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Barrett Township News, Events, Public Notices: Villages of Mountainhome, Cresco, Skytop, Buck Hill Falls, Canadensis
Letter from County Waste: Increase in Recycling Fees
I received this letter from County Waste regarding an additional $5 monthly fee for recycling pickup service.
See also, related article: China Throws Recycling Scam in the Trash.
Actual text from the letter as follows:
June 2018
Dear Valued Customer,
As many of you are aware, recycling programs in the United States have come under fire over the last year. Our costs to provide the service since 1988 were largely provided by the sale of the products we recycled. Unfortunately, the payment received has turned into a bill to accept. This situation has forced us to reconsider or rework the mechanics of the program.
Do the Poconos need three hospitals?
Escalating competition between Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s to be the dominant health system north of Philadelphia is driving the construction of hospitals and doctor’s offices in the Poconos.
In late 2016, St. Luke’s opened a 102-bed hospital in Bartonsville. Three months later, Pocono Health System merged with LVHN to become LVHN-Pocono. And by the end of 2017, St. Luke’s added a cancer center with a sleep disorder wing, and LVHN opened a 12-bed inpatient rehabilitation center at its Pocono hospital, and a health center in Blakeslee with an urgent care service. It also announced plans for a hospital campus in Tannersville in 2020 that will provide emergency care, a surgical unit with private rooms, a sleep disorder center and medical offices.
Large randomized trial finds state pre-k program has adverse effects on academic achievement. Reform is needed to increase effectiveness.
This study is the first large RCT of a state-funded pre-k program and one of only two such studies ever conducted of a public preschool program in the United States. As such, it provides uniquely credible evidence in the area of early childhood education.
While the study found positive short-term effects on child achievement (at the end of the pre-k year), these effects dissipated as children entered elementary school and turned modestly negative by third grade. At the third-grade follow-up, the control group scored significantly higher in math and science achievement than the pre-k group.
China Throws the Recycling Scam in the Trash
For all who are concerned about losing the Recycling Center in Barrett:
Now you get to do the work that China won’t.
The huge dirty secret of recycling was also one of the world’s worst polluters.
Every branch of government from Washington D.C. to your local town council had spent a fortune convincing people that recycling is a magical process that turns your old pizza boxes into new pizza boxes while creating those imaginary “green jobs” in the community. The reality was a lot dirtier.
All of America’s industries, including trash sorting, had been outsourced to China.
And recycling is just a fancy lefty way of saying "trash." All that recycling, which children in progressive communities are taught to sort as the closest thing to a religious ritual, was really being dumped by the ton on dirty ships and sent over to China. We weren’t recycling it. The Chinese were.
But now China is banning foreign recycling because it’s bad for the environment.
Notice: Phone Service from Blue Ridge Cable now lacks emergency battery backup
To whom it may concern:
Until recently, with Blue Ridge Cable's phone service, the modem came with a battery backup. This way, if the power at your house goes out, you can still call 911 while the battery is still charged (approx. 4 hours).
Now, Blue Ridge's modems are the new "DOCSIS 3.1" technology, and they don't include a battery! They now require you to purchase the battery separately (see below). Customers that still have the old DOCSIS 3.0 modems will continue to have battery backup available until Blue Ridge replaces that modem.
For now, my suggestion is that you purchase your own "UPS" battery backup (Amazon link) instead, so that you can plug not only your cable modem, but also your WiFi router, cell phone, laptop, etc.
A review of Lehigh Valley Health Network - Pocono
- A new father's perspective -
Background
My wife and I had planned on having our first baby at home with a private midwife. Unfortunately, we were unable to actually have the baby at home, as my wife required magnesium via IV to keep her blood pressure down. We wound up having the baby in our nearest hospital, formerly known as Pocono Medical Center. (In January 2017, Lehigh Valley Health Network absorbed Pocono Medical Center, which is the ‘primary’ hospital in the Poconos. There is now a St. Luke’s hospital in the area but they don’t have a delivery / newborn facility... yet.)
Community Micro-Grids
I recently came across this article about how a particular neighborhood in Brooklyn is creating their own micro-grid. It can be attached to the main grid, when the power is up, and if the grid goes down, this little micro-grid in Brooklyn can operate on its own, at reduced power. This would be a great addition to any community. For the Poconos, how great would it be to set up some hydro-dams that operate in a similar fashion?
New Barrett Township Fireworks Ordinance - Coming July 2018
Update 7/12/18:
This ordinance was passed at the last night's (July 11) meeting
Clarification:
This ordinance only applies to 'large' fireworks displays (e.g. if you hire a professional company). All others are regulated by the State of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania's purchases of consumer-grade fireworks are limited to buyers 18 and older, and have usage restrictions, including requiring permission from the property owner, not using them inside buildings or motor vehicles or within 150 feet of an occupied structure.
