The Conshohocken Recorder, April 2, 1964

              HO.'Gi SONS
SPRINGPORT.
BOOK ::PY
MICHIGAN
Hotel Owner MoanfiOUPLUAE.ilARY
"Blasts, Yellow Markings, Dust.... Nothing I Can Do'
For the past 17 years Julio
Tempera has been owner and op-erator
of the Mansion House Hotel
and Bar, 641 Conshohocken Rd.,
Plymouth Township.
"AH this time," he says, "I've
never bothered anybody and nobody
has ever bothered me."
But lately Tempera has been
upset by the dynamite blasts com-ing
from across the street which
shake the Mansion House two or
three times daily and which have
shattered several windows and
cracked walls and ceilings in nine
of the 13 bedrooms.
He is also worried about the dust
which has been collecting "all over
the place" and which has made it
"impossible to keep the hotel and
restaurant clean."
But most of all he is worried
about having his business made
"completely" inaccessible by the
relocation of Conshohocken Rd.,
and not having the power to recover
his loss.
"My property Is going to be
sandwiched In by a dead end on one
side, the Blue Route on the other
side and an eight foot high road in
front,'' Tempera said.
"This house was built 70 years
ago and is a real solid building.
But.every time there is another
explosion the whole house rumbles
and plaster falls down from the
ceilings.
"I'm afraid some night the plas-ter
will fall down and kill someone.
It just missed my wife's head the
first time they exploded dynamite.
"In February, when they first
started blasting, I had to pay $600
just to have the dining room re-plastered.
"Dust just gets into everything,
and there is nothing you can do
about it. Customers have to open
up the door to come inside. And
when they come in, so does the
dust.
"I've lost a lot of business al-ready
because of the construction.
There is a policeman down the
road who holds up traffic so the
trucks can leave the Alan Wood
property.
"The trucks keep coming all
day, so traffic is always stopped.
A lot of people don't come here
any more because they don't want
to be held up by traffic.
"The trucks are overloaded and
splash loose rock and mud on my
parking lot. But there is nothing I
can do about it.
"State engineers keep coming
here all the time measuring my
yard and putting yellow markings
on the front of my building to show
how high the road will be. I've told
some of them to go away. But they
won't listen and they keep putting
markings on my property.
"People always talk about having
rights when you own property. But
there is no such thing as really
private property."
3iirliiiiiim Ibr Ifhrstiiul ftill lirrulii
Conshohocken West Conshohocken — Plymouth, Whitemarsh & Springfield Townships — Chestnut Hill
Vol. 93, No. 47 TA 8-4600 THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1964 7c A COPY
Must Accept Apartments
Whitemarsh Zoner Says
What would happen it Whitemarsh
Township were to exclude apart-ment
buildings from being con-structed
in the future?
It might be disasterous for the
township, according to Charles
Ogg, architect and member of the
committee on planning and zoning
of the Whitemarsh Citizens Coun-cil,
who will be the guest speaker
Monday night at the monthly meet-ing
of the township planning com-mission.
"Apartments would probably be
forced on us by the courts if we
excluded them," Ogg said. "And
it would happen at a time when we
are not prepared for them and have
less control over the situation.
"This is part of the facts of life
for Whitemarsh. It is the result
of our close location to the urban
center of Philadelphia. And we
must face these facts if we are to
do a good job of planning for the
future."
But this is only a small part
of the topics Ogg will discuss at
the meeting.
"I plan to examine thepressures
for and against apartment houses
and look into possibilities of how
Whitemarsh can handle these pres-sures
for increased population
density," Ogg said.
Ogg's talk will be divided into
two parts; a survey of existing
conditions and the consideration
of future pieces of land that might
be used for apartments.
He will also discuss the relation
of apartments to the tax structure
of the community and the pros and
cons of apartments as land use.
The discussion will be illustrated
with photographs and slides.
"The meeting is open to the pub-lic,"
Ogg said. "I'd like to see
more citizens attend. It will start
Walker Bros.
Is Nearly Gone
William Gilman, vice president
in charge of public relations at
Walker Brothers of Conshohocken
today told the Recorder that one-third
of the manufacturing opera-tions
of the firm have already
been transferred to Parkersburg,
West Virginia.
He said that the move should
be cmpleted by the end of this
month.
The firm, which has been lo-cated
in Conshohocken for almost
50 years, was sold last October
to the International Fastener Corp.
Burt Wins Degree
Payson W. Burt, 202 Kings Rd.,
Plymouth Meeting, was conferred
the degree of business adminis-tration,
Saturday, by The Penn-sylvania
State University.
at eight
building.
o'clock In the township
It will be the second of a series
of discussions presented by the
Whitemarsh Citizens Council to
educate the planning commission
and the general public. The series
was requested by the planning
board.
