Thank you again for the Christmas dinner provided by you and your family for the women of Annie’s House.  As I expressed in my thank you card to you, your generosity and thoughtfulness are very much appreciated.

Wishing you and your family blessings and peace now and in the years ahead.

With gratitude,

Sr. Senga Fulton, MSW, LCSW
Program Director, Annie’s House

Thank you so very much for the wonderful gift bags for our needy children. You have made such a positive difference in the lives of many children.

Your kind deeds are truly appreciated. Wishing you and those you cherish a very Merry Christmas and the best in 2012.

With gratitude,
Margaret Thompson, Principal

This book about Peter Pan Bus Lines and its founding family, the Picknelly’s, tells a classic American success story. Driving Vision details the remarkable growth of the company and the struggle of three generations of Peter Picknelly’s to establish themselves as leaders in the intercity bus industry. The book offers insight into the history of the Picknelly family and tells the dynamic tale of how Peter Pan Bus Lines became the nation’s largest privately owned bus company.

TO ORDER YOUR FREE COPY:

While supplies last, you can get your copy of Driving Vision free of charge. You pay just $4.95 for shipping and handling. Simply call us toll free at (800) 343-9999, extension 1319, and we’ll get a copy of this inspiring book out to you right away.

Each year, staff members at the Kensington Avenue School provide us with a list of some 50 children along with their holiday gift wishes. Back at Peter Pan headquarters, each child’s list is attached to an ornament on the Sharon Mumley Memorial Giving Tree, named for an employee who was instrumental in the program and who passed away in 2006. Peter Pan employees then select ornaments and buy gifts for the children they’ve chosen.

This year on December 16th, a team of Peter Pan staff boarded the company’s VIP Coach loaded with Christmas presents to deliver to the kids. Below you can see our merry crew as they worked their holiday magic at the school. With the help of principal Margaret Thompson, school nurse Ann Maggio, and the entire staff at the Kensington Avenue School, our employees were able to make it a happy holiday for some very deserving children.

Peter Pan extends our heartfelt gratitude to all the staff members who made this special tradition possible again this year. In addition to all who provided gifts for the children, thanks go out to our team of delivery “elves,” including Maureen Jaconetta, Jay MacNaught, Jessica Hoiberg, Samantha Cote, Matt Brown and Ricky T. Johnson. We’re proud to have them all as part of our Peter Pan family.

By Chad Cain – Daily Hampshire Gazette
November 30, 2011

NORTHAMPTON – The Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech is selling the bulk of its Round Hill campus to a Springfield development group that intends to convert the property into an 80-unit luxury apartment complex.

Clarke trustees announced Tuesday that the school will sell 11.2 acres on both sides of picturesque Round Hill Road to OPAL Real Estate Group. The property includes 11 buildings, all of which will be converted into one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments over the next year. No new construction will take place.

Clarke will keep about a half-acre of land that includes Bell Hall on Round Hill Road. The school intends to consolidate a majority of its programs and administrative offices into that space.

The two sides declined to discuss the purchase price until the deal is finalized early next year. The Clarke campus is valued at about $16.3 million, according to figures provided earlier this year by LandVest, the Boston real estate company that helped Clarke market the property.

Officials stressed that maintaining the character of the campus and how it fits in with the surrounding neighborhood is paramount as the project moves forward.

“We want to see the flavor of the neighborhood retained,” said Clarke President Bill Corwin.

That’s why trustees decided earlier this year to call for a request for proposals from developers so that the school could be more actively involved in choosing a developer that shared its vision of the property.

That vision was three-fold: honor the natural beauty of the grounds, maintain the exterior appearance of the buildings and reflect the character of the neighborhood.

“Our options were to put it on the market or have a more involved process through an RFP,” Corwin said. “It meant more to us than just a purchase price.”

Trustee Julie Cowan said OPAL’s proposal best matched that vision.

“My feeling is that we’ve accomplished that,” she said. “It’s an exciting day for everyone.”

OPAL intends to keep the property and buildings the way they are, said owner and cofounder Peter Picknelly.

