Tag: Economic Development

Heritage Action Plan needs your input!

Last Friday, about 20 individuals and representatives from many different organizations in the community gathered at the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce for a 3.5 hour workshop to really dig into Pottstown’s Heritage Action Plan. Pottstown is creating a Heritage Action Plan or HAP with funds from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area (SRHA). The purpose is to come up with a plan that will help promote and protect Pottstown’s heritage resources, make it a destination location and promote economic development.

On hand were Bob Folwell and Kara Wilson from the SRHA, as well as heritage planning consultants Shane and Peter Johnston from Peter Johnston Associates of Easton, MD. They were there to give an overview of the heritage planning toolkit, which they developed and which is being used to guide Pottstown through the process.

Our first step had been reaching out and trying to find “partners” to participate. A partner can be just about anyone, from an interested citizen to the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, The Hill School, the Pottstown Community Land Trust, or local blogger Roy Keeler. I have gotten back partnership forms from several participants. To anyone else who would like to be an official partner: please get me your forms by this Friday, March 11! The Partnership_Form can be accessed here for anyone reading this for the first time.

After forming useful partnerships, the next step from the toolkit is creating a vision and goals. On Friday, we went around the room and people shared their vision for what the town could look like and feel like in an ideal world, while consultant Shane Johnston typed away. We came up with some common themes, which will be posted here shortly. We will also open up that conversation to the public for more input.

The next major step from the toolkit is to identify and assess a community’s heritage resources. Before we can market Pottstown, we need to catalogue exactly what resources we have and then decide which ones will provide the most immediate, visible return if we spend money to promote them. When this HAP is completed in April, we will apply for $25,000 to the SRHA to implement those top priorities over the course of the next year.

In an effort to bring the wider community into the conversation, we are putting out a request for help in identifying Pottstown’s “heritage resources.” Readers are welcome to respond here or at our Facebook page: Pottstown Heritage Action Plan.

So, what exactly is a “heritage resource”?

Here are a bunch of categories and some examples to get you thinking:

Historic Sites/Structures
– Downtown historic walking tours
– Potts Cemetery
– Edgewood Cemetery
– Various war memorials

Archeological Sites/Structures

Cultural Sites (Churches, Synagogues, etc.)
– Any historic church in town

Educational Institutions and Libraries
– Pottstown Historical Society
– Pottstown Regional Public Library

Museums & Other Interpretive Centers

Arts, Entertainment, and Shopping Areas

Major Highways and Roads

Trails, Greenways, Bikeways, Railroads

Sensitive Environmental Areas, Natural Wonders

Parks and Recreation Areas
– Riverfront Park
– Memorial Park

Tourism Dependent Businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars)

Special Events/Festivals that highlight local history/culture
– Schuylkill River Festival
– Carousel of Flavor
– July 4th
– Volleyball Rumble

Tourist Facilities (public restrooms, parking)

Other Resources

WE NEED YOU TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION
What are some of Pottstown’s resources that you’d like to see on the list? As people respond, I’ll periodically update the list. Because of our short time frame to complete the plan, it would be great if people could get their suggestions in by this Friday, March 11th. If you have any questions, or would like to be involved further, send an email to PtownHAP@gmail.com Thanks for participating!

Big Turnout for Farmers’ Market Happy Hour

Farmers' Market, High & Charlotte
This past Friday night we had an awesome turnout of about 75 people for the Happy Hour at the Farmers’ Market. The new owners, Ben Moscia and Elise LeBoutillier, were our gracious hosts. They’ve already done a lot of work to spruce up the Market and will be putting things in motion over the coming weeks and months to do even more work on the building and the exterior and get new tenants in. Please, please support their efforts and the businesses that are already there by BUYING LOCAL.

Sheila and Gene Dugan of Grumpy’s provided a really nice spread, including scrumptious chocolate cake and carrot cake by Company Cakes at 26 N. Charlotte Street.

We heard inspirational words and updates from Mayor Heath, Superintendent Dr. Reed Lindley, Borough Manager Jason Bobst and WPAZ station manager Ross Landy.

Mayor Heath

There were a lot of new faces at this event, and I hope we can keep bringing people together to make connections and forge partnerships that will create a better Pottstown.

