1. home and garden

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Fall 2008
HED
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The
Gateway
Newsletter of The Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd
The Oldest of the Main Line Civic Associations – 1906
P.O. Box 717, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania 19004 • www.balacynwyd.org
Casey O’Bannon, President — 610.668.0734
President’s Message
by Casey O’Bannon
This is my last message as President of
The
Neighborhood
Club and I have to
express my deepest
gratitude for the
exceptional Board of
Directors with whom
I’ve had the pleasure
of working. I hope our membership
recognizes, most importantly, that you
have had the luxury of their service.
I came into this job with just a couple
of years experience on the Board.
Furthermore, we had a lot of turnover on
the Board in the previous years and much
of the experience and institutional memory
had moved on from this organization. I was
a little concerned with how that would
affect my tenure as President.
Fortunately, we have been blessed with a
vigorous, bright and motivated group of
your neighbors. They have taken on
responsibilities and challenges, not like
novices, but like experienced professionals
ready to handle the responsibilities.
Each person here has taken on challenges. They work independently. They
dedicate time for meetings and research.
They diligently summarize important
information from the assignments and
distribute to the rest of the Board. They
respectfully share information and opinions and incorporate them into Board
positions.
All of these people are busy in their
personal and professional lives. They
Phyllis Faber Kelley, Editor — 610.667.1017
The Neighborhood Club’s Annual Meeting
11 November 2008
7:00 p.m., refreshments • 7:30 p.m., start of business meeting
UNION FIRE STATION
Montgomery Ave. at Tregaron Rd. • Bala Cynwyd, PA
(Please note change in location for this meeting)
Please join us for refreshments prior to the meeting, followed by Elections
of Directors and Officers. After our elections, we will conduct a full slate of
business, including presentations and discussions about current neighborhood
issues. All neighbors are welcome.
Candidate Slate for
The Neighborhood Club’s Annual Elections
Following are the candidate slates for The Neighborhood Club elections.
Candidates were interviewed over the summer by The Neighborhood Club’s
Nominating Committee.
Per our by-laws, all members (dues paid for 2008) of The Neighborhood Club are
eligible to vote.
1. For Director, filling an unexpired term:
Amara M. Briggs (for Ann Cotton, term expiring 31 December 2008)
Phyllis Faber Kelley (for John Grugan, term expiring 31 December 2009)
2. For Director, beginning new terms, 1 January 2009 through
31 December 2010:
Eric Foster, Roger Moog, Serge Nalbantian, Dan Russoniello,
Katherine Schieffelin, Jerry Skillings, Michael Taichman-Robins.
3. For Officers to serve one year (terms expiring 31 December 2009):
Anne Greenhalgh, President
John Grugan, Vice President
Deedee Litvin, Secretary
Amara M. Briggs, Treasurer
Robert H. Zimmerman, Solicitor
(Per our by-laws, Casey O’Bannon succeeds Phyllis Faber Kelley in the
Office of Immediate Past President)
Any Neighborhood Club member wishing to nominate a Director or Officer
other than those selected by our Nominating Committee should consult
The Neighborhood Club’s by-laws at www.balacynwyd.org for details.
(continued on page 2)
1
Commissioner’s
Letter
by George T. Manos
Greetings, neighbors.
IMPORTANT NOTE: On its new
Website, www.lowermerion.org, the
Township has implemented an online
service by which
residents can select
from and subscribe
to a number of
e-mail notification
options to keep
themselves abreast
of what is going on in the Township.
To check out this very valuable information tool: on the top menu bar, select
“I Want To . . .” and follow the dropdown to “Sign Up For.”
On to the news . . . In Bala Cynwyd,
there is the emergence of the Cynwyd
Trail as possibly one of the most interesting and varied suburban trails in the
region. Concurrently, at the head of the
Trail, renovation of the Cynwyd Station
continues.
In July, the Township received the coveted U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) “Preserve
America” Citation at the former
Penncoyd Iron Works building at the
foot of Righters Ferry Road in a building that was remarkably and beautifully
restored by its present owner, Penn Real
Estate Group, Ltd. Following the presentation, an entourage including HUD
Regional Director John Bravacos toured
the Cynwyd Station renovation.
