Category: People

Parks & Parking: Know before you go.

Pleasantview at 1903 Bleim Road

I thought I’d group three Lower Pottsgrove parks together because they all have something in common: parking issues. But I’m not complaining! You’ll see what I mean below. It’s just important that potential visitors take the parking situation under advisement before heading out for a hike or gathering with friends.

 

Keep in mind that open space acquisitions take place within the context of a comprehensive Open Space Plan. When a municipality has the opportunity and funds to purchase a property, they have to jump on it. Oftentimes, though, the funds are for acquisition only, not for improvements such as trails, seating, interpretive markers and parking. The Open Space Plan may also recommend that a town try to link various parks by buying adjacent parcels in future purchases. How to allow cars, bikes and people to safely move in, out, and among all of these properties is taken into consideration when planning a total greenway system, and it can take years to get some open spaces improved according to the vision. Money is the biggest factor.

Alfred B. Miles Park sign

All of this is by way of saying, “Bravo!” to Lower Pottsgrove Township for acquiring its many open spaces. While these spaces are waiting to be improved, citizens can still enjoy these unique properties as long as they proceed with common sense and caution.

Creekside in Alfred B. Miles Park

Fellow blogger Rosemary Keane reports that… Tucked into the curve of Sunnybrook Road, between Kepler Road and Crimson Lane is a little gem of a park, the Alfred B. Miles Park and Recreation Area. This small park with a long name is very picturesque, even on the rainy day that we chose to visit it. With a picnic table nestled under the trees and the creek flowing in the background, it would be a great place to bring a packed lunch and get out of the office for a while. Because the park doesn’t have any parking available except on the shoulder of the road, or up on Crimson Lane, it might make the perfect pit stop the next time you’re out riding your bike along the scenic, winding roads of Lower Pottsgrove.

 

When I went in search of Pleasantview Park, listed on the Lower Pottsgrove Township website at 1903 Bleim Road, I found parking for only one car, and even that was kind of tight. Although the park’s sign is off the road and into the trees a bit, I had no trouble finding the entrance, which looks like a rustic driveway… with a bright red wire across it. If it’s muddy, you’ll want to have all-wheel drive. There’s no real shoulder on either side of the road in the vicinity of the park, so just proceed with caution.

Pleasantview open space
But let’s say you get there… you will be rewarded because this is an absolutely beautiful 17.9 acre property. Surprises like this are what make this blogging gig just the best job in the world. With tall trees towering overhead and the softness of the wet leaves underfoot, I made my way down a wide path. Within a few minutes, I came upon a collection of moss-covered boulders. The path ended just a little beyond that, which was a disappointment. So then I started thinking, “Why would visitors come to this park?”

I thought it would be a great place for a carload of moms to bring a few kids so they could scramble around, play in leaves, build a fort and just investigate nature, while the moms set up a few chairs, pull out their thermoses of coffee and talk or read books. This would also be a nice place for a carload of musicians to set up stools and play some bluegrass or folk tunes on their guitars, mandolins and fiddles. Anyone just looking for some “alone time” would also enjoy Pleasantview Park.

Then I made a call to Township Manager Rodney Hawthorne and learned that, indeed, Pleasantview Park is going through a master plan design process now, and the portion that I saw is just a small piece of a larger puzzle. It is a key to connecting several other open space properties that the Township already owns or expects to own at some point. If the overall plan comes to fruition, it will result in 2.5 miles of trail, more playing fields and a comprehensive, linked greenway system for residents and visitors to enjoy. I opened up Google maps and clicked on “Satellite” view while Mr. Hawthorne described the plans, and then I could really see how it will all come together. Mr. Hawthorne invited interested citizens to contact the Township if they want to learn more. The Montgomery County Open Space Plan page for Lower Pottsgrove says to contact Alyson Elliott, assistant township manager at 610-323-0436 with any questions about Lower Pottsgrove’s Open Space Plan.

Snell Rd. Entrance
The final park that presented a parking challenge was Snell/Norton Park. This undeveloped property is listed in the Penn State study as Norton Park at 14.2 acres, but it is listed on the Township website as Snell Park and Norton Park at 32.1 acres. In between now and when the study was done, the Township acquired the adjacent Snell property. I could not easily access the property from 1302 Snell Road because there was a red wire across the steep driveway that prevented me from parking in the gravel area up above. On the Snell Road side, the property is fairly steep and the only indication that it is preserved property is a sign in the forested area up above, which I did not see the first time I drove right past the property. But thanks to Mr. Hawthorne and Google, I learned that this property can also be accessed from Shire Drive. Just go to the end of Shire, park on the street, and you should see the Township’s open space sign. When there are funds to improve this property, it will include mainly trails, meadows and passive activities, with perhaps 1-2 acres cleared over on the Snell Road side for picnicking.

Keep an eye on the future development of Pleasantview and Snell/Norton. Lower Pottsgrove has a good thing going there!