Further reading:
http://www.psp.pa.gov/public-safety/pages/fireworks-safety.aspx
Blue Ridge completes gigabit rollout
Blue Ridge Communications has completed a 12-month project to bridge gigabit-speed internet to its entire service area, the company announced in a statement Tuesday.
Its top-tier offering now boasts download speeds of 1,000 megabits per second — one of the fastest speeds available to residential consumers in the U.S.
“Our 1 Gig launch represents our commitment to continued investment in our network and infrastructure,” Mark Masenheimer, vice president of operations for Blue Ridge, said in the statement. “We are deeply invested in this region and the people who live and work here.”
Mountainhome Professional Center
Coming soon: Co-Working Office Space in Mountainhome / Cresco, PA. Whether you need a desk and access to a shared conference room, or your own private suite... we build to suit!
For details, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
More...
Letter from PP&L re: Smart Meters
Editor's Note: Please be advised that there are health, privacy, and security implications that come along with this new technology! Below is the actual letter that I recently received from PP&L about new "smart" meters being installed.
Official PP&L Links:
- https://www.pplelectric.com/newmeters
- https://www.pplelectric.com/reliability/new-electric-meters/meter-data-privacy-notice.aspx
Further Reading:
- Examples of sources of High Frequency electromagnetic radiation: Mobile phone towers, Mobile phones, Smart meters and all the appliances that connect to it in ‘smart grid’, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi enables devices, Cordless phones, Bluetooth, Digital radio and TV, Radar and airport navigation systems, Baby monitors
- stopsmartmeters.org
- Breaking: New Mexico rejects PNM Smart Meter proposal — “it does not promote the public interest”
- Who Will Pay The Ransom When Smart Meters Are Hacked Into?
- Big Government Pushing For Smart Meters Once Again, Will Your Home Be Monitored?
May 11, 2018
In coming months, we will be replacing our electric meter on your property as part of our state-approved plan to upgrade all our customers' electric meters. Your new meter will benefit you in several ways: It will help us improve the reliability of your service by better detecting power outages. And, over time, the new meters will give you improved access to data that will help you manage your energy use. Here's what you can expect during the replacement:
Regarding Route 447 Paving
5/22/18 - Update:
I was surprised to get a call back from Penn Dot. "Todd" filled me in on the schedule of roads to be repaired...highways first then secondary. He/They know all about 447 and get calls and emails every day.
But he said that should not stop people from logging their concerns. The whole highway is scheduled for a repaving in 2019. So let's bombard them.
Click here to submit a "customer concern" to PennDot. The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Traffic Alert: Route 447 Bridge (Goose Pond) down to 1 lane in 2021
A planning meeting was held May 9, 2018 to discuss the bridge replacement on Route 447, south of the Canadensis traffic light. (Near Stonewall Garden) The construction will not take place until 2021. The current plan is to replace one lane of the bridge at a time so that the other lane will remain open.
Engineer's drawings are available for review in the Barrett Township building.
Contact Information:
Laura Montgomery
Consultant Project Manager
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
717-540-6040
Public Notice: Invitation to Bid - Firehouse Roof and Engine Room Floor
PUBLIC NOTICE
INVITATION TO BID
Barrett Township will receive Bids for two (2) Contracts for work to be done at the Firehouse located at 6690 Route 191, Cresco, Pennsylvania 18326. Contract 1 is for Roof Replacement. Contract 2 is for Engine Room Floor Replacement. Sealed bids must be clearly marked to indicate which contract (or both) is included. All construction work is to be included in one (1) Prime Contract for each project. Bids shall be on a lump sum and unit price basis as indicated in the Bid Form. Sealed bids shall be submitted at the Barrett Township office, 993 Route 390, Cresco, PA by 4 p.m. (local time) on the 22nd day of May, 2018. Bids will be opened at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors at 8 a.m. on the 23rd day of May, 2018. Bidding documents can be obtained from the Barrett Township Municipal Office during regular weekday business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Checks shall be payable to Barrett Township. Bids must be accompanied by a certified check or bid bond issued by a surety licensed to conduct business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the amount of at least 10 percent (10%) of the total bid. The successful bidder will be required to furnish and pay for a satisfactory performance and payment bond and labor and material bond in an amount of 100% of the contract amount. A certificate of insurance, showing proof of workers' compensation coverage, must also be submitted. Bids will be effective for 60 calendar days from the Bid opening date except as permitted by law, and may not be withdrawn during this period. The Contractor shall be required to pay wages in accordance with the PA Department of Labor and Industry Prevailing Wage Determination and execute Contract documents satisfactory to Township.
The Barrett Township Board of Supervisors intends to award the Contracts to the lowest responsible bidder(s) at the regular meeting on May 23, 2018, at 8 a.m. unless the Board announces a later date and time for the award. (emphasis added) The Board also reserves the unqualified right to reject any and/or all bids, or parts thereof, and to waive any defects, irregularities or portions thereof, as deemed to be in the best interest of the Township. P - May 9, May 12