“This property is beautiful,” said Picknelly, who also is the president of Peter Pan Bus Lines. “It has great integrity, great bones. It’s our intention to keep that structure.”

Most of the buildings OPAL is purchasing are already used as living space, though the company expects to complete needed upgrades and bring them into compliance with existing codes, said Demetrios Panteleakis, managing partner and co-founder of OPAL.

“These buildings are in good shape … the Clarke School has done an impeccable job of maintaining the property,” he said.

The complex will include apartments ranging in size from 700 square feet for the single rooms to 1,800 square feet for the largest apartments.

Plans call for maintaining the gymnasium and swimming pool in the Galbraith Physical Education Center. Panteleakis said the space will be converted into a full workout facility for use by apartment renters, Clarke employees and the neighborhood. It also will house loft apartments, he said.

OPAL also plans to keep an existing dining commons and private meeting room facility, space that it will rent out for functions.

OPAL expects to spend $6 million to $8 million on the project, which should take about a half-year to complete. The units should be ready to rent next fall.

Panteleakis said the work will involve interior renovation and that the exterior appearance of the buildings and grounds will remain unchanged.

“When you walk down here a year from now it will look the same,” he said.

The apartment units will be rented at above-market rates, though the company has yet to determine what those rates will be, Panteleakis said.

Clarke officials have had neighborhood meetings leading up to Tuesday’s announcement, and OPAL officials said they intend to go over their plans with neighbors as soon as possible.

Neighborhood reaction

Ward 2 City Councilor Paul D. Spector, who represents the Round Hill neighborhood, was cautiously optimistic when told about the plans on Tuesday. He said it sounds like many neighborhood concerns are being considered, including preserving the character of the area and the open space of the campus.

Other concerns of neighbors revolve around project density, traffic, buffer zones and the architectural integrity of the Round Hill area, said Robert A. Jonas, who bought a former Clarke Schools residence at 83 Bancroft Road in 2004.

“The devil is going to be in the details, though,” he said. “But it basically sounds good.”

Jonas said that he was surprised to hear that the project does not include new construction. He was part of a separate group that submitted a unsuccessful development proposal to Clarke, but that group determined that it would not be financially feasible to do a project on the campus without new construction.

“That would be good news for a lot of neighbors if they can stay within the footprint of existing buildings,” said Jonas, who is part of a neighborhood group that has been following the issue for months. “If that continues, that will be fantastic.”

Many neighbors, however, will likely remain skeptical that the project can be completed without new construction, he said.

“There’s somewhat of a wait-and-see going on here,” Jonas said.

Meanwhile, the Elm Street Historic District has been discussing whether to extend its boundaries to include Round Hill. Such a development, which has been in the works since before Clarke announced it would sell most of its campus, would give neighbors an additional layer of review, Jonas said.

Spector said the plan also fits with the city’s vision of encouraging development close to downtown. The campus is located within walking distance of downtown and is zoned for educational, agricultural and residential use. Carolyn Misch, the city’s senior land use planner, said the zoning district is one in which the city would encourage multi-family units such as those outlined Tuesday.

She said plans have yet to be filed with the city, and the project would likely require site plan approval by the Planning Board.

Spector said the project would also be a significant boost to the city’s property tax rolls. Clarke is a nonprofit educational institution and does not pay property taxes.

Meanwhile, the sale enables Clarke Schools to move ahead with a long-planned consolidation.

The school has been serving the needs of children with hearing loss since 1867 and was built primarily to serve residential students, but several factors have reduced the school’s need to have such a large campus.

Early intervention services, advanced hearing technologies and cochlear implants have given raise to a new era in which more students are moving into mainstream classrooms at much earlier ages.

Additionally, Clarke has been serving more children and families in homes, schools and communities rather than on campus.

“We are able to serve (children) at an earlier point than ever before,” said Corwin, noting that a majority of children helped are 6 and under and are able to mainstream into neighborhood public schools rather than living on campus.