ALFRED B. MILES PARK AND RECREATION AREA
Location: 545 Sunnybrook Road, near Kepler Road, Sanatoga, PA 19464
Size: 8.9 acres
Suitability: Everyone would enjoy this cute spot, especially if you want to take a walk along the creek.
Facilities: Unpaved trail, multi-purpose open space, picnic table, natural study areas.
Activities and tips: Pack a lunch and take some time to enjoy the changing leaves in this small park.
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

PLEASANTVIEW PARK
Location: 1903 Bleim Road, Sanatoga, PA 19464
Size: 17.9 acres
Suitability: Adults and children with supervision.
Facilities: Unpaved trail, trails, boulders, natural study areas.
Activities and tips: If you want to get away from it all, this is a charming escape. It will eventually be a link in a larger trail system.
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

SNELL PARK & NORTON PARK
Location: 1302 Snell Road or 2840 Shire Drive, Sanatoga, PA 19464
Size: 32.1 acres
Suitability: Adults and children with supervision.
Facilities: Undeveloped, open fields, natural study areas.
Activities and tips: Use the entrance off Shire Drive. You’re almost guaranteed to catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer in this meadow setting.
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

Lower Pottsgrove Township has lots of information and photos on their website, which is http://www.lowerpottsgrove.org. Just click on the Parks & Recreation tab on the left side of the home page.

Follow the parks series at Mission: Healthy Living, Positively!Pottstown, Twitter (PositivelyPtown), Facebook, and The Mercury.

PHOTO GALLERY

Alfred B. Miles Park

Pleasantview's moss-covered boulders

Snell & Norton Meadow

Sun goes down at Snell & Norton

Snell & Norton open space

Ringing Rocks: Where nature invites you in

On a hill in Lower Pottsgrove Township, you can practically hear the rocks sing. Well, you’d have to have a hammer with you. Then, if you tap the large boulders in Ringing Rocks Park, they actually will ring.

According to the website of the Ringing Hill Fire Company, which owns the property where the rocks are located, “Over the years the main attraction was the group of rocks, but by the late 1800’s the people saw the area developed into a real park, and in the summer of 1895 the Park was officially opened. Throngs came to the Park walking, by horse and wagon, bicycle, and the trolley car. Picnics were held during the summers, various associations met here, and on some evenings attendance at a lecture was of interest to adults.”

Small pavilion

Today, this part of Ringing Hill is home to the fire company, two pavilions that are available for rental, and an indoor roller skating rink. Anyone who’s grown up in the Pottstown area knows the rink, where the Hokey-Pokey is still going strong. On a recent gorgeous Saturday in October, both pavilions were in use – one for a family birthday party, another for a very large crowd. For information on rentals, go to the Ringing Hills Fire Co. website; rental information can be found here. The Fire Company also runs Saturday Night Bingo and Ladies Bingo once a month.

After climbing around on the rocks a bit, something I hadn’t done since I was a kid, I made a quick stop at the roller rink. I’d been there a few years ago for a nephew’s birthday party, and it was fun all over again to see how little it has changed. By then, I was anxious to get to the Nature Park, another place that I had been to many times over the years.

Skating rink

If you’re driving on Keim Street from Pottstown, look for a stone wall on your left. That’s when you’re getting near the park. Then you will see a pond on your right, signs for Ringing Rocks Park on your right, and a lovely carved sign for Shaner’s Grove and some parking for a few cars. The sign was made by Girl Scout Troop # 7354 just this year. I parked there and then walked back on Keim to the entrance to the Lower Nature Park.

With the pond on your right, cross the charming stone bridge and go straight ahead until you see the trailhead sign. Choose your level of difficulty: red for difficult, yellow for moderate and blue for easy, and you’re on your way. For those of you who love to hike, this is a wonderful spot to really feel like you’re getting away from it all. After spending the past few weeks visiting a lot of playgrounds in Pottstown, the contrast is pretty remarkable. When I enter a heavily wooded area, I really feel a kind of hush around me and then I start to hear the sounds of nature: a bird call, the rustle of squirrel in the leaves, or just the wind through the leaves.

Entering Lower Nature Park

In the Penn State study that was commissioned by the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, and that inspired this series, it says that 78% of the Pottstown residents surveyed said that they visit parks within their own municipality, while just 22% of residents travel to other towns for outdoor activity. This is the reverse of just about every other town (with Amity at 53%). Given the amount of concrete and developed areas in Pottstown, and the predominance of neighborhood mini-parks to serve recreational needs, I’m guessing that adults and children (especially children) don’t get the chance to really be immersed in nature and experience the feeling I got in Ringing Rocks Park.

Growing up in the North End, I remember catching guppies and playing in Sprogels Run, off Buchert Road and across Charlotte Street from the North End shopping center. We used to fish in a pond at Brookside Country Club, too. Those opportunities for kids to interact with nature on their own don’t seem to exist any longer. I also have fond memories of a couple of dads, who lived in the Brookside area, (Bill Brennan and the late Red Braunsberg), piling all of us into their cars and taking us to French Creek or other parks, where we’d hike for a couple hours and then cook hot dogs on a grill. (Yeah, we didn’t use seat belts, and hot dogs aren’t the healthiest snack, but we got our exercise!)

I know there’s always a shortage of money, but it would be so great if we could figure out a way to regularly and safely get the children of Pottstown first to Riverfront Park and then outside of town to be immersed for a few hours in a place where you can’t hear or see anything but the natural world. Dave Kraybill, Executive Director of the Health & Wellness Foundation just recommended Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder by Richard Louv to me. I’m going to pick it up and see if I can read it before we’re done with this series, so I can check in and let you know what I’ve learned.

