Deck

Eureeta Daniels said she was just looking for a safe place for her grandchildren to play when she had a deck built behind her house on a LaMott corner lot. She had no idea that the opposition to her addition would take her before several township boards and stir up those who want to retain the historic nature of the Cheltenham neighborhood. Monday night, Daniels encountered and cleared what might be her final hurdle. Despite putting in the deck without the required building permit, Daniels was given the approval of the township Zoning Hearing Board.

Upper Moreland Zoning Hearing Board members approved a request for deck construction Thursday night, but they balked at allowing a roofed patio within two feet of a neighbor's property line. Robert Moyer, of 416 Exton Rd., Hatboro, was given approval to install a wooden deck at ground level on his assurance that the structure would neither have a roof nor be attached to his home. Zoning Hearing Board members Charles G. Nicholson and John G. McNeff approved Moyer's request for a variance to build within 16 feet of the rear property line despite the zoning code's 25-foot requirement.

The Upper Darby Zoning Hearing Board last week heard applications from five homeowners who wanted to construct wooden decks on the rear of their houses. Four of the five requests were approved by the board on 3-0 votes at its Thursday meeting. A decision on the fifth request was postponed because of a dispute between neighbors. In each case, the homeowners sought relief from sideyard requirements on homes built before 1938. Last month, licenses and inspection director Donald C. Phillips asked the Upper Darby Council to eliminate the need for variances for decks on houses built before 1938.

The Easttown Zoning Hearing Board has allowed a Paoli couple to build a deck on the back of their home at 208 Pheasant Run Dr. The board held a hearing on the variance application of David and Lisa Knight on Wednesday and reached its decision immediately after the hearing. Board members voted one at a time. First to declare approval was Ruthann Graf, followed by David Huggler. Thomas Wood, board chairman, then told the applicants they had "carried the day," and he did not announce his own position.

Ah, the appeal of a wooden deck just out the back door and only a few steps from the kitchen. It's a place to share a summer meal with friends or just relax in a cool evening breeze. It's no wonder that decks are popular additions to many Ridley Township homes and are popping up all over the community. However, some residents have an extra price to pay. "I want to know why people who live in a home in the middle of a row have to pay an extra $180 to $190 for a zoning hearing to build a deck?"

Two neighboring property owners on Shawnee Lane have testified before the Haverford Zoning Hearing Board that their houses would just not be complete without wooden decks - or so they felt, in light of each house's design. "With the French windows looking out over the fields, it seems like the house isn't finished without a deck," Donald Schenck said at a board meeting Thursday night. Both Schenck and his neighbor Albert Pastino bought similar houses within the last year that they believe were built with a deck in mind.

I was sincerely interested in Acel Moore's reaction (Op-ed Page, April 24) to the debate on South Africa before the American Society of Newspaper Editors between Ntahto Motlana, a black physician from South Africa, and Herbert Beukes, the South African ambassador to the United States. While Mr. Moore glibly indicated to all that Dr. Motlana "soundly thrashed" Mr. Beukes in the debate, I do indeed wonder what the terms of the aforementioned debate were. Was Mr. Beukes (an honorable and bright young diplomat)

The Diamond Classic baseball tournament, otherwise known as the Gloucester Catholic Showcase the last few years, will begin tomorrow at three sites. The Rams have won three consecutive titles in the 16-team tournament and have captured all four of their Diamond Classic championships in the last five years. No other school has won more than two titles in the tournament's first 25 years. Gloucester Catholic, fresh off a 2-0 upset loss to Washington Township on Wednesday, won't relinquish its title easily.

After this brutal winter, outdoor cafe weather didn't arrive soon enough for me. One of my new favorites isn't connected to a restaurant: It's at the Manayunk Farmers Market at 4120 Main St. The market opened in December in a long, single-story space that formerly housed the Robert Krook woolen mill. Even then, the outdoor deck with its view of the Manayunk Canal and the Schuylkill was enticing. I wasn't the only customer who ventured out there to stand bundled up, coffee in gloved hand, impatient for spring.

I was looking at my home's back steps, constructed of pressure-treated wood, and decided it was time for the annual get-rid-of-the-mildew-and-seal-them program. For some reason, they aren't looking as green as they were last year, so the job will be a snap. It has been a long time since I discussed deck cleaning in this space, probably because these few steps are all I have since we sold the house with the deck 12 years ago. But because the summer entertainment season is coming, it might be appropriate to run through deck-cleaning 101 before the arrival of hotter weather, when things dry too quickly or not at all. If you don't want to do the job yourself - especially if it has been a while since the last cleaning - there are companies that will do it for you. Go online or ask your friends and neighbors.