O’Neill Properties continues to press
forward with its plans for an apartment
complex at 131-151 Rock Hill Road,
while at the same time applying for
Tentative Sketch Plan approval for a
project on the former Connelly
Container site, right next door to the
renovated Penn Realty office.
Of particular importance to residents
Township-wide is the Township’s budget process. The Township will hold
public budget hearings on November
19th and December 3rd, with adoption
of the 2009 Budget scheduled for December 17th. Public comment will be invited during the budget hearings of November and December. If you’re interested in seeing a
remarkably open and transparent budget process, don’t miss these meetings. More
importantly, don’t pass up the opportunity to express your concerns either about the
budget itself, the process, or on any points raised by the various speakers who — I can
promise you — will not hesitate to fully express theirs.
2009 will be a challenging year for the Township financially, as it almost universally
will be for all families as the high cost of oil continues to be felt. Example: last year at
this time the cost of blacktop was approximately $53/ton. At this writing, it is $59/ton,
and Don Cannon, Director of Public Works (to his credit) has stopped even speculating on what it will be at purchase time. In June 2008, the Township updated its longterm financial projections for the current year: roughly $51.2M in expenses against
projected revenue of $50.9M, including a modest 2% real estate tax increase. The
deficit ($300,000) will be made up out of general fund reserves. 2009 expected expenses: roughly $54.2M; expected revenues: relatively flat at $50.7M. The resulting deficit
($3.5M) is more than an order of magnitude larger than 2008. Approximately 86% of
the projected increase is in costs that are commitment-based, including scheduled
workforce contract increases, employee healthcare benefits, debt service, solid waste
disposal, insurance, bonding, and the impact of increased fuel costs on operating costs.
Budget forecasts for the out years show expenses rising at an even higher rate with
respect to revenues. You see the dilemma.
We live in Lower Merion Township for the quality of its schools, its quality of life, and
its relatively low taxes. The task before the Township is to address the factors that now
seem to be affecting the balance between these qualities. As succinctly expressed by
Commissioner Mark Taylor (Ward 1 — Gladwyne, Merion Park, Penn Valley and
Wynnewood), “The challenge is to preserve the high level of services that residents
expect at the lowest possible cost.” Let us hear your thoughts on the issue, and stay
tuned as the debate unfolds.
Thanks to the following neighbors and friends
who contributed to this issue of The Gateway:
Mary Anne Diamond
Barry Levin
President’s Message
Fred Fischer
Ilene McCaffrey
Anne Greenhalgh
Judy Strazzella
(continued from page 1)
have many other responsibilities exclusive of The NCBC and I am repeatedly surprised
at their dedication to the community. I recall early in the year when I was at a LMT
Board of Commissioners meeting. Another of our Board members was attending
because there was an agenda item important to his assigned NCBC committee. The
Commissioners tabled this item due to their heavy schedule, yet, when I left the meeting at 11 pm, I saw our Director still present, focused on the Township’s business.
This could have been any of the members of this Board. It happens on a monthly basis.
They are helping to shape the future of our community which is under constant change.
They are dedicated, capable and wonderful people. To them I say: THANK YOU!
You are wonderful people.
My successor is Anne Greenhalgh. Anne has been on this Board for ten years and has
organized our outstanding 4th of July celebration each year. She brings a wealth of
experience, patience and intelligence to the position and I am confident in the future
with Anne at the helm.
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Trash Matters!
2. Yard waste (leaves, shrubbery and tree trimmings) is to be
placed at the curb for pickup, again only after 7:00 p.m. the
evening before collection day.
One of the primary reasons neighbors cite for choosing to live in
Lower Merion Township — and especially Bala Cynwyd — is
Quality of Life. Those of us who have lived here for a while are
always pleased to see improvements in the quality but sometimes we note a deterioration in that quality, and that always saddens us. Recently, The Neighborhood Club has received several
appeals from neighbors to address an issue that affects the
appearance of our neighborhood, and therefore, our quality of
life: Trash Collection. (See Chapter 82 of the Township Code,
available at www.lowermerion.org). If we all pay attention to
this issue, surely we can make life just a little nicer for those who
walk and drive past our properties.