RINGING ROCKS UPPER PARK and LOWER NATURE PARK
Location: Enter the Upper Park from Route 663 on the west or from N. Keim Street on the east. Use the Ringing Hill Fire Company’s address to find it with a GPS: 815 White Pine Lane, Pottstown PA 19464. Enter the Lower Nature Park at 1800 N. Keim Street at the intersection with Yerger Road.
Size: 38.4 acres
Suitability: All ages.
Facilities: Unpaved trails, wooded areas, rock outcroppings, pond, stream, pavilions and roller skating rink, plenty of parking.
Activities and Tips: The Ringing Hills Fire Co. owns and manages the Upper Park, which includes the pavilions and skating rink. Lower Pottstgrove Township owns the Lower Nature Park with the hiking trails. Try to remember to bring a hammer and give the ringing rocks a try!
Hours: Dawn until dusk, except for pavilion or skating rink rentals

SHANER’S GROVE
Location: 1900 N. Keim Street at the intersection with Yerger Road, Pottstown, PA 19464
Size: 2.8 acres
Suitability: Children with supervision and adults.
Facilities: Wooded areas, rock outcroppings
Activities and Tips: Site of future parking for Ringing Rocks Nature Park.
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

FOR RENTALS, CONTACT RINGING HILL FIRE COMPANY
815 White Pine Lane
Pottstown, PA 19464
Phone: 610-323-0474
Fax: 610-323-0408
Pavilion Rental: 610-970-0157
http://www.ringinghillfireco.org

Lower Pottsgrove Township has lots of information and photos on their website, which is http://www.lowerpottsgrove.org. Just click on the Parks & Recreation tab on the left side of the home page.

Contact:
Lower Pottsgrove Township
2199 Buchert Road
Pottstown, PA 19464
Ph: (610) 323-0436
Fax: (610) 323-3824
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-F

Follow the parks series at Mission: Healthy Living, Positively!Pottstown, Twitter (PositivelyPtown), Facebook, and The Mercury.

PHOTO GALLERY

Sign to rink, on Keim Street

Large pavilion

Outside the rink

Shaner's Grove parking area

Nature Park sign

Another Nature Park sign

Pond & bridge

Near trailhead

West Pottsgrove offers range of recreational options

Note: This week we’ll be visiting the parks and playgrounds of West Pottsgrove, Lower Pottsgrove and Upper Pottsgrove. Links to all of the articles in the series can be found here. Thanks for stopping by!

Vine Street play area

While West Pottsgrove Township has a population of 3,815 and encompasses just 2.4 square miles to the west and northwest of Pottstown, they pack quite a punch in their parks and recreation offerings. They’ve got two neighborhood mini-parks, one baseball complex, one natural recreation area, and they are on the verge of acquiring the Colonial Swim Club, giving their residents a variety of options for physical activity.

My first stop was the Vine Street playground, which is near the intersection with Quinter Street. It’s got a wonderfully large open space, just begging for some dodgeball or wiffleball players. There’s a picnic table, benches, play equipment, swings and some shady spots.

Howard Street merry-go-round

The equipment at Howard Street playground was similar, with a notable addition: one of those merry-go-round spinning contraptions that makes me dizzy just thinking about it. Both of these parks are in quiet, residential neighborhoods.

Oldtimers Field, behind the municipal building on Grosstown Road, is primarily a baseball field used by the Pottsgrove Little League Association, but the complex also includes a playground, pavilion, full-court basketball and some grassy space behind the outfield fence. The ballfield itself is in excellent condition with bleachers, covered dugouts, and an announcer’s booth on the third base line. The fence is at 200 feet in right, center and left fields, and they’ve got a nice scoreboard.

In talking with Ed Whetstone, the West Pottsgrove Township Manager, I learned that any Township resident can rent the pavilion at the complex. Just call Joanne Herb, the Township Secretary, who handles all rentals.

“We also recently acquired 6-7 acres along the third base side of the field, running to the airport property,” said Mr. Whetstone. “We may create a walking area there, but it hasn’t been decided yet.”

West Pottsgrove is in the process of forming their own Recreation Commission to advise their Board of Commissioners on local recreation matters. For their recreation programming, West Pottsgrove relies on the Pottsgrove Recreation Board, which organizes activities for residents of all ages in West, Upper and Lower Pottsgrove Townships. The Pottsgrove Recreation Board is funded by the three townships and the Pottsgrove School District.

Oldtimers Field

But because West Pottsgrove’s recreational holdings are expanding, it looks like the time has come for them to form a local commission. The Township is in the process of finalizing a deal to acquire Colonial Swim Club, which has been in the community since 1965, and fell on hard times the past few years. They did not open this summer as the sale has been negotiated. That facility is about two acres and has a large pool, a wading pool, a pool house and a shady picnic grove. The Township hopes to offer the facility for use by day care providers and to offer lessons to the community.

Otherwise, the recreational programming in West Pottsgrove is arranged by Jody Sweinhart, the Director of the Recreation Board, who has been on staff for 23 years, the last three as Director.

Manatawny & Sell Rd.

