know it) has been bandying about my name in vain again. 

Apparently myself and others concerned about this because a roundabout/circle WOULD have to mean eminent domain are essentially drama queens and everyone should remain calm and informed. He claims to be Master of the Universe and to have been having conversations with “one of the players”?  My, my, my is it one of the “players” resisting a Right to Know? Sure hope not because that might be a problem if they won’t discuss this with all residents but will discuss it with select residents? He also says he personally will see that this project gets the attention it deserves. Excellent, right?

I will note that I did not originate discussion on this topic, neighbors closer to him did. 

Here is what PennDOT said: 

PA DOT RTK p 1

PA DOT RTK p 2

UPDATE 4/27/2019: Today  I signed for certified mail from East Whiteland Township regarding my right to know request on the proposed yet somehow TOP SECRET intersection improvement plans for King Rd and Sproul/N.Chester/352 which may or may not end up being a circle or roundabout which in turn could mean eminent domain to gather the necessary land.  I have redacted personal data from the Right to Know, but basically they sent me BUPKIS.  While I appreciate the timeliness of their response (because PENNdot has completely ignored me), I do not understand how East Goshen can send me LOTS of information, and East Whiteland nothing…BUPKIS? 

I also had a comment to this blog which I forwarded onto PENNdot for comment and …well…BUPKIS… I am finding this whole situation curiouser and curiouser.  

Here is what I am adding to this post:

RTK 4.27.19 redactedcomment

⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗

ORIGINAL POST: 

 

The other day I wrote a post about the proposed intersection improvements at King Road and Route 352/Sproul/N. Chester Rd.  I also submited Right to Know requests to East Goshen Township, East Whiteland Township, and PennDOT.  The reason I did that is this whole issue has been sort of out there at different times over the past couple of years that I have been aware of, only most residents feel completely in the dark.  Especially homeowners that would be the most potentially and directly affected and how is that fair to them?

And people feel the municipalities are to blame for the intersection issues because of all of the development approved and continuing to be approved which is incredibly hard on the infrastructure and so on. Failing intersections like these can be directly connected to increased volume thanks to increased development, correct?

March 2018 3 EGTI am vehemently opposed to one of the ideas floating around – a roundabout or “circle” because in order to have it be the right size, people will undoubtedly lose their properties and homes via eminent domain.

I am not sure what I will get out of East Whiteland, and PennDOT did not even acknowledge I contacted them and the head Mahatma Leslie Richards was cc’d.  But I was not impressed with her when she was a Montgomery County Commissioner and figured she was a political payback from Wolf when he was elected to his first term as Governor in PA. (But I digress)

However, I did get a response from East Goshen.  Their manager is very fair to deal with.  Here is what I was told:

I am in receipt of your right to know  request of April 22, 2019

At their meeting on February 19, the East Goshen of Supervisor accepted the February 5, 2019 proposal from McMahon to develop a conceptual  design plan for a roundabout and update the cost  information.  We received the report on March 28, 2019 and are currently working with East Whiteland to set up a  joint meeting to  roll out the  project.  The links below will take you to the agenda for the February 19 meeting and the minutes.

https://eastgoshen.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-02-19_Board-of-Supervisors-Agenda-for-web.pdf

https://eastgoshen.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/BOS-Mins-2-19-19-FINAL.pdf

How the project will be funded has not been determined at this time. There are several federal and state grant programs available and the links to  two of  them are  below.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact/factsheets/cmaqfs.cfm

https://www.penndot.gov/ProjectAndPrograms/MultimodalProgram/Pages/default.aspx

Based on past  experience I would add that:

1)      All of these grant programs a very competitive.  

2)      State and federal grant money comes with a lot of strings and red tape attached.

3)      The Township  will have to fund some of the project costs.

4)      While it is possible to receive grant money for engineering and construction; you  typically have a better chance if the project is shovel ready.

Call if  you have any  additional  questions.