The next Happy Hour will be on Friday, March 18 from 5-7:30 pm at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center at 245 E. High Street. Tri-PAC will be putting on The Crucible that night, and I encourage you to purchase your ticket to the show in advance, then come out to the Happy Hour for a good time before the show. My BUY LOCAL pitch includes supporting the local arts scene! I’ll get the invite out on Monday, but anyone can rsvp for the next Happy Hour by sending an email to positivelypottstown@gmail.com. Hope to see you downtown!





Pottstown’s Annual FamilyFest on March 17

Pottstown’s Annual FamilyFest will take place on Thursday March 17, 2011 from  5 – 7 p.m. at Pottstown High School. The theme for this year is “Participate in Your Community: Pottstown Families Play, Work, & Serve Together.”
Families accompany their elementary age children to this event, which is sponsored by the Pottstown Family Center, Pottstown Parks & Recreation & PEAK – Pottstown School District.

All kinds of community organizations and agencies each have a table with information and a child-friendly activity, so that families can walk around and learn more about what’s available while the kids are engaged for a few minutes. Last year more than 500 people attended. At $15/table, this is very good exposure for any organization or business.

This year’s theme of “Participate in Your Community: Pottstown Families Play, Work, & Serve Together” expands the focus to encourage Pottstown residents to learn more about an organization or activity that interests them and find out how to get involved. There are many ways that even young children can be involved with their parents, whether it’s cleaning up a park in the spring or attending a First Saturday event downtown.

This theme of “participation” goes hand-in-hand with the idea of “buying local.” Area businesses are invited to have a table in the “Buy Local Zone” to let the community know what they offer and what they’re all about.

I’ll be there at a Positively!Pottstown table to talk up Pottstown’s arts, restaurants, historical walking tours, recreational opportunities, Heritage Action Planning process, and the monthly happy hours. I’ll also be glad to point people to other resources in the community, like the new Community Land Trust & the Community Garden project. Kids will be able to work on puzzles of local buildings while the adults chat.

Puzzlers at "Open Doors," 9/11/10

Forms can be downloaded below if you would like to have a table at FamilyFest or purchase an ad for the booklet. There’s also a list of ideas for kid-friendly activities. The registration deadline is Friday, March 4, 2011. I especially encourage local businesses to get a table so people can learn exactly where you are, what you do, and how they can support you.

Fam Fest-letter invite _2011
Family Fest Booth Info sheet _2011
FamilyFest Financial Support_2011
FamilyFest Ideas_2011

Any questions? Contact:
Jenn Brown, M.Ed.
Director, Pottstown Family Center
Family Services of Montgomery County
1976 E. High St.
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610)326-1610 X247
(610)326-3104 fax

Marketing Pottstown as a Trail Town: We need you!

On February 9, I first blogged about the Heritage Action Planning process getting underway in Pottstown with a grant from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area. As a consultant working with Pottstown resident Tom Carroll on implementing the grant for the Borough, I also sent out emails & a questionnaire to a list of potential “Partners” in the process.

The overall intent of creating a Heritage Action Plan (HAP) is to improve the connections between the Trail and downtown Pottstown and to identify and leverage existing arts, cultural, historical and recreational resources to spur economic activity.

Based on a few recent conversations, I’d like to give a pared down explanation of what this process is all about and why it needs strong participation from arts & cultural organizations, educational institutions, government, businesses and restaurants – all of whom are known as “Partners.”

1. When we finish the Heritage Acton Plan or HAP by the end of April, we’re going to immediately turn around and apply for $25,000 from the SRHA to enact the plan by May 2012. This isn’t going to be just another planning study that sits on a shelf; we’re going to get something done.

2. The HAP will include marketing strategies, branding, and physical enhancements to make people aware of what’s downtown.

3. We want to create a Trail Town identity for Pottstown. More and more it’s looking like High Street will become a permanent leg on the Schuylkill River Trail. As the Trail connections are completed between Philly and Pottsville, more and more people are going to be coming through Pottstown. We want them to know that they can stop in Pottstown and find something to do and something to eat. (Pottstown needs to simultaneously look at its zoning and create a package of economic development incentives for new & existing businesses downtown, too, but that’s not part of the HAP process.)

4. Visitors coming off the Trail might not be in a position to go to a nice restaurant or the Tri-PAC that day. But once we get them downtown, we want them to know EVERYTHING that’s available so they want to come back again to experience something else.

