Blood Donation Event

On Monday, August 30th from 1:30 pm - 7:30 pm there will be a blood drive at the LaMott Community Center, 7420 Sycamore Ave.

Appointments are preferred. For an appointment please call

215-635-3255

Or you can sign up at:

redcrossblood.org.

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.

LaMott Community Garden Update!

In a letter dated May 20th, 2010 a letter was sent to Ms. Ann Weaver Hart, President of Temple University regarding the LaMott Community Meeting held June 6, 2010.

"Dear President Hart:

On behalf of the residents of the community of LaMott, you or representatives of Temple University are cordially invited to attend a LaMott Community Meeting on Sunday, June 6, 2010, at 3p at the LaMott Community Center to discuss the possible sale of the temple Tyler School of Art property and the future of the LaMott Community Garden, which Temple University has allowed to exist on a portion of the school's property for many decades.

I, and the residents of LaMott, look forward to having you or a designated representative at the meeting to discuss the future of the Tyler School of Art property."

The above letter was sent by Harvey Portner who is the Commissioner of Ward 3 which is located in Cheltenham Township.

I personally attended this meeting! And Temple sent a representative to attend the meeting. They sent Charles Duncan who works in Government, Community & Public Affairs for Temple University.

At the time the property mentioned above was being considered for sale but the final details of the sale were not finalized.

at the present time and as far as I know the property has not been sold to any one as of yet.

Please stay tuned for more details! I will post them as soon as I can!

Latest Update

• Although Temple representatives were not present at the last community meeting they did send one of their lawyers to represent them.
  
  
• Re: property taxes - The garden plot / tract (which is 1.8 acres) is taxed $2100 per year and the plot / tract itself is valued at being worth $500,000.
  
  
• The next Temple Board of Trustees next scheduled meeting will be at the Ambler Campus on June 17th 2010.
  
  
• The Land Conservacy of Elkins Park which is a non-profit organization, is interested in buying the Temple Estate (which would include the garden plot / tract). 42 acres of the Dominican Republic are owned by the Land Conservacy of Elkins Park.
  
  
• The acting president of the LaMott Community Gardins is Diane Williams.

Burglaries - Beware!

Recent Burglaries in our Neighborhoods

Last night a house in the Homes of Elkins Park development was broken into when noone was home. After ransacking the house, "they" rang the doorbell of the house next to it to see if it was also empty, but fled when the occupants accidently set off their alarm.

In another case, a "light skinned" man wearing a backpack rang a neighbor's doorbell during the day. When the door opened, he fled.

There have been other break-ins throughout the area. In one, "they" broke in the front door, setting off an alarm, grabbed some jewelry, and were out by time the police arrived 6 minutes later.

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS, CALL 911.

Don't worry about being mistaken. Better Safe Than Sorry.

This is Cheltenham! The police will respond! They want you to call.

Form the police website:

Cheltenham Township Police need your help with investigating a series of Burglaries taking place throughout the Township. Residents are encouraged to be extra vigilant and to lock their vehicles when parked overnight. Please report suspicious activity to Cheltenham Police Radio Via 9-1-1 or at 215-885-1600, ext. 1. Residents are encouraged to immediately report suspicious persons or activities to Police.

Residents are encouraged to come forward with information, as always your information will be kept confidential, also all tips can be anonymous. No one knows your neighborhood better than you. Help out your neighbors and report suspicious activity to the police, 24-hours a day, via 9-1-1.

Anonymous Tips Line -
The Cheltenham Police Department has an “Anonymous Tip Line” in place so that residents can anonymously report suspicions on drug and criminal activities There are two anonymous methods available for reporting these activities to Police. You can leave a voice message by contacting (215) 885-1600 ext. 777, or you can log onto the Cheltenham Township Web Page at www.cheltenhamtownship.org anonymous tip link is at the top of the page.