“We run programming at all the Pottsgrove schools and in the summer at the playgrounds,” she said. “We offer activities not just for students but also for adults.” A glance at their website shows volleyball, table tennis, women’s exercise, ski club, swimming, summer playground and community band. (Please note that ice skating will not be offered this year.)

For those who want to get back to nature, the West Pottsgrove Township Recreation Area is the place for you. Right now, this 2.9 acre property is ideal for an outdoor get-together with family and friends to enjoy grilling, eating and tossing a Frisbee along the beautiful Manatawny Creek. According to Mr. Whetstone, the Township Manager, they recently acquired 30 acres that will run down Manatawny Street to Pottstown’s border. They’re in the master site plan design phase now, and it looks like this park will eventually include trails, a pavilion, volleyball court, and a boardwalk through wetlands for walking and nature study.

With their acquisition of the Colonial Swim Club and the acreage adjacent to Oldtimers Field and along the Manatawny, West Pottsgrove will soon have a few more impressive holdings in their recreational portfolio.

West Pottsgrove Recreation Area

To learn more about West Pottsgrove’s Open Space Plan, click on their link at the Montgomery County Planning Commission website page for Municipal Open Space Plans.

VINE STREET PLAYGROUND
Location: Vine Street, near intersection with Quinter Street, Stowe, PA 19464
Size: 0.9 acres
Suitability: Active and passive recreation, mainly for 5-12 years old.
Facilities: Playground, swings, small and large multi-purpose open space, benches/sitting areas, picnic table
Activities + tips: Sunny field with some shady spots.
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

HOWARD STREET PLAYGROUND
Location: On Howard Street in Stowe, PA 19464, between School Lane and W. Walnut Street.
Size: 0.3 acres
Suitability: Active and passive recreation, mainly for 5-12 years old.
Facilities: Playground, swings, benches/sitting areas, small multi-purpose space.
Activities + tips: Adults: beware the merry-go-round!
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

OLDTIMERS FIELD/TOWNSHIP BUILDING
Location: 900 Grosstown Road, Stowe, PA 19464, behind the municipal building.
Size: 3.25 acres
Suitability: Active and passive recreation for all ages.
Facilities: Well-equipped ballfield, playground, multi-purpose open space, pavilion, full-court basketball that can also accommodate more picnic tables for special events.
Activities + tips: Younger children may enjoy catching a glimpse of planes taking off and landing at the airport on the other side of the trees beyond the outfield. Keep an eye on the recently-acquired acreage on the third base side of the field; it may become the site of some walking trails.
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

MANATAWNY PARK/WEST POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP RECREATION AREA
Location: Manatawny Street, near the intersection with Sell Road, Stowe, PA 19464
Size: 2.9 acres
Suitability: Active and passive recreation for all ages, access to Manatawny Creek.
Facilities: Natural areas, two picnic areas with total of 12 picnic tables and 4 grills, parking.
Activities + tips: Right now this area is great for quiet reflection or a family gathering. Keep an eye on future development of 30 acres that will extend the park to the border with Pottstown.
Hours: Dawn until dusk.

Contact regarding rentals:
West Pottsgrove Township Municipal Building
900 Grosstown Road
Stowe, PA 19464
610-323-7717 (Ask for Joanne Herb, Township Secretary)
Township website: http://www.westpottsgrove.org/
Photo gallery on their website, which shows parks.

Follow the parks series at Mission: Healthy Living, Positively!Pottstown, Twitter (PositivelyPtown), Facebook, and The Mercury.

PHOTO GALLERY

Vine St. Swings
Giddyup! (at Vine St. playground)
Howard St. Playground
Howard St. playset
Howard St. Swings
Oldtimers Field
Oldtimers Field fence
Oldtimers Pavilion
Oldtimers Playground
Oldtimers Hoop
West Pottsgrove Twp. Rec. Area
West Pottsgrove Twp. Rec. Area

BUSTED!

Top 5 reasons why a parking ticket in Pottstown is a good thing:

#5 The free bicycle from Bike Pottstown and Tri-County Bicycles makes it easy to forget you even had a car.

#4 There’s a lot to explore in Memorial Park & Riverfront Park.

#3 Everyone is so darn friendly, you find yourself having long conversations with (formerly) complete strangers and even getting invited to a family celebration of an 8-year-old’s birthday party under the pavilion at Memorial Park.

#2 The dark roast coffee and conversation with John on the sidewalk in front of Churchill’s are worth lingering over.

#1 The fact that you were in a 3-hour parking spot, your tire was chalked at 10:45 a.m., and the ticket was written up at 1:49 p.m., reveals an efficient, local government & law enforcement system at work. Way to go, Pottstown – I’m proud of you! (I’m actually serious.)

funky lil’ kitchen, funky lil’ life

I’d had a long day, arriving in town for a 9 a.m. meeting with another writer/blogger, and then it was on to Musikfest in Bethlehem with a contingent from Pottstown. By the time we got back into town, and I dropped someone off at their house and finally finished yakking (so much to talk about!), I was all talked out and needed a good, quiet meal to refresh me for the 90-minute drive back across the Delaware to New Jersey.

As I sat at the light at Penn and King Streets, there was practically an aura emanating from the Funky Lil’ Kitchen, and I figured the time was now: I was finally going to treat myself.