3 Attachments

2019-03-28_Nagel_ Smith_Feasibility

Executed 020519 Proposal

Memo to BoS 021419

Because a roundabout or circle would drastically affect around the Lockwood Chase development, I am including the photos below:

2 circlecircle area

Here is the video of the East Goshen meeting referenced above:

I will note that since 2015, articles have occasionally been appearing about how New Jersey is REMOVING circles.

Someone wrote to me from East Goshen:

Go to the Wegmans in Frazer/Malvern and see how good circles work! They SUCK. When we lived in northern Chesco and used Hares Hill Road between 724 and 113, we had 3 “4 way stops”, and a one lane bridge. even during rush hrs everyone would do the every other car thing. Circles don’t invite such nice driving habits.

As a matter of fact since I wrote my first post on this topic, the conversation on it has been coming at a fast and furious pace. And the consensus is (1) the townships are not discussing this enough with the public and should be more forthcoming (especially East Whiteland), (2) those who live around the intersection and in these townships do NOT want a circle or roundabout, they was signalization which would make each side of the intersection go one at a time and (3) the only people in favor of the circles and roundabouts don’t necesarily live in either East Goshen or East Whiteland Townships.

One of the things I wonder about is if either township has taken the temperature of Immaculata and Villa on this because buses have a crazy impossible time with circles and roundabouts and these academic institutions have many school buses daily and the big coach buses that transport visiting collegiate sports teams. And a lot of trucks also have issue with circles and roundabouts.

I will also note that if you are concerned, contact East Whiteland and East Goshen, preferably in writing.  If you submit a Right To Know, you may find the following helpful:

“The Right-to-Know law has an express presumption that all records in possession of government agencies are public. However, there are more than 30 exemptions that allow agencies to deny access. There are two critical things to understand about exemptions An agency’s use of an exemption is discretionary; they are not required to deny access just because they can. There are other state laws that mandate secrecy but the Right-to-Know law does not. The legal burden of proving the legitimacy of the exemption falls to the government, not the requestor. In the years since the passage of the Right-to-Know law in 2008, significant case law has been developed, so it is critical to do some legal research on any specific exemption.” http://pafoic.org/right-to-know-law-exceptions/#ex22

If anyone else responds to my Right to Know I will continue to update my readers.  I will close with sharing my friend Tim’s presentation to East Whiteland recently:

dear east whiteland and east goshen: we need a little “sunshine” about shared intersection improvements at king and 352.

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352 and king

For a while (as in at least a couple of years by my estimation), we’ve been hearing about the potential of intersection inprovements at Route 352/N. Chester Rd/Sproul Rd and King Road.

Mentions of it have shown up in reports in East Goshen and East Whiteland. It even showed up in an East Goshen newsletter in 2017.

March 2018 3 EGT

But what we as residents of these two townships have been hearing lately is disturbing.  A traffic circle.  Personally I hate them.  That is not why I find it disturbing, however.  What disturbs me is to build/construct a traffic circle land has to be taken. Taking as in eminent domain.  So who is on board exactly as a resident with this?

March 20018 2

 

How many residents in these municipalities, would lose land and/or their homes? I certainly wouldn’t be o.k. with that.  Would you? So if the traffic circle happened, potentially would Lockwood Chase development residents be o.k. with the historic marker sign for Battle of the Clouds being moved as well as whose homes might have to go by byes?

And what of my friend Tim and others who might be looking at some kind on GINORMOUS retaining wall?

There is not much information the public can look at.  I will be honest and tell you I have put in Right to Know Requests for East Whiteland and East Goshen about this project, and I encourage others to do so as well…especially if you live closer to ground zero for proposed intersection improvements. I fully expect them to deny a lot of what I asked for, but I am asking anyway.  If they say they won’t on the basis of real estate, that to me would be an indicator as to the truth of plans that include eminent domain.

I do not have a problem with improving the intersection, I have a problem with circles AT THIS LOCATION as I think they are a nightmare and MOST IMPORTANTLY BECAUSE I AM 100% AGAINST EMINENT DOMAIN.