The Cheltenham Police Department needs the public’s help in identifying problems, so we can help to improve the quality of life in our community.

source
Chelsea Chats

Guitar Hero 5 Tournament!

On Monday, June 14, 2010 from 6 to 8 pm The LaMott Library will be having a designed for Children Gaming Day. Join us the LaMott Library for a 'Guitar Hero 5' Tournament and Video Game Showcase! REGISTRATION FOR 'Guitar Hero 5' BEGAN MAY 26 AND IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 16 PEOPLE AGES 7 AND UP. A GameStop Gift Card will be awarded and light refreshments will be served. For more info please call 215-635-4419.

The LaMott Library is located inside the LaMott Community Center located at:

7420 Sycamore Ave. (La Mott Community Center)

La Mott, PA 19027

(215) 635-4419

Health & Human Services Day!

Health & Human Service Day

For families in the 4th Senatorial District

This event will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2010 from noon - 3pm at

John Russell Park (Penrose & Willow Avenues, LaMott / Cheltenham Township

FREE refreshments, games, raffle, Prizes and a gospel choir will perform.

This is a Drug & Alcohol Free Event

Rain Date will be Sunday, June 13, 2010 from 2 - 5pm

LaMott Community Meetings!

Please attend the Commmisioner's Community Meetings on June 6th at 3:00 PM, at the La Mott Community Center.

Invitations have also been extended to Temple University and The Land Conservancy of Elkins Park.

I Didn't Know That There Were So Many Stores Nearby!

As long as I have lived here in LaMott I have known that there were a few stores near the area. Usually I do my shopping at the Shoprite at the Cheltenham Mall but sometimes I will go to the Rite Aid at Broad and Cheltenham.

You see LaMott is mostly a residential area and the closest thing that we have to a store is the LaMott Cleaners that is located right across the street from the LaMott Community Center.

However there are some stores nearby where you can do some of your shopping.


First there are several stores right at the little mall location at Cheltenham Avenue and Penrose Ave.

There is of course a cleaners located here but there is also a pool hall that has been there for quite a while now. There is also a Domino's Pizza place that is now there where you can walk in or have your pizza delivered. There is also a type of 7-Eleven-ish store that is located there where you can buy beer, buy a lottery ticket and they even have an eat-in section where you can order and eat your food.

What I was surprised to find out is that there is also a bakery located there as well as a seafood place. I'm also told that at the far end of the mall is a Korean supermarket.

Next of course you have your Rite Aid that is located at Broad and Cheltenham Ave.

A little further down from there at Cheltenham Avenue and Old York Road is another Korean mall that has a number of smaller boutique-like stores and there is also a supermarket there as well!



For more information about other local businesses in the area visit The LaMott Directory.

Commercial Property For Sale!

Unfortunately the property that houses the The Printing Place on Cheltenham Avenue is up for sale. They are looking for a buyer.

Here is the information that has been provided by the realtor:




Commercial Property For Sale

1726 W. Cheltenham Ave

If you know of any savvy investors or entreprenuers that are interested in this mixed use commercial property with great income possibilities then you are urged to contact the realtor who is connected with this property.

The first floor is open space with two offices. There is great potential for a beauty salon, restaurant/deli and other kinds of commercial business for this property located in a high traffic area.

The second floor is a two bedroom, tenant occupied apartment.

Centrally located between Cheltenham Mall and Broad St. on a corner lot which is perfect exposure for a potential business.

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Update!

As of August 2012 it seems that the property has been bought and the Printing Place is currently still there.

An Afternoon Of Health And Wellness

The LaMott Library is proud to bring you an Afternoon of Health and Wellness. 2 Speakers Will Be Speaking Dr. Carole Simmons who will share an empowering story about her life as a 40 year vegetarian and how making Healthy Food Choces can positively impact the quality of your life. Ms. Sandra McAllister will be speaking in the area of Going Green with your household cleaning products. This even will be held at: May 22, 2010 from 1pm - 3pm at: The LaMott Library 7420 Sycamore Ave. Elkins Park, PA 19027

The Friends Of The LaMott Free Library

The Friends of the LaMott Free Library is a group of dedicated volunteers who believe the library is a vital part of the community. They work to champion the LaMott Free Library and its patrons by encouraging library awareness, sponsoring educational programs, fundraising and financing special purchases.