3. We have two options for regular trash pickup, including
household recyclables:
A. Most desirable: Leave your trash on your property!
This can be rear-yard, just so long as the trash collectors
can get to it via driveway or sidewalk.
B. If you must, for personal reasons, put your trash out by the
street, try to keep it on your property. The tree lawn
(planting strip between sidewalk and street) is in the public right-of-way and should be used for your trash cans
only in the most unusual of circumstances.
Here are the basics for getting your trash picked up so that you
both adhere to the Code and preserve as much of the neighborhood beauty as possible:
If you have been leaving your trash curbside but are now
willing to have it picked up at another spot on your property, call the Township Public Works (Refuse) at 610.667.1952 or
610.667.1953 to request pickup at the new site. Ms. McDaniel or
one of the other polite and friendly folks at the Township’s
Refuse Site will be glad to process your request.
1. No trash of any sort should be placed at the curb prior to
7:00 p.m. the evening prior to collection day. All cans and
other containers must be removed from curbside no later
than the end of trash collection day.
Most desirable:
Trash picked up at rear of property
Acceptable: Trash picked up at site visible
from the street, but still on your property
After-effect of curbside pickup
Another Successful July Fourth Celebration in Bala Cynwyd
Below are the names of individuals and businesses who helped to make our 2008 July Fourth celebration a success. We are grateful!
Samuel Adenbaum
Aldar
Bala Cynwyd School for Young Children
Bala Eye Care
Bala House Montessori School
Bosin Family
Boy Scott Troop
Broadlands Financial Group, LLC
Clarke & Cohen
Converse Winkler Architecture, LLC
EY Productions
Jane, Tom and Sam Fischer
French International School
Group Dynamics In Focus
Hearing Technology Associates, LLC
Herbert Yentis & Company
Hoffstein Dentistry
House of Mohr
Hymies Merion Deli
L.F. Driscoll Company
Law Offices of Jeffrey M. Lindy
L’Ecole Francaise
Main Line YMCA
Manko Gold Katcher and Fox
McGillin Architecture, Inc
Mini of the Main Line
Phyllis Faber Kelley & Steve Rosasco
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Prudential Fox and Roach
Rays Custom Shirts
RE/MAX — Evie Cohen
RE/MAX — Sherry Clearwater
Saint Matthias Church
Steven Schlesinger, DMD
Gerald Skillings
Thorp Reed Armstrong
The New Tavern Restaurant and Bar
Valley Press
Walls & Windows
West Laurel Hill Cemetery
Womens Club of Bala Cynwyd
The Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd
Beautification Committee
Sidewalk Gardens Recognition 2008 Green Thumb Awards
Awards will be made at our Annual Meeting, 11 Nov. 2008
Vandy Solomon, at 435
Levering Mill Road, has
created
a
traditionally
designed and planted garden
that relates perfectly to the
traditional center hall stone
colonial it adorns. Peer over
the cedar picket fence and
you will be delighted to see
435 Levering Mill Rd.
bees, birds, and even a few
bunnies frolicking in and around mounding serpentine beds
filled with the plants your grandmother loved. Azalea, magnolia, hydrangea, fothergilla, and buddleia provide serial shrubby
and floral interest – while echinacea, daylily, honeysuckle, liatris and monarda show off the pink and yellow color scheme.
Residences
At 45 East Dartmouth
Road, Dennis Donahue
has created a Zen-like homage to Japanese gardening.
This exquisitely maintained
garden artfully demonstrates
many
classic
Japanese garden features.
Dry rivers of gravel and
stone flow around carefully
45 E. Dartmouth Rd.
placed (and locally quarried) rocks. A stone lantern nestles low to the ground to light the
gravel river. Traditional Japanese “Hide and Reveal” design
techniques lure the visitor into and around the garden to explore
expertly-pruned conifers, azaleas and grasses.