It was fairly early and there was just one couple there, sipping wine and chatting with the waiter. I got a table in the window, and the waiter must have sensed my hunger because he immediately brought over a small bowl of spicy peanuts, Funky Lil’ Kitchen’s own blend, and they took the edge off.

I took in the decor – decidedly Pottstown-chic, with Mrs. Smith pie tins on the walls, a very large utensil-clock on one wall, and a partial wall-sculpture of utensils that screens the kitchen from the dining room. I didn’t ask what music was coming through the speakers, but it was – absolutely – way funky cool. The waiter delivered my appetizer of white beans, celery, red onions and cherry tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar on bruschetta, and my strength started to come back. If only I were there with my husband and a crowd of friends!

When I looked out the window then, I finally focused on what was directly across the street – a phone booth. A man was using the phone in the phone booth. Remember those? I hadn’t seen one in years. Then I zeroed in on the building – Bell Telephone – and immediately had a flashback…

Old Bell Telephone, now Verizon

My best friend from high school, Karen Brennan, and I were working for A.S.K. Cleaning Service in the summer of 1981, after our freshman years at college. I’d had an offer to be a nanny for a family on Martha’s Vineyard, but in the end, I chickened out without even asking my parents, and came home instead. None of us really knew anything about Martha’s Vineyard, not really. I had vague notions of extremely wealthy, idle people, who would only make me uncomfortable anyway. Besides, who would want to play with kids on a beach all day and get paid a boatload of money, when they could safely scrape gum off the bottoms of desks all summer?

Okay, so Karen and I had been assigned to clean the offices in the Bell Tel building before people got to work. I think we had to be there at 5:00 a.m. On the particular day I have in mind, no sooner did we get into the building than we ensconced ourselves on a sofa in the employee lounge, which had a T.V. It was July 29, 1981, and Lady Di was about to become Princess Di over in London within the hour. Young, beautiful Diana – only a year or two older than we were – was marrying into the Royal Family, in a real, live, televised fairytale. We watched in awe as the pomp unfolded, two American Cinderellas holding out hope for our own Prince Charmings, while literally clutching mops and dust rags. By 6:20, they were married, we watched for a few more minutes, and then went to swab the floors of the dark, eerie, windowless cable room downstairs.

But I digress… flash forward almost three decades…

Across the street from that episode of “character-building,” I was very fortunate on a recent evening in August 2010 to be able to indulge in Chef Michael Falcone’s sautéed salmon cake with pineapple salsa on a bed of basmati rice. It was an exquisitely refreshing summer combination. I had no room for dessert, although I was impressed with the dessert menu, which was written on a large green bottle that the waiter held in front of me (chalk up another point in the “funk factor” column.) But you know I will be going back soon for “Mom’s Chocolate Cake.” I opted instead for a milky-smooth cappuccino, which gave me the final boost I needed to propel me on my way.

I am so glad I didn’t wait any longer to try out this fun and inventive restaurant in downtown Pottstown. You don’t have to be royalty for your culinary dreams to come true!

Notes:
1) I just Googled “Pottstown-chic” and the phrase doesn’t seem to exist, so I want credit for coining it.
2) Thank you KBM for the details and the trip down memory lane!

About Funky
Hours: Dinner (Tuesday-Saturday) 5:00-9:00
Address: 232 King Street, Pottstown, PA
Voice: 610.326.7400
Email: funkylilkitchen@email.com
Reservations: Highly Recommended
Dress: Smart Casual
Credit Cards: Visa, MC, AMEX & Discover
Parking: Public lot & on street (the lot across the street is now privately owned! Thanks for the heads-up from reader Jeff Leflar!)

Wellsboro, PA: A place to stop in

The article and photo below were submitted by award-winning writer, editor, and photographer Joe Zlomek, who is the Managing Editor of The Post Publications. A hearty “thank you!” to Joe for contributing. With this article, I’m starting a “Revitalization Library” subject category at Positively!Pottstown. In it, you will be able to find revitalization stories and examples mentioned not only by me but by you, the readers and commenters. Together, we can discover the broad range of possibilities and acquire a kind of revitalization “vocabulary,” so we’re all speaking the same language as we write Pottstown’s revitalization story. 🙂

Wellsboro, PA – A place to stop in
by Joe Zlomek

Like Pottstown, Wellsboro PA (in Tioga County along Route 6 of Pennsylvania’s northern tier) was built on, and because of, industry. Early in the 20th Century it served as a shipping point and trade center, with businesses that included fruit processing, flour and woolen mills, and much more. But as they did in Pottstown, eventually those industries moved out.

The departures forced the borough to change. Because it is only 10 miles from Pine Creek Gorge, the natural wonder known as “the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania,” two of Wellsboro’s thriving industries are now tourism and retailing.

Lights on in Wellsboro, PA

The length of its downtown is small in comparison to Pottstown’s but, also in comparison, far more robust. Shops are well kept, busy, and open late. The merchandise selection is diverse. Several excellent restaurants can be found within a two-block walk. And the lanterns that became a fixture of the boulevard-like Main Street coursing from east to west through Wellsboro add to its ambiance. They burn from mid-afternoon long into the night.