They welcome your membership and support.

For more information about the Friends, call the library at:

215-635-4419

You can also support the Friends of the LaMott Free Library by requesting and filling out a form and returning the form along with your contribution.

A Patron account is $50

A Contributing account is $25

However contributions of all amounts are welcomed.

Also please remember that your contribution is tax-deductible!

School Supply Drive!

The Cheltenham Township Library System will be holding a school supply drive from Sunday, April 18th through Saturday, April 24th.

The following items are needed:

• Pencils
  
  
• Paper
  
  
• Playdoh
  
  
• French/Spanish dictionaries
  
  
• Colored pencils
  
  
• Construction paper
  

• Children's memory games (without words or in Spanish)
  

• Glue
  
  
• Scissors
  

• Other school supplies (or small toys) appropriate for children ages 2-8

You can make a child's future brighter by dropping off these items at the LaMott Library.

Storytime For Children

On Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 11:15 am at the LaMott Library there will be a storytime hours designed for preschool children ages 3-5. Carolyn Turner-Harris, Branch Manager 7420 Sycamore Ave. (La Mott Community Center) LaMott, PA 19027 (215) 635-4419 LaMott is located just outside of Philadelphia and just inside Cheltenham Township

The Magical Illusions Of Kyle And Kelly!

On Saturday, April 17th at 2pm the LaMott Library will be featuring "The Magical Illusions Of Kyle & Kelly"

Come and celebrate 'National Library Week' with the

Reading is Magic Show"

Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: 2PM

at:

The LaMott Library
7420 Sycamore Ave.
LaMott, PA 19027
215-635-4419

This event is for all ages!

Please Participate In A Survey For Our Local Community Library

I was visiting our local LaMott library's website and I see that there is a link to a survey that they would like people to participate in. I took the survey myself. It is free and it won't cost you anything but a little bit of your time. It also has a suggestion / comment box at the end so that you can add your own comments and suggestions.

Personally I think that our local library is great and on a scale of one to ten it definitely ranks a ten!





Here is a link to the survey website:

Cheltenham Township Library System Survey

Harriet Tubman - Living History Experience

The LaMott Community Center, LaMott Library and Friends of LaMott Library present:




Harriet Tubman

Living History Experience

The Harriet Tubman Living History Experience highlights and heightens public awareness of the Underground Railroad, Civil War, and the life of one of the 19th century's most celebrated figures: Harriet Tubman.

Millicent sparks has portrayed Harriet Tubman throughout the region for schools, churches, colleges, senior centers, museums, women's shelters, corporations, state and local governments, community groups and special events since 2002.

This event will take place at the LaMott Community Center

7420 Sycamore Avenue

LaMott, PA 19027

On Saturday, March 27th at 2pm

The cost to attend is free and everyone is invited to attend.

The LaMott Community Garden Club

Public Works Committee Meeting

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

at 7:30 pm

at Curtis Hall
1250 W. Church Rd
Wynocte PA 19095

Come voice your support for Cheltenham Township's commissioners's support in facilitating Temple University's donation of the land tract, on Graham Lane between Cedar Lane and B-D Street, for continued use as a garden.

Citizens from Cheltenham Township communities, neighboring townships and counties are expressing their support, with letters and telephone calls to Temple University, requesting Temple's donation of the garden tract to a community based non-profit corporation created specifically for the La Mott Community Garden.

Each of us is a gardener. Our seeds of love, help, and assistance honor our ancestors, families, friends and neighbors. Continuing the cultivation of the La Mott Community Garden is in keeping with 80+ years of local tradition within the historic distric of La Mott. Our garden is a brilliant green thread, naturally woven into the essential content, the fabric of our La Mott community.