Trustees announced plans about a year ago to shed much of the campus as they direct more resources toward programs and services. Corwin reiterated that point at Tuesday’s announcement, adding that money currently being used to maintain buildings will now go into new and expanded programs designed to serve more children who are deaf and hard of hearing, their families and the public schools who work with them.

Distance learning technology will play a key role in the expansion. Clarke’s Early Intervention Program, for example, will soon be able to support families in remote and rural areas from the time they learn that their child has a hearing loss until preschool.

Clarke will continue to help train more teachers of the deaf through a graduate program in partnership with Smith College.

The school will also grow its Mainstream Services Program, the fastest growing segment of Clarke’s work. This program sends Clarke teachers into mainstream classroom and partners with school districts to create entire classrooms and programs expressly for children with hearing loss.

By Fred Contrada, The Republican 
November 29, 2011  

NORTHAMPTON – Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech announced Tuesday that it will sell 11.2 acres of its Round Hill campus to OPAL Real Estate Group of Springfield.

The deal, which is not expected to be finalized until next year, includes 11 buildings, the bulk of Clarke’s campus. The parties said they are not ready to discuss a sale price in public.

Peter Picknelly, the owner and co-founder of OPAL, said he is thrilled to be associated with Clarke and to have a major presence in Northampton, which he called “a great city.” OPAL plans to convert the buildings into 80 above-market-rate apartments. There will be no new construction, said Demetrios Panteleakis, OPAL’s managing partner.

In May, the school announced that it had listed 11.7 acres of its own-sprawling campus with a “request for proposals” through the Boston-based LandVest, an affiliate of Christie’s auction house. That represents nearly all of the remaining land Clarke owns on Round Hill.

From its founding in 1867, Clarke School has been a beacon for the deaf community, championing the oral-auditory approach to learning over the use of sign language. At one time, the school had hundreds of boarding students from around the country. Grace Coolidge, the wife of President Calvin Coolidge, is among those who have taught at Clarke. Some of the buildings up for sale date to the 1800s.

In recent years, Clarke has adapted to changes in technology, such as the Cochlear implant, which allows almost all deaf people some hearing capability. As the boarding population decreased, Clarke has sent its trained teachers out into the community to work with deaf students in the mainstream. The school has opened campuses in Florida, New York, Boston and other locations.

Monday, 28 Nov 2011.
WWLP 22News.

Story by Sy Becker.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – After spending a memorable Thanksgiving holiday here in Western Massachusetts, many visitors took the bus home Sunday. 22News went to the Peter Pan bus terminal in Springfield to see how just how busy it was.

The Ofori sisters can only think of the wonderful Thanksgiving weekend they spent with their family in Springfield, as the young women waited for the bus that would take them back to New York City where they now live.

As they waited to board their bus, they told 22News, what it was like to have enjoyed Thanksgiving with the whole family in Springfield.

“It was actually one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve ever had,” said Mammi-Ama Ofori.

“It was amazing, even though I was stuck in traffic for 4 to 5 hours in the port authority all the way to Springfield, it was worth it. I love my family, I love the spirit of it all, so yes, I’m happy,” said Nana-Adwoa Ofori.

Patty Ritter, a student at Quinnipiac College in Connecticut was making connections in Springfield after her trip from Albany, New York.

“It was really nice to go home for Thanksgiving,” said Patty Ritter.

Peter Pan’s executive vice president Robert Schwarz had told 22News he expected at least 140,000 passengers getting on and getting off their buses during this hectic holiday.

From GreenXC – November 16, 2011.

Peter Pan Bus is one of the preeminent bus lines serving the Northeast. Founded almost a century ago by the Picknelly family and still based in Springfield, MA, it has grown to be one largest privately owned bus companies all in the hands of the same family. Through innovation and great customer service Peter Pan has grown to serve more than 100 cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. As with all things Northeast, New York is their most popular destination, followed closely by Boston, D.C., and Philadelphia.

The company is rightfully proud of its long and decorated history in the bus business. They have been a privately owned company for almost 80 years. Even those at the forefront of the company are fourth generation descendants of Peter Pan’s original founder. “These years of experience make us unique,” proudly recounts Peter A. Picknelly, the current President and CEO.  “The bus business is in our blood. We work in a family atmosphere with a spirit of camaraderie and a strong desire to serve the customer by being the best transportation company possible.”