Is a proposal by Pottstown Main Street Manager Leighton Wildrick for the year-’round lighting of High Street the sole or best solution to attracting more consumers downtown? Not by a long shot. However, it and other changes can be keys in creating an environment that, as in Wellsboro, changes the perception of downtown from “a place to pass though” to “a place to stop in.” ~

Photo by Joe Zlomek: Simulated gaslight lanterns burning Saturday (Sept. 4, 2010) at 4 p.m. on the west end of downtown Wellsboro PA.

Additional resources:
Wellsboro on a map
Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce
PA State Laurel Festival
Vacation in Wellsboro
The local paper, The Wellsboro Gazette
City-data.com

Open Doors 2010: Pottstown Feels the Love

Jazzy tunes from the Middle School
I was kind of holding my breath as the commemorative service got underway in Smith Plaza yesterday morning. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, scanning the good-sized crowd, trying to gauge how many were there, and whether their numbers would swell or dwindle as the daylong community events, spearheaded by the Pottstown School District and the Pottstown Arts and Cultural Alliance, played out.

After heartfelt speeches, memories of that fateful day in 2001, the honoring of service and rescue personnel, and a moving poem by Ron Downie, I headed up High Street with fellow blogger, Mo Gallant, who writes Pottstown’s Blog. I’d already set up my puzzle- and community-building activity at the Pottstown Regional Public Library and we were going to finish setting up on the sidewalk in front of The Gallery School.

Honor & remembrance

While School Board member Michele Pargeon coaxed passersby to check out the inside of The Gallery, a few determined puzzle-builders got busy with the first pass at puzzles of The Gallery, the Middle School, Borough Hall, Churchill’s and Smith Plaza. Bill Krause emerged from The Very Best next door and shot the breeze with us for a couple minutes. Council President Steve Toroney and his wife came by, so did Dave Kraybill, Executive Director of the Health and Wellness Foundation after picking up a free bike at Tri-County Bicycles through the Bike Pottstown program. Periodically, Mo and I would look up and down High Street and say, “They’re here. People are really here.”

That feeling of wonder only grew in strength as the day unfolded.

After putting some stuff in my car, which was parked for free all day in front of the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, Mo and I popped in for a quick hello to Executive Director Marta Kiesling. Then, at an outdoor table at Juan Carlos Fine Mexican Cuisine, we indulged in the sublime Mexican egg rolls with honey jalapeno dip and their spicy Mexican Caesar salad.

Penn Street skateboarders
Skateboarders from Bentley’s Boards Skate Shop kept us entertained on Penn Street. Mayor Bonnie Heath, her husband Mason Craig, Borough Manager Jason Bobst and Main Street Manager Leighton Wildrick were at a nearby table, and that outdoor spot was perfect for people-watching, saying “hi” and meeting new folks. As lunch was winding down, I realized that I was in the midst of a perfectly balanced, lively urban/small hometown experience. Great food, people of all ages on the street, full trolleys passing by, and outdoor dining in a place where “everybody knows your name.”

As it got closer to three o’clock, Mo and I bid farewell (Thanks, Mo! Thanks, Michele, for looking out for the puzzles!) Then I headed to the Library to make a quick stop and see how things had gone over there. On my way up High Street, I slowed down to take in the crowd and the thumping salsa beat in front of SwingKat and Grumpy’s Handcarved Sandwiches. Music! Joy! Dancing in the streets! This was Pottstown on September 11, 2010. Mark it on your calendar. Imprint it on your souls.

The puzzle report from Mike Packard at the Pottstown Regional Public Library was thumbs-up. If you haven’t been to the library recently, it’s got a whole new look inside, with the fiction downstairs and popular and current fiction on display. Check out the way-cool teen room downstairs. And there was popcorn! In the library! The smell was heavenly. If they keep this up, they’re going to give the big bookstores a run for their money.

Library puzzlers

I made my way to the high school where school district volunteers and staff had lined the cafeteria and halls with tables for any community and school group that wanted to participate. I set up my puzzles and free book raffle in the cafeteria and never got a chance to see the hallways filled with people, including elected officials from both Borough Council and the School Board. In addition to all the families and young puzzle fanatics who stopped by, there was Erica Weekley of the Borough’s economic development staff, and Tim Phelps of Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce and his family.

John Armato, Director of Community Relations for the Pottstown School District and Superintendent Dr. Reed Lindley both stopped by to chat and thank me for being there. It wasn’t just me – they were talking to everyone. It’s obvious that these leaders are real people-persons and that they are “for real.”

In closing, I’d like to hearken back to my blog post of August 8 – The work of the community. From a community revitalization perspective, yesterday was a HUGE bump up to the next level. The community sees the positive and good things it’s capable of. You never know when that’s going to happen – that breakthrough – but once it has, in a lot of ways there’s no turning back.

While yesterday provided the community with a long moment of harmony, where the results of true teamwork were visible and palpable, every day isn’t going to be like this. But the more of these moments that you can string together, the better prepared you will be to get over the rough spots in between, together, with ultimate faith and trust in each other. Congratulations, Pottstown – you’re awesome!

Open Doors = Open Eyes + Open Minds + Open Hearts

This Saturday, September 11th, Pottstown will commemorate the tragic events of that day, nine years ago.