Volunteer drivers are needed to help some residents get to the meetings. You can visit The La Mott Community Garden Website for contact information. If you can volunteer a ride or need a ride please visit the website for more contact information.

"Lest We Forget - The Black Holocaust"

The LaMott Community Center,

LaMott Library

and Friends of LaMott

present

'Lest We Forget - The Black Holocaust'

A Private Collection of Slavery Artifacts

and Jim Crow Memorabilia

from the

National Underground Railroad Family Reunion Festival.

at the

LaMott Community Center

7420 Sycamore Ave.

LaMott, PA 19027

On Saturday, February 6, 2010

From 3 - 5 pm

Cost is free

For more information please call

The LaMott Community Center at:

(215) 635 - 3255

The Cheltenham Unemployed Meetup Group!

Here is an interesting group that I have found online! It is called the Cheltenham Unemployed Meetup Group.

While it is supposed to be a group to help the unemployed find work, I have found that there are a few members on there that are using the group for their own purposes. However I don't think that this should spoil the main reasoning behind this group which is to help people find work - preferably in the Cheltenham and / or Philadelphia area.

Even though I work from home, I found this to be a very intriguing group and from time to time I do hear of job openings so this would be a great place to post such information.

If you would like to join this group you have to register to be a member but there is no charge to become a member. Here is a link to this group:

The Cheltenham Unemployed Meetup Group!

The Cheltenham Bus Is In Trouble!

Just in case you haven't heard, our beloved Cheltenham Bus is in danger of being cancelled!

On Wednesday, December 16, 2009 the board of commissioners had a public hearing that was listed on the Cheltenham calendar. The next day a notice was printed stating it was the decision of the board to not continue the Cheltenham Transit Bus. As an alternative the board has recommended that residents and seniors - especially seniors - take either Septa or another form of transportation called TransNet.

When it was learned of the board's decision to cut the Cheltenham Transit bus residents of the area started a petition to get the signatures of both the residents of Cheltenham and LaMott, Lynnewood Gardens and stores and businesses that are along the route that the Cheltenham bus travels including the Shoprite of Cheltenham, the Cedarbrook and Cheltenham Malls and the area apartment complexes.

So far over 100 signatures have been gotten!

It is planned to present this petition to the board during a meeting that is scheduled for January 6, 2010. The petition was going to be presented to the commissioner board yesterday but for some reason none of the commissioners were present that day!

In a related piece of news it was found out that the contract for the Abington transit service would be renewed!

This news about the Cheltenham Bus service is still relatively new and all the details aren't known yet but what IS known is that the more people that show support for the Cheltenham Bus the better the chance that the residents will be able to continue to have it!

To show your support for the Cheltenham Bus service please call the Township Building at:

215-887-1000

I will post more news about this as I get it.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2010 a public meeting will be held at Curtis Hall 1250 W. church Road 215-887-1000 215-887-1561 is the Fax number If you are not able to attend the meeting then we ask that you please show your support by sending a fax explaining your support of keeping the Cheltenham Township Bus running. You can also show your support by contacting the commissioners for the area and telling them of your support for the Cheltenham Transit Bus. Board Of Commissioners Michael J. Swavola - Ward 5 1115 Coventry Avenue Cheltenham, PA 19012 email: mswavola@cheltenham-township.org Charles D. McKeown, Sr. - Ward 7 424 Township Line Road Cheltenham, PA 19012 email: cmckeown@cheltenham-township.org Harvey Portner - Ward 3 Melrose Court Apartments 1308 Willow Ave Elkins Park, PA 19027 email: hportner@cheltenham-township.org Public Information Officer - Nancy Gibson 215-887-1000

Update!

January 8, 2010!