Plym. Board Studies Need
For New Township Building
By Sydney Bodnick
The Recorder today learned that
the Plymouth Township Board of
Commissioners have formed a
special three-man committee to
study the possibility of moving
into a new township building.
The major reasons cited for
considering the move are that
the building has outlived its econo-mic
life and doesn't provide suf-ficient
space and facilities.
Commissioners Bernard J.
Hoffman, Jasper DiSanto and Hey-ward
Drummond have been named
to the committee. None of them
were available for comment at the
time the Recorder went to press.
"This building has reached the
stage where it is getting much
Honoring Stale Titlists
STATE CHAMPS LAUDED - Officials of the borough of Conshohocken congratulate the coach and co-captains
of Conshohocken High's first state championship basketball team at last Thursdays' Association dinner held
at TJC. Hall, Conshohocken. Show above (1. to r.) are: councilman Joseph P. Burns, Bruin coach Joe
Kirby, co-captains Butch Kitt and Mike Ethridge, and council president Frank Zadroga.
too expensive to maintain," Rob-ert
L. Townsend, secretary to
the board, said. "The original
part of the building we are now
situated in is over 150 years old.
It used to be the livery stable
for an old inn next door.
"The steam-heating plant is
quite old and we can't heat the
building properly. We waste a
lot of heat downstairs just trying
to keep it warm upstair.
"We also find that we are spend-ing
more for repairs (for example,
maintenance of the roof) than it
seems wise to spend.
"Another reason why the com-missioners
are considering a new
township building is that Ls has
become much more crowded here
since the first full time occupancy
in 1951.
"Ten years ago I was the only
full time person in the building.
Today there are three girls, six
full time men, more highway em-ployees,
12 members of the police
department, plus crossing guards.
"We also need more space for
township records, police records
and other facilities.
"I personally feel that the com-missioners
should agree upon an
architect and turn him loose.
"The present thinking on a new
township building is that is should
be on the present site. The rea-son
for this is that In the future
we will be in the center of every-thing.
"This location is right in the
center of the turnpike network.
The forthcoming shopping center
will be going up practically across
the street. And the Plymouth In-dustrial
Park will be just east oi
the interchange."
Building Worthless, Judge Declares; Orders Nursery to Return Monies
Judge Arnold Forrest last
Thursday ruled that a down pay-ment
made to a builder for a
dwelling in Whitemarsh Estates
be returned and ordered the agree-ment
of sale to be rescinded
because of "worthless" work.
The equity suit was filed by
Henry and Toby Friedman, of
8307 MacArthur Rd., Wyndmoor,
against Andorra Nurseries Inc.,
and Robert Kaysen, operator of
a Venetian blind service in Wynne-wood.
The Friedmans asked for the
return of a $1,900 down payment
and $1,236.50 paid in advance for
"extras." They contended that the
construction was not only delayed,
but that the foundation wall had
cracks and was "bowed."
"It is abundantly clear that the
performance rendered by the de-fendant
in construction of this
foundation wall was utterly worth-less
to the plaintiffs or to anyone
else," Judge Forrest said.
"As the performance rendered
is totally deficient and worthless,
it is unnecessary to consider
whether performance was ren-dered
within a reasonable time."
The Friedmans had signed an
agreement of sale for construction
Whitemarsh Due to Get Aide
Jesse W. Beeghley, former
chairman of the Whitemarsh Town-ship
Board of Supervisors, today
told the Recorder that there ls a
"very definite possibility" that
the supervisors will hire an ad-ministrative
assistant by the latter
part of this year or early next
year "at the latest."
"This subject has never been
on any agenda, but it has been
discussed Informally," Beeghley
said. "Jack Kendree (chairman of
the board) and I are now working
on a plan to present to the board."
The need for an administrative
assistant in Whitemarsh was first
brought out in a Recorder inter-view
with Kendree shortly after
Beeghley resigned as chairman
on March 9.
Kendree said that the "total
demands of the job (of the super-visors)
are far out of proportion
to allow them due time to take
care of their own private
businesses."
He also indicated that a man with
the "qualifications" of Beeghley
might never have had to resign
as chairman If Whitemarsh had
an administrative aid.
"I seem to remember the super-visors
speaking informally about
the need for an administrative
assistant even before I thought
of a dwelling on a lot on Ridge
Pike, for a cost of $20,490, in
January, 1962. No specific time
was designated for settlement, the
Court was told, although the Fried-mans
said they were advised the
house would be done by August,
1962. The completion date was
delayed finally until "the end of
1962."
Before the construction was
completed, the cracks in the
foundation wall were noticed.
Costs are to be shared by the
Friedmans and Andorra Nur-series,
Inc., Judge Forrest
directed.
of resigning," Beeghley said.
"But my resignation and the
article in the Recorder brought
It to a head."
Beeghley said that an admini-strative
aid would allow the super-
(Conlinued on page II)