After opening ceremonies and remembrances at Smith Family Plaza at 11 am, the School District, businesses, arts and community groups, The Hill School, Genesis Housing, Pottsgrove Manor and more are publicly opening their doors for the rest of the day to encourage people to spend time together, get further acquainted with their downtown, and to strengthen community bonds. The School District initiated the event, which has come to be known as “Open Doors.” It’s got a contagious, positive vibe that’s almost magical, judging from today’s Mercury.

Churchill Cafe puzzle
The Mercury is running articles all week. For news stories and a schedule, check out the District’s website here, and the Pottstown Arts & Cultural Alliance blog here.

In general, downtown locations will have special events going on from 11-3.

From 3-6 pm, the High School will hold an open house – with a gazillion activities! – followed by a home football game at 7 pm vs. Upper Moreland.

Building community, one piece at a time…
From 11-2:30, Positively!Pottstown is offering puzzle-building at tables at The Gallery on High and the Pottstown Regional Public Library. Puzzles of various Pottstown buildings will be available for anyone to piece together at these locations. They can then be broken up and started all over again. Fun for adults and kids!

At 3 pm, the puzzle-building will continue over at the High School. There, students can also put their name into a free drawing for a book; there will be books for all grade levels. Buildings… books… what else do you expect from a planner and writer? 🙂

Building community... one piece at a time

Big shout-outs!
Much thanks to Mr. Armato at the High School, Mike Packard at the Library, and Erika Hornburg-Cooper of The Gallery School for providing space for the puzzles.

The regulatory framework– Part 2: Walking a half-mile in a property owner’s shoes

I am so sorry for writing really long posts! Please try to get through this one. I feel it’s getting to the heart of the question: Why is High Street empty?

In previous posts, we’ve done an overview of the various documents, ordinances, and maps that dictate land use in Pottstown. We have a sense of the outside agencies and funding sources that are available to help make development happen. We know that the private sector prefers to know exactly what it’s getting into. In this post, we’re walking a half-mile in a property owner’s shoes… into the Borough’s website.

Over the past nine months that I’ve gotten re-acquainted with my hometown, I’ve been to the Borough’s website hundreds of times (no exaggeration) to look at maps, regulations, etc. It’s taken me quite a while to even begin to figure out how the heck things work, and I admit I’m still unsure about a lot of things. It’s kind of a bummer to admit that I can’t get through the maze more easily. And it is a maze.

Being a writer/communicator, I’m really big on websites that serve their purpose. The Borough’s website is not only for current residents, it’s also the point of entry for outsiders who are considering becoming insiders, i.e., potential homeowners and the business community. The website, in and of itself, should be a user-friendly, logical “document.” The fact that it isn’t gives the first hint that the functioning of the government and the approval processes might not be user-friendly or logical either. If your land development systems can’t be communicated clearly for the average citizen, then there’s probably something wrong with your systems.

Let’s go to the Borough’s website now.

1. First thing, I want to know what this town is all about. I click “About Pottstown” and go to “History.” The town’s “story” stops in 1964. That’s a little scary right there, and stops me in my tracks. I want to know about Pottstown today, but I can’t really find it anywhere on the site. Also, it looks like there’s only one photo on the whole site. (Picture = 1,000 words.)

I here confess that I wrote a bunch of the web copy for the PACA website. On the home page, they come right out with their mission, give three sentences about history and then move into the vision of the arts community for the present & future of Pottstown. I like to think these words create an image, draw people in, and make them feel the potential old-school coolness of this place. The Borough can have more about its history on its website, but at some point it needs to bring visitors to the present day.

So now you’re thinking, “What does this have to do with land development?”

Everything the Borough does and how it presents itself to the larger world is part of its redevelopment efforts. Successful land development is all about telling the story, selling a dream, a vision. It’s about the Borough selling itself.

2. Again, we’re developers or potential home owners now. The Borough’s website is chock-full of information about its ordinances, maps, etc. There’s a lot there. But it’s not enough to say the information is all there. It has to be presented in chunks that help a user make sense of the land development process itself.

On the main navigation bar on the left of the home page, I click on “Departments,” to see if they have a planning or community development department. I’m drawn to “Inspections and Permits.” There’s a huge amount of useful information – what you need a permit for, which zoning & planning applications are relevant to specific kinds of projects, residential property transfer and rental registration/inspection requirements.

If you go in this order through the website, this is where you first run into mention of the Homeowners’ Initiative Program. I guess it’s under “Inspections & Permits” because it will involve an inspection and a permit. (Okay, but that seems kind of random.) “It” turns out to actually be two programs (homeowner loan and rental conversion loan). They are also mentioned on the Economic Development page.

Before we go there, though, click on the link to the “Redevelopment District Map” at the bottom of the “Inspections & Permits” page. If I’m a redeveloper or a business owner, my ears perk up: What is the “Redevelopment District”? What are the rules and incentives there? But, no, it’s just a link to a map, and I can’t find anything more about it. On the entire website.

(Out of the blue, in an email, someone recently mentioned a “Core District Redevelopment Plan” from 2003. Is this where the Redevelopment District Map came from? Why have I never seen this plan before? Is it still relevant to Borough land use policy and programs? I need to call someone at Borough Hall to get to the bottom of this.)