March 2018 EGT

A simple solution of course would be signal improvements which would allow each of the four sides to go individually. (I do not know if I am articulating that properly.)

352 3

I am not a traffic engineer but sometimes simple solutions are the best.

Of course I must also mention that, d’oh, the increasing problems at this intersection has to do with increasing traffic….and a lot of that has to do with ALL of the development out here.

Increased development = increased density = increased traffic = increased burdens on infrastructure.

I think we as residents need to be granted more transparancy as this process progresses.  I do not think we should settle for “don’t worry, we’re working on it.”

Please watch an excerpt of the April 10, 2019 East Whiteland meeting. The excerpt I captured contains public comment on this topic.  I think if you live in East Whiteland or East Goshen or travel through this intersection from other neighboring munipalities on a regular basis you should definintely watch my friend Tim’s presentation.

Residents of East Whiteland and East Goshen together we are stronger.

#NoCircle #NoEminentDomain

hate has no home here at christmas or anytime, chester county. please.

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Reader Submitted Photo 12/24/2017

Hate should have no home here, Chester County. Not at Christmas or at anytime. The photo you see is READER SUBMITTED. It came to me a little before 9:30 AM on Christmas Eve (this morning as I write this.)

It was in response to a message I received overnight after midnight and posted this morning:

Hello. I came across some racist graffiti in Exton. It’s under the underpass at rt 100 and 30 bypass. It’s new as I travel the area frequently and don’t think it’s more than 2 days old. Not sure how to have it removed.

Apparently they tried to call the police yesterday, but calling the non-emergency number after hours, is well, after hours. That is the problem with a centralized 911 system – you can’t just get someone from a local police department easily on the phone. In the old days, you could just simply call a local non-emergency number to report things like hideous graffiti.

I don’t expect a Christmas miracle out of West Whiteland Township on Christmas Eve, but either they or PennDOT need to remove this as soon as possible. Hate should truly have no home here, especially at Christmas. Say a prayer for the person who did the graffiti because they need to lose the hate in their own heart that drove them to tag in such an awful way.

2017 has been a brutal year. My Christmas wish is for peace at Christmas and in 2018. All of this hate from coast to coast in the United States accomplishes nothing…except it foments more and more hate. Somehow it needs to stop.

This graffiti in Exton isn’t art, nor is it a political statement. It’s just hate.

Please stop the hate. Hate has no home here at Christmas or any other time.

how many accidents will have to occur on route 100 through exton before something is done?

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100 accident 2

See that car? It was behind a good friend on Route 100 yesterday. They were in a horrific accident on 100 waiting at a red light I think at the Ship Road intersection.  They were not in the turning lane, but in a through lane.

Route 100. I hate it and avoid it when I can – not the part that scoots into West Chester at the end but the constantly under construction Exton and so on part.

I almost lost a friend last night. She is a mom to four small kids, too. This is what she says in part:

“Had a scary moment earlier tonight. Was driving back from ….Exton …..Was stopped at a red light on Route 100. I had a line of cars ahead of me and one car behind me. We were all waiting for the light to change. In my mirror I saw headlights moving toward us at a high rate of speed. They were high —it was an 18-wheeler truck. I have no idea why it didn’t brake.

 

It slammed into the car behind me- completely totalled that car. That car went into my car- and I went into the car ahead of me. In all, 4 cars were damaged- and one big truck.

 

The scariest part was seeing it coming and not having enough time to do anything except grab the wheel, brace for impact, and scream. Happily, we all walked away. I went to the ER just because I was nervous about the neck pain & headache, but it’s just a strain and I get to go home to my bed and my family, unlike some other folks who were in the ER for other ailments.  Life is precious.”

 

Damn it when are they going to deal with what happens on that road? PennDOT? State Representative Duane Milne? State Senator Andy Dinniman? Chester County Commissioners? Anyone?

THERE ARE TOO MANY ACCIDENTS ON THIS ROAD.