7 Derwen Road showcases a
skillful arrangement of horticulturally-exciting shadeloving plants that flourish
under the high leafy canopy
of sycamores. Robert and
Sheryl Levy have combined
evergreen mahonia, rhododendron, and Ilex crenata
7 Derwyn Rd.
‘Sky Pencil’ into a model of
four-season balanced asymmetry. Underplantings of bergenia,
hosta, hardy geranium, hakonechloa, carex, and impatiens provide exquisite foliar contrast and floral interest.
Bunny Levin’s garden at
172 Gramercy Road showcases ebullient mounds of
thriving perennials, shrubs
and annuals, all neatly
retained by walls of drylaid stone that relate beautifully to the stone Tudor
home. This mature mixed
border contains a large vari172 Gramercy Rd.
ety of plants including
monarda, phlox, lilies, sedum, astilbe, tall grasses, hosta, coreopsis, and Alchemillla mollis. Winter interest is assured with
cherry laurel shrubs.
125 Tall Trees Drive presents the extreme garden challenge of
a pie shaped slope in full sun bisected by a steeply-graded
drive. Carole Blum has implemented the perfect solution —
a veritable conifer arboretum grows contentedly before her home. Each tree and
shrub has been expertly sited and perfectly pruned to maximize design impact and
natural form. Chamacyperis, pine, cryptomeria and ilex provide a color continuum from glaucus to golden. Under-plantings of sedum, grasses, echinacea, lavender and sage thrive in the gravelly, dry
125 Tall Trees Dr.
conditions and provide four seasons of
color and texture interest. The graphic pop of tall burgundy cannas flanking the front entrance finishes the show with flair.
Ellen Brafman’s delightfully lush and lavish garden beds
curve gently in and around the lawn space at 181 Summit
Lane. Four-season interest is masterfully displayed in both
sunny and shady cultural
conditions.
Evergreen
selections like blue spruce,
yew, and euonymus ground
the garden structure while
sinuous curves of perennials
embrace dual dogwood
trees.
Notable
plants
include monarda, asclepias,
blood grass, lantana, dahlia,
stachys, and hibiscus.
181 Summit Ln.
(continued on page 5)
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2008 Green Thumb Awards
(continued from page 4)
Rosa Aukburg has lovingly tended this “woody” nirvana at
433 Levering Mill Road for years, and it shows. Peaceful calm
prevails within the leafy
borders of this busy corner
lot. Thoughtfully-sited borders include a wide diversity of plants that maximize
foliar form, textural bark,
floral interest, and winter
fruits. Stand-out selections
433 Levering Mill Rd.
include Acer griseum,
Kousa dogwood, nandina, mahonia, oakleaf hydrangea, aucuba,
and cherry laurel. Shade-loving plants including hosta, pulmonaria, hellebore, and coleus fringe the crisply-bordered beds.
Patches of full sun are reserved for lantana, petunia, and zinnia.
Herbert Yentis and Company has created a garden at The
Colonial Village Shopping Center that promotes a sense of
place and visual respite for all the
patrons of 138–144 Montgomery
Ave. The welcoming and shady
stone portico is fronted by a long
stretch of four-season color and
texture. Shrubs, including the
native Ilex glabra as well as mugo
pine and chamaecyparis, provide
the evergreen winter structure,
while miscanthus grass creates
The Colonial Village
movement and texture. Perennial
Shopping Center at
yellow and maroon daylilies and
138–144 Montgomery Ave.
annual pink, blue and white petunias, blue ageratum, yellow marigolds, and pink geraniums provide flashes of summer color.
Business Category
If there were seven wonders of Bala Cynwyd, surely the
Japanese Garden at The Pagoda Building at 100 Presidential
Boulevard would be one of them. This nearly-unknown garden
masterpiece was initially conceived and created in 1965 by US
Naval commander Seltzer Fleck and his wife after an extended
tour of duty in Japan. The garden was built to accompany an
“oriental styled” office building they built in Bala Cynwyd
and called the Pagoda
Building. The original garden
included both a cascading
stream and a koi pond.