3.a. So, let’s jump over to the Economic Development “Information & Links” page. Scroll down under “Homeownership Initiative Program.” Click on “Click here for the Step-by-step application process and to view the Boundary Map” You end up here. Click on Homeownership Initiative Program – Boundary Map. You end up here. This Homeownership Initiative Program Boundary Map is not the same as the Redevelopment District Map.

So why is there a link to the Redevelopment District Map under the Homeownership Initiative information on the Inspection & Permits page?

Are you confused just reading that last sentence? Welcome to my world.

What I’m saying is that I really need the dots to be connected for me.

3.b. Go back to the Economic Development “Information & Links” page. At the very top – no heading, nothing to draw your eye to it – there’s a link to information for businesses in the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District. Up pops what is essentially a whole other website with its own logo. The text says it’s still part of the Borough… a Main Street Program… a special assessment district. I can’t find a map… would my property be in this district?? There’s the Pottstown Downtown Foundation to support their activities. They have funding for their own façade programs… or do they?

I start to wonder if this program is still operating… Under the “Business Opportunities” link, I’ve been reading the same message for nine months. This may be the only place you can find the name of Pottstown’s Main Street Manager… well, the former Main Street Manager. (The current Main Street Manager is Leighton Wildrick. Leighton & I had a great chat last week. I’m sure other people want to talk to him too!)

Eventually, I find the PDIDA map on the Borough Maps page, which is under “About Pottstown,” but not on the PDIDA pages… Did I miss it there?

… From what I can tell by toggling back and forth between the two maps, the PDIDA district is not the Core Redevelopment District… still curious about that…

3.c. Go back to the Economic Development “Information & Links” page. Okay, so there’s an economic development plan. That will tell me what I need to know. Oh… wait… the link goes right to the document. It’s 145 pages. I have to read a 145-page report just to find out what their economic development strategy is? Forget it! I just want to know what programs they have to help me NOW!

3.d. Go back to the Economic Development “Information & Links” page. Click on “View the Maps.” Up pops a map from the Economic Development Strategic Plan. The first map is: “Development Areas and Opportunity Sites.” What do those red and blue boundaries mean? Is there special funding programs for those areas? They don’t seem to match up with the other maps I’ve seen. Geez, I guess I have to dig into that report.

Let’s review:
– Redevelopment District Map
– Homeowner Initiative Program Boundary Map
– PDIDA Map
– Development Areas and Opportunity Sites (from Economic Development Strategic Plan)

And add a couple more:
– Keystone Opportunity Zone (does a map exist?)
– Historic District
(We’ll talk about the Historic District and HARB in the next post.)

Why aren’t businesses coming to High Street?

I’m just trying to get a sense of what this town has to offer me and/or my business. I’m just trying to get my bearings. I didn’t even get to any of the actual development or building approval processes yet.

Look, who has time to do all this? Save staff time, residents’ time, business’ time by straightening out the message and getting it up on the website. The website is the entry point to your community and to your land development approval system. It has to be friendly, simple and clear to attract new people and businesses, not tearing their hair out and running in the opposite direction.

What is needed on the Borough website:
– A vision statement that inspires and tells potential homeowners and businesses what you’re all about and where you’re headed.
– Simple summaries of land use incentive programs and regulations, possibly sorted by specific user groups: current residents, potential home owners, potential business owners/landlords, potential developers.
– Examination of maps to see if they are all absolutely relevant. If they are, then there has to be some simple way to explain or graphically depict the overlaps. People purchasing real estate need to know what incentives they are eligible for and what regulations or special assessments apply to their property.
– Clear, logical visuals of the incentive programs, along with their funding sources, to show how they are related to each other.

For now, you could keep the same website design and just start consolidating and simplifying. (Simple is always better.) This could use the attention of a small, working committee of knowledgeable, local minds to sort this out. 🙂 I’d be glad to work on the writing and organization with them. This doesn’t have to take long. In the end, visitors to the Borough website should have a clear sense of what they have to do to become a home owner, business owner or developer in Pottstown and feel welcomed and inspired to check it out further.

Next up: The regulatory framework– Part 3: Walking another half-mile in a property owner’s shoes

Another First Saturday on tap!

If you’re in town for the holiday weekend, be sure to cruise over to Smith Family Plaza this Saturday from 10am – 2pm for the final First Saturday of the season, brought to you by the Pottstown Arts & Cultural Alliance.

Entertainment
10-11 am: Pottstown Dance Theatre – Hip-Hop performance
11am-12pm: High Street Music – Jazz
12-2 pm: Music by acoustic roots rocker Dina Hall

Men in Spikes fundraiser

Men: there’s still time to find two friends who will race in spikes to raise money for your favorite charity. The race starts at 1 pm.

Here’s how it works:
Pay a $200 entry fee, or get in touch with Mike Holliday at actone19464@aol.com regarding possible sponsorship.
Bring your own spikes or choose from the assortment at Smith Plaza.
Teeter and totter your heart out.
Cross the finish line.
It’s winner-take-all. If your team wins, you get all the proceeds donated to your favorite charity.

There will also be a 50/50 raffle going on. Tickets are $1, and purchasers get to cast a vote for their favorite team. The raffle proceeds will be split between the charity of the favorite team and the winning team’s charity. If you’re confused, don’t worry about it — all proceeds go to good causes! So… who will survive Men in Spikes?? Tune in for the action at Smith Plaza tomorrow!

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