I am guessing the perpetual almost Brooklyn Bridge-like state of constant (chronic?)  construction doesn’t help, but it shouldn’t be an excuse.

Route 100 is deadly. And it almost took someone I know last night and I am NOT o.k. with that.

Thanks for stopping by and yes these are accident photos from last night I was given to use.

100 3 100 4 100 5 100 6 100 7 100 8 100 9 100 10 100 11 100 accident

cyclists need to actually share the road…and obey the laws

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When people in favor of bicycle lanes get up in public meetings to demand more room on the road, it is scenes like this one above which make me somewhat unsympathetic to their cause.  See, unfortunately the ignorance photographed above this morning in Paoli happens far too often.

This photo came with the following comment:

So, it’s not often that I get on my “soapbox”, but these people are grown men, not boys, and they ride ….and take over the whole road. Not only did they ride in the middle of the road while chatting with each other, but when we got to the red light at Lancaster Ave in Paoli they looked both ways and went through the RED light.

Is it okay to break the law because you are on a bike? I’m happy to share the road with bicyclists, but it would be nice if they would respect the law and the people who have to share the road with them!

Amen. 

To this I add the problems with dealing with these cyclists on the trails out here in Chester County. They often zoom by on a trail with little regard or care for small children with their parents on bicycles or people who are just walking, let alone walking their dogs. 

And these cyclists also often show complete disregard for crossing the road safely when the trails break over busy roads. Three of my favorite examples are where the trail breaks over Ship Road, Phoenixville Pike, and Bacton Hill Road. We all are supposed to slow down for them, but they can just disregard stop signs, traffic lights , and other rules of the road….with great regularity. And if you honk at them they glare at you and can actually be quite nasty.

On the roads, a lot of these inconsiderate cyclists give good cyclists a bad name. Not only do they completely block the road or just entire lanes of traffic, but they are also NOT keeping up with the flow of traffic while they do so, and can be quite aggressive. I have a couple friends who are runners who have actually been run into by cyclists  on the roads then the cyclists yelled at these people basically for having the nerve to be out jogging. And the cyclists are actually running into people because they’re not paying attention. 

Have you ever been on the road that actually has bike lanes only cyclists ahead of you aren’t using them at all? Why are we putting our taxpayer dollars into these “road improvements” so we can “share the road” when they don’t know the first meaning of what it is to share the road?

When you’re driving and you come across cyclists like the ones photographed above, or the ones who also travel in packs and zigzag in and out of traffic, it is nerve-racking.  If you as a motorist hit someone on a bicycle you know it’s going to be bad, and the problem is it’s someone grossly UNfair because they created the dangerous situation in the first place.

I know a lot of cyclists are going to read this post and be really angry. But the thing is this: they need get the point across to their fellow cyclists that they are sharing the road and trails with other people and  vehicles and that they need to obey the same rules of the road as the rest of us.

west king road east whiteland

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This is West King Road in East Whiteland.

Now I know this road is not unique. The roads in multiple counties around Pennsylvania  are in deplorable condition after this winter. The frost heaves alone are incredible.

But if you don’t constantly point out to PennDOT what roads are in deplorable condition, nothing gets fixed. I am also putting this out so State Representive Duane Milne’s  office sees more photos. I emailed them about this recently and once again they never even acknowledged the email.  

I am still finding that the communication between elected officials and regular residents out here leaves a little to be desired at times. I also informed State Senator Andy Dinniman’s office. 

Both the honorable State Representive and State Senator should be glad I am not writing a dissertation on the deplorable conditions of Route 100 and the constant PennDOT construction project there. That road is dangerous and treacherous at this point in places. 

If you know of roads that are in really bad shape and Chester County feel free to post photos and comments on the Chester County Ramblings Facebook page.



rapps dam covered bridge destroyed by tractor trailer

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rappsdamRapps Dam Bridge in East Pikeland  is one of those crazy beautiful covered bridges that dot Chester County.  It goes over the French Creek and it was only finished being restored in late 2011, to the tune of what was it? A million and a half dollars? It is East Pikeland but what we  would call Phoenixville, right?

