Thursday, October 18, 2012
Council accepted the recommendation from the 311 W. Main Task Force to move toward a single phase of construction, as long as specific criteria are met
Renovation of the eyesore at 311 W. Main St. in Lansdale is a go. After 90 minutes of presentations and civil discussions, Lansdale Borough Council Wednesday night voted 6-3 toapprove the recommendation from the 311 W. Main Task Force to pursue the framework for the vision of renovating the former arts center in one complete, full phase into a mixed-use arts and cultural center. However, along the way, council must seek the guidance of an architect and arts consultant to fulfill other specific requirements of the recommendation, such as: Borough Manager Timi Kirchner revealed Wednesday that the borough will have a dedicated county grant writer aiding in its process. The vote last night did not commit Lansdale Borough to spending any money …
Friday, October 12, 2012
Lansdale 311 W. Main Task Force member Lindsay Schweriner — the dissenting vote — said phasing the project is the best way to gain the public's trust and support
Eleven members of the 311 W. Main Task Force have worked since Nov. 1, 2011 to figure out the best recommendation to revive the former performing arts center in downtown Lansdale. For nearly a year, the task force has heard input from residents young and old, reviewed budget figures and renderings from Spiezle Architects, hired arts consultant AMS Planning and Research to guide the task force toward a recommendation, and debated to phase or not to phase the project. In the end, 11 members — including the borough manager and three Lansdale councilmembers — couldn't come to a full consensus over a recommendation on how council should proceed with the future of 311 W. Main St. In the end, majority rules — and the task force voted Tuesday …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The 311 W. Main Task Force holds its last meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Lansdale Borough Hall, where its members will recommend a future use to borough council for the former arts center
1. Retired paratrooper and Abington native Tony Zanzinger will discuss his experiences behind enemy lines during World War II at Lansdale Historical Society’s “Tales of a World War II Paratrooper” at 7:30 p.m. at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building. 2. The 311 W. Main Task Force holds its last meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Lansdale Borough Hall, where its members will recommend a future use to borough council for the former arts center. 3. Montgomery Township Supervisors meet at 8 p.m. at the administration building for a work session. 4. The Hospice of North Penn Visiting Nurse Association offers a grief support group called Friends of Grief beginning tonight and every Tuesday through Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the North Penn VNA at 51…
Monday, September 10, 2012
The 311 W. Main St. Task Force discussed their opinions on phasing or not phasing the future renovations of the former arts center in the heart of the downtown. Hired arts consultant AMS Planning recommends phasing the project in its draft business plan
A majority of the 11-member 311 W. Main Task Force expressed opinions at its last meeting to not phase the renovation of the former arts center and rather rehabilitate the entire building at once. Those opinions, however, go against the draft business plan recommendation of the consultant on the project, AMS Planning & Research, a Connecticut firm hired at around $48,000 to guide the task force toward advising council on what to do with the building. The opinions also go against that of architect firm Spiezle Group, which has been brought on as the architectural consultant on the project. "Just because the opinions — and I stress opinions — of the task force members disagree with certain aspects of the AMS Group's recommendations does not …
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Councilman Mike Sobel, who heads the 311 W. Main Task Force, read a statement prior to Thursday's meeting on the state of the committee and its culmination
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Saturday, September 8, 2012
The following is a statement read by Lansdale Borough Councilman Mike Sobel at the start of Thursday's 311 W. Main Task Force meeting: To All Task Force Members: First of all, let me thank each and every one of you for your thoughts, enthusiasm, suggestions and expertise during this venture we have all undertaken. You were chosen to be here for a reason. None of you have disappointed myself or this community in your efforts and time volunteering. Many of these meetings have been long and arduous. We've had to endure shots and snipes taken at us from the press and social media. We've listened to a multitude of ideas from the gallery and from each other. We've heard from experts trying to guide us. We sat through numerous informative …
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Green Street Luxuries, 617 W. Main St., Lansdale, celebrates its new location with an open house from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
1. Infant Storytime today at Lansdale Library at 10:30 a.m. It’s a 30-minute lap-sit storytime for children under age 2 and their parents or caregivers. Stay until 11:30 a.m. for Miss Lisa’s Family Storytime for ages 2 to 5. 2. Green Street Luxuries, 617 W. Main St., Lansdale, celebrates its new location with an open house from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 3. 311 W. Main Task Force meets at 7 p.m. at Lansdale Borough Hall. 4. The Grandmothers of Invention, featuring Zappa alumni, perform at 8 p.m. at Sellersville Theater. Tickets are $25 and $40. 5. Tonight is jazz night at Prism Brewery, 810 Dickerson Road, Upper Gwynedd, beginning at 8 p.m.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Amy Rims stepped down from her position on the task force due to a move to Bucks County, and questions why no task force members supported her art shows
A vacancy has opened on the 311 W. Main Task Force in Lansdale with the resignation of North Penn School District resident Amy Rims. Rims was asked to step down due to her move to Sellersville, Bucks County. Borough Manager Timi Kirchner said the task force and its members are governed by an ordinance, one that defines the composition of the task force. The task force ordinance calls for 11 members. Four of those members must be council members. Four other members must have an established arts and entertainment background and need not be from the North Penn district. The remaining three members must be North Penn residents or own a business in the North Penn district. Rims was one such member. "Amy was appointed to the task force as a …
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The 311 W. Main Task Force spent two hours discussing how things could look inside the former arts center, but how will they fund it all?
The Lansdale 311 W. Main Task Force spent 105 minutes Tuesday night discussing green room locations, portable dressing rooms, bathroom layouts, sloped theaters, soundboard setups, expanding theaters to more than 300 seats, moveable chairs, flexible mutli-purpose theaters, food courts and art. At the end, borough council vice president Paul Clemente said he supported the arts, and the efforts are all well and good. Then, he asked a big question: Where's the money? "I have a simple question that piggybacks off of (Montgomery County Planner Brian) O’Leary's, and that is this whole discussion seems to be very academic thus far because nobody’s talking about where the funding is coming from," Clemente said. "We have an estimate that’s $4.5 …
EKane
10:38 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
The AMS survey was skewed. When organizations were asked if they would be interested in using the site. There was a vague mention of cost for use. Some of the questions that were asked needed to be addressed to a board of directors for the organization. The representative cold not answer all of the questions and those that were answered with inquires of more information were construed to me lack … more ›