Unfortunately, both the building and the garden fell into
disrepair until the property
The Pagoda Building at
was purchased in 1994 by
100 Presidential Blvd.
Kennbert
Investments.
Kennbert hired Jack Miller, an expert in Japanese Garden
Design, to renovate and manage the garden. Jack Miller’s
improvements included draining the koi pond and replacing it
with a dry pond and waterfall, adding rock, paths and bridges,
as well as plant material. The now-mature garden is an outstanding example of a Japanese garden and may be one of the
finest in the Mid-Atlantic region. Tom Coyle is the proud property manager and current gardener. Contact him directly to
schedule a tour of the garden and experience firsthand the many
beautiful and symbolic Japanese elements on display, including
the Low Entrance Humble Gate, “blood grass” to honor fallen
Samurai, a crooked bridge to prevent evil from following, the
dry river and waterfall, and stone lanterns to light the way. You
will be transfixed and transported, and when you emerge,
surprised to find yourself still in Bala Cynwyd.
The sea of asphalt that surrounds the LA Fitness Building in
Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center is refreshingly interrupted
with shady islands of trees, shrubs, grasses and annuals. Thanks
to Federal Realty Investment Trust for assuring that trees like
Honey Locust, Ginkgo biloba
and Betula nigra are there to
provide summer shade and
winter bark interest, while
masses of knock-out roses,
spirea and petunias provide
pink puddles of summer color.
Evergreen shrubs of Ilex crenata, Ilex glabra and Taxus sp.
Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center
guarantee winter interest in
tough site conditions. Long views of parked cars are masked by
tall grasses swaying calmly in the breeze.
July 4th Thanks
An oversight on the
part of the Neighborhood Club of Bala
Cynwyd meant that
those attending the
2008 4th of July
Celebration were not
able to enjoy the annual rendition of God
Bless America and the
2008 4th of July Celebration
Star Spangled Banner
sung with style and grace by our long-time neighbor and friend,
Patricia Kane-Vanni. The Club would like to extend an apology
to Patricia and also express its appreciation to Susan Watts and
Don Greenfield, musicians from Elaine Watts’ Summer Sounds
Pop Band, who led the crowd with horn and keyboard in an
impromptu performance of the Star Spangled Banner.
See color photos of winning gardens
at our website: www.balacynwyd.org
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Presorted Std
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 50
Bala Cynwyd, PA
Newsletter of The Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd
P.O. Box 717, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania 19004
www.balacynwyd.org
Mark Your Calendar:
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Cynwyd Trail Clean-Up
9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
NCBC Annual Meeting
7:00 p.m., Union Fire Station
on Montgomery Avenue
NOTE CHANGE in time and place
for this meeting only.
Many thanks to our hard-working
off-Board committee chairs:
Mary Anne Diamond, Beautification
Fred Fischer, Web Site
Phillip Rodbell, TreeVitalize
"
The Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd Membership Form
The Community
Needs Your Support!
We are grateful to those of you who
have paid NCBC dues for 2008.
Your civic association’s honor system
translates into numerous benefits to all
residents of Bala Cynwyd, regardless of
annual dues status. However, we need
your dues to help us strengthen the community in a way that is valuable to all.
Our Board members and Committee
Chairs contribute their time and energy.
Won’t you please help us by submitting
your 2008 dues now?
To pay by credit card, please visit our
website: www.BalaCynwd.org.
Contact information for NCBC
Officers and Directors is available
at our website: www.balacynwyd.org
Your dues help to
• Alert you to neighborhood discussions of critical topics
• Preserve the residential character of Bala Cynwyd
• Support appropriate commercial development
• Monitor zoning, traffic, and safety on our streets
• Provide community-building events like the July 4th celebration
Please send your 2008 dues to: The Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd
P.O. Box 717, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
M Household ($30)
M Business ($50)
M Contribution $_______
Name ______________________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Email Address _______________________________________________
Leadership Opportunity
From time to time we have one or more vacancies on The Neighborhood Club Board
of Directors. If you are interested in being considered for such a position, please let us
know. You can find our contact information at www.balacynwyd.org.