Their other upper hand is that they are a truly Northeast company and understand the market so well. In Boston they provide bus services for many of the major colleges and universities which make Boston such an important hub, including the ubiquitous Harvard University.

Their customer count is over four million passengers a year. One a typical bus ride you will see students, senior citizen, business travelers and those commuting. Peter Pan’s extensive bus network attracts much than the typical college traveler with their high level of service. Connecting service nationwide is what distinguishes Peter Pan from many competitors. “While we serve 100 cities in the Northeast, we also connect people with cities throughout the entire country,” describes Picknelly. “Not only with Greyhound but also with Concord Coach in New Hampshire, Plymouth & Brockton on Cape Cod, Adirondack Trailways throughout up-state New York.  In essence, we connect passengers with any bus company nationwide that uses bus terminals.”

Being green for Peter Pan is more than just their famous color scheme. They are proud that their buses are twice as fuel-efficient as Amtrak and other train services, three times as efficient as automobiles and four times as efficient as commercial aviation.  All Peter Pan vehicles operate using Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and some are even powered by biodeisel.  They involve technology to reduce polluting particulate emissions to near-zero levels helping us breathe a little easier.  They also use a unique  GPS system and have put it to work eliminating unnecessary idling, and by monitoring speeds and breaking they improved fuel efficiency by a commendable eight percent.

Should you ever want to chat with Peter Pan yourself just use their innovative Chat feature which instantly connects customers with with their Information Center from wherever they are. In fact customers on board a bus can “Chat” with them while enroute, which has become quite popular. Soon you can connect with the buses themselves as they plan to modify the website soon to allow customers to personally track the location of those instantly recognizable green Peter Pan buses.

From EPA Newsroom

(Boston, Mass. –   Nov. 7, 2011) – EPA has recently awarded $295,398  to the Greater Harford Transit District (GHTD) to repower six diesel powered transit buses operating in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Diesel engines contribute significantly to air pollution, especially in urban areas. The fine particles in diesel exhaust pose serious health risks, including aggravated asthma and other respiratory symptoms. Children are especially vulnerable to these effects. The Northeast has some of the highest asthma rates in the nation, including a childhood asthma rate above 10 percent in all six New England states.

“Reducing diesel emissions is an effective way to improve air quality – one of the seven key priorities of Administrator Jackson,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England Office.  “Fewer diesel emissions will help those who suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems. These projects will help bring cleaner air to the residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.”

This grant will cover up to 75% of the cost of the engine repowers and will allow GHTD, in partnership with Peter Pan Bus Lines, to repower 4 diesel transit buses.  The project is expected to reduce annual nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions by 36 tons and 2.4 tons, respectively.

“The District is a great proponent of alternatives that help minimize the environmental impact of diesel powered vehicles and is extremely pleased and proud of this award,” said Vicki L. Shotland, Executive Director of the Greater Hartford District.  “This partnership with Peter Pan Bus Lines to replace older engines will result in reduction of toxic particles and greenhouses gases and will also reduce fuel costs during hard times.”

The EPA has awarded $50 million for clean diesel projects as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce harmful emissions in the air and better protect people’s health. These efforts will replace, retrofit or repower more than 8,000 older school buses, trucks, locomotives, vessels, and other diesel powered machines. Reducing emissions from existing diesels provides cost-effective public health and environmental benefits while supporting green jobs at manufacturers, dealerships and businesses across the country. This is the fourth year of the program.

Other New England entities receiving grants this year include the Massachusetts Port Authority, Chelsea Collaborative, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Conservation Law Foundation Ventures, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. In addition, under the state clean diesel grant program, EPA recently announced that it is awarding $1.3 million to the New England state environmental agencies for clean diesel projects in New England.

For more information:

Northeast Diesel Collaborative (www.northeastdiesel.org)

EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign (www.epa.gov/diesel/)