The results of the meeting above resulted in the fact that the Cheltenham Board of Commissioners have scheduled another meeting to discuss further the fate of the Cheltenham Transit Bus. The exact date and time of the meeting is not yet known.

Please continue to email, phone and fax your commissioners to let them know that you are in support of keeping the Cheltenham Transit Bus!

Update - February 11, 2010! A 3rd meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 17th at 7:30 at Curtis Hall. It has come to my attention that at the 2nd meeting more residents showed up to protest the canceling of the Cheltenham Transit Bus. At the end of this meeting a vote / poll was taken from the commissioners and 3 out of 7 voted for bringing back the Cheltenham Bus. One of those commissioners that voted in favor of the Cheltenham Transit Bus was Harvey Portner. So yet another meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 17, 2010 and the more residents and potential riders that show up - the better! We still face a very good chance of being able to save our beloved Cheltenham Transit Bus!

Update March 2010!

Although the details are a little sketchy to me, it seems that the commissioners' board has decided to give Transnet a try. It is supposed to be a trial period kind of thing and it will start in April 2010.

However this solution requires that residents call and make a reservation first. And this is one of many negatives about this chosen decision.

It is very unfortunate that the public hearings for the Cheltenham Township bus were held during the evening at a location - to my knowledge - that is not accessible by public transportation. Another fact is that the seniors who have taken the Cheltenham bus had no way to get to these meetings because they do not have cars and some of the meetings were held during the coldest days of the winter here in Philadelphiawith some snow involved. It is very ironic that the very bus that could have taken the seniors to the public hearings was the very same bus that was cancelled by the commissioners.

However please do not consider this issue a closed one! I strongly urge all the residents of LaMott and Cheltenham to keep this issue opened! Just because the commissioner's board has made this trial period decision it doesn't mean that the issue is over. I encourage everyone to call their ward commissioners, send them a fax, send them an email, write them a letter stating your support of the Cheltenham Transit Bus.

We can still get our beloved Cheltenham Transit Bus BACK!



April 2010! - Unfortunately these new transit rules do not include the residents Cheltenham that are under the age of 55/65 who are not disabled!

Like I have said before We can still get our beloved Cheltenham Transit Bus BACK!

A Message From The Cheltenham Library System

It costs money to run free public libraries.


While we are busier than ever in this economic downturn, our state funding would be cut under both Governor Rendell's proposed budget and Senate Bill (SB) 850 proposed by the Senate Republicans. SB 850 would result in a 50% cut in state aid to public libraries and would eliminate programs such as the POWER Library. Its adoption would mean a loss of almost $200,000 for CTLS and severe cuts in programs that are provided by our library partners at the county and state levels. Cuts in state funding would also result in the loss of millions of dollars in federal library grants. There is a domino effect when budgets get cut.


We are a safety net for people who have lost their jobs and for families who are struggling to make ends meet. The bad news for Cheltenham Township residents is that cuts in funding translate to cuts in services.


Some rollbacks in services that we pass on will not be of our own making but will be a result of cuts to District Center and State library budgets. For example, delivery services that provide easy access to over 2 million items in library collections to all Montgomery County residents, are funded through our District Center in Norristown. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Tumblebooks, Reference USA, Learning Express and downloadable audiobooks are online resources that are provided at the county level.


The public library is a truly democratic institution. There is no fee to walk through the door or visit us online. Information and entertainment are readily available regardless of one's economic status.


If you believe libraries are more important than ever, we need your help. Please contact elected officials and request level funding for public libraries.


More information is available from the Pennsylvania Library Association. A comparison of the budget proposals is also available on their website along with an explanation of the issues. It is so important that people who use and love libraries speak up!

Thank you.


Link to Budget Comparisons:
Link to Budget Comparison .pdf file

* Please be advised that this is a link to a .pdf file.

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Link to find your Legislator:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/session.cfm

Link to Pennsylvania Library Association: http://www.palibraries.org

The Cheltenham Township Library System's Facebook Page