Well thanks to a tractor trailer driver who must have been in a hurry, who knows how much repairs will cost THIS time.

Yup, a truck has decimated this beautiful bridge.

I don’t get it. Who drives an 18 wheeler on a covered bridge?  There is a sign with a height limit! Why don’t drivers know their limits and the specs of their rigs?

Phoenixville News: Truck hits and severely damages Rapps Dam Bridge (video)

By Frank Otto, fotto@21st-CenturyMedia.com

Posted: 04/29/14, 2:34 PM EDT

EAST PIKELAND — PennDOT crews said the Rapps Dam Covered Bridge is structurally unsound after a tractor-trailer carrying flowers damaged it by driving through it.

Although a sign warns that the bridge can only accommodate vehicles that are 10 feet high, the tractor-trailer drove into the bridge heading south on Rapps Dam Road around 9:45…Broken a beams hung from the covered bridge’s rafters or lay in splinters on the deck of the bridge and the roadway leading out.

Cpl. Ben Martin said the truck was driven by Antoine Branham hauling flowers Centerton Nursery, a family-owned nursery in Bridgeton, N.J., when it went into the bridge. Branham was driving a leased truck at the time.

A representative for Centerton who did not give her name said they had no comment on the incident and would have no information to offer.

PennDOT crews surveyed the damage on the bridge and said it was structurally unsound. Cones and orange fencing blocked it off and will continue to for the foreseeable future

So….as per media reports, the truck was a flower or nursery delivery truck owned by Centerton Nursery (345 Woodruff Rd, Bridgeton, NJ 08302)

Now the media reports no comment from the business but I would have to ask if I was going to interview them how they could have a truck that big with a licensed driver think they could drive over an old covered bridge? But I can only ask that question here.

I am appalled and truthfully this driver’s actions could put this nursery into serious financial hock, because face it, aren’t they ultimately responsible for this accident if he was driving for them? And I notice that 6ABC says driver was on the job four days? So why wasn’t someone driving with him if that new? That is a big truck.

This bridge was built around 1866, right? Originally? 6ABC WPVI says that the bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places too. I am so sad about this bridge. I hope it gets rebuilt. But we are talking about PENNDot, right?

rapps 6abc

6 ABC WPVI PHILADELPHIA Local/State

Covered bridge heavily damaged by tractor trailer in East Pikeland Twp.

Updated at 02:30 PM today

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. – April 29, 2014 (WPVI) — Officials have closed a road in East Pikeland Twp., Pa. after a tractor trailer was driven through a covered bridge, heavily damaging the structure.It happened Tuesday morning on Rapps Dam Road at the Rapps Dam Covered Bridge, which spans French Creek.

Police say a truck carrying potted plants was heading over the bridge from Route 113 toward Route 23.

The truck apparently made it all the way through the bridge, but not before tearing out most of the wooden support beams…..Police say the driver of the truck was Antoine Branham, and he had been on the job just four days…The bridge was originally constructed by Benjamin F. Hartman in 1866 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

 

 

just dumb

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truck 2This morning if you were on 352 at the underpass in Frazer you got to witness yet another truck driver get stuck. And it wasn’t some guy renting a box truck from U-Haul or Budget or Penske for the first time, it was a regular truck driver in a huge truck hauling a load – in other words this isn’t in my opinion to be filed under beginner’s bad luck.

Every time I see something like this happen I marvel at how these trucks and people driving them don’t seem to know how big they are by themselves and if they are carrying a big load, how tall they are in relationship to a tunnel or underpass.  And if they do know how big and tall they are they see the height sign for an underpass that would indicate to a sensible person they might get stuck, why they don’t stop and turn around?

Around 10 am this morning a giant truck hauling giant metal cube things decided height restrictions were for other people at the Route 352 underpass in Frazer.

truck 1

We were in a line of traffic waiting on the Immaculata side of the underpass and we sat and watched the truck approach.  The driver stopped at first as if giving it a good look and then he proceeded.  And got stuck.  The truck stopped.  Then remarkably it tried to go forward as if that would make it better.  Only he wasn’t hauling puffy rubber or foam that would bend, he was hauling these giant metal boxes with what looked like vents cut into them. So he got more stuck.

Finally he stopped trying to go forward and instead started to back up.  Of course it being 352 there was traffic up the rear of the truck but they started to back up and after many minutes of all of us on the road collectively holding our breath, the truck was able to get unstuck and out from underneath the underpass.

I just don’t understand how these trucks think they are going to fit if they are too tall and big going into the scenario?

Here’s hoping Amtrak checked the bridge after.  Every time there is a stuck truck or a hit they are supposed to check the bridge.

playing chicken to cross the road

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DSC_0056I will preface this post with the fact I was a passenger in the car.  I was not driving. I had someone give me grief in another post multiple times because they could not grasp the concept that while I may have been driving, the poor photos taken with my cellphone camera were done when I was STOPPED in traffic, NOT moving.

Last evening we were coming down Goshen Road to attend an event on the Main Line.  As we approached the intersection of Route 252 and Goshen Road, after barely recovering from viewing the incredible savagery that Toll Brothers has inflicted upon the once beautiful DuPont Estate formerly known as Foxcatcher Farm, we noticed the traffic seemed to be in a huge snarl.  It was after all around 5:30 P.M., which in my mind is still rush hour.

This is Newtown Township, Delaware County, by the way.

So we quickly realized the traffic lights to the intersection were OUT. ALL OUT. As in the very major and always busy intersection of Route 252 and Goshen Road. A lot of people almost got hit trying to navigate through this intersection as only a small percentage of drivers were even attempting the “you go, now I go” taking turns thing that you are supposed to do while carefully navigating intersections with traffic signals out.  Typical arrogant and aggressive driving prevailed creating a rather dangerous situation.

There were NO police officers to be seen.  There weren’t even those short stop signs out that police put out when the lights are out.

So I tried looking up Newtown Township Police Department to let them know they needed someone out there ASAP.  Guess what?  There really isn’t a phone number you can call.  Every phone number to the police department I looked up had a recording on it.  Newtown Township  Police Department doesn’t want to talk to those they protect and serve, apparently.  They only want you to waste precious time calling EVERYTHING in on 911 which goes to Delaware County Dispatch which is MILES away.

This is why they need a non-emergency or alternate phone number that is answered.  Ordinary people don’t know what exactly constitutes a 911 emergency by the definition of a police department and we don’t want to get hollered at for phoning in something they do not feel is an emergency.  The other thing is when you call these county seat dispatch centers the people answering the phones do not necessarily understand WHERE you are calling from.

If Newtown Township Delaware County Police doesn’t want someone answering the phones in their station although you know there is always someone there, then their phones at night should feed into dispatch automatically and not make people feel like they can’t contact the police department.  All it would be is a simple call forward, and surely they can afford that? Especially with all the money the township will make selling themselves to Toll Brothers, right? Speaking of Toll Brothers, there were little red flags all around that intersection last night – you know like utility companies and others use to mark?  Did this development in progress have anything to do with the traffic lights failing at rush hour?

DSC_0058

 

es schneit! es schneit!

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snow 2(It’s snowing! It’s snowing!)

Well thank goodness!  When I saw the sleet earlier I was worried that NBC10’s Glenn Hurricane Schwartz might be moved to tears of it DIDN’T snow….he was in rare form on the 11 p.m. NBC10 news last night, practically skipping around the news set with glee at the prospect of snow.

I am thinking it might be a snowy winter this winter…but usually I would have seen lots of wooly worms in the late summer and into the fall and I didn’t.

It is beautiful out, time to take snow photos.  Drive carefully as I have noticed that PennDOT did not do such a fabulous job pre-treating.