5. One of the main outcomes of this plan will likely be VISIBLE & ATTRACTIVE KIOSKS at the Riverfront Park Trailhead, at a possible new trailhead in Pollock Park in south Pottstown, and in the downtown. The trailhead kiosks will make it clear how to get to High Street. All of them will have maps and show what’s available downtown by categories like: The Arts, Historical Attractions, Casual Dining, Fine Dining, Recreation.

6. These kiosks will essentially be “telling a story” that informs and entices EVERYONE to walk around, enjoy local history & architecture, see an art show or the performing arts, and stop in at a restaurant. The marketing of Pottstown as a Trail Town is meant to touch a wider audience of visitors, not just Trail users.

7. The Schuylkill River Heritage Area wants to help the towns along the river use the Trail as an economic engine. This Heritage Action Planning process is the first step.

Anyone interested in being a Partner is invited to meet other Partners and participate in a workshop with the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s consultants, Peter Johnston & Associates, on Friday, March 4 from 1:30-5 p.m. at the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce, 152 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. Please RSVP to Sue Repko at PtownHAP@gmail.com or 609-658-9043.

Heritage destination location: Pottstown

The Borough of Pottstown recently received a $2,000 Trail Towns and Tours Grant from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area (SRHA). Pottstown resident and biking and greenway advocate, Tom Carroll, and I have been retained by the Borough to implement this grant, and this blog post is meant to kick off that process and give some details about how it will work. Along the way, we’ll keep the community informed via this blog. For a good summary of the purpose of the grants, see Evan Brandt’s article from January 29th here.

The Trail Towns and Tours Grant is to be used to create a 30-page Heritage Action Plan (HAP) by the end of April 2011. It’s a deliberately short time frame in order to get results and for the SRHA to meet the William Penn Foundation’s time limits for spending the funds.

The overall intent of creating the HAP and going through a planning and consensus-building process (however quick) is to identify and leverage existing cultural resources, market Pottstown as a heritage destination, and get Schuylkill River Trail users (and other visitors) into the downtown to spur economic activity. Just as important will be the chance to develop and formalize solid working partnerships among individuals, organizations and businesses committed to promoting downtown Pottstown. This is what we’ve all been talking about for quite a while, and this grant gives the community a chance to try it out – working together and presenting a new image to potential visitors, outside governmental agencies and funders, as well as residents themselves.

It should be noted that heritage tourism IS economic development, but that it should be considered just one prong of a multi-pronged economic development strategy for Pottstown. There is still plenty of room to develop and promote Pottstown as an arts community, or one that values and hosts sustainable technology companies, or whatever other approach comes out of other visioning/planning efforts.

So, what is a heritage or cultural resource? I’ll just give a few examples: the River and its trail; historical architecture, markers & walking tours in the downtown; arts organizations; restaurants, including “heritage eateries,” such as The Very Best and the diner; the Historical Society; The Hill School; Pottsgrove Manor; Riverfront & Memorial Parks; a completed Carousel & mini-golf, etc. Visitors want an authentic experience when they decide on a destination and how to spend their money. Pottstown has loads to offer and the point of this grant is to identify and package it all in a way that will appeal to these visitors.

Another key part of this planning process will be looking at what needs to be done to make it very easy for people biking or hiking on the Trail to know what’s available in town and then actually direct them off the trail and safely to High Street. This whole approach is based on the idea of making the Pottstown Business Loop – a stretch of High Street – an official part of the River Trail, since it’s unlikely a right-of-way along the river will be available from Norfolk Southern anytime soon.

We’ll be helped along in this process by using what’s known as the Heritage Towns and Tours Toolkit, provided by the SRHA and created by their consultants, Peter Johnston & Associates of Easton, MD. From a planning perspective, this Toolkit is just amazing, allowing communities (& consultants, I might add) to dive in where they might otherwise be totally intimidated. The Toolkit lays out a step-by-step process to create a HAP with the rationale, forms and examples that make it seem do-able. Even better is that the SRHA grant comes with $5,000 worth of consulting services from Peter Johnston & Associates. They will be in Pottstown at least once for a 3-4 hour workshop to help us work our way through the Toolkit. We’ll also have support from the SRHA staff, who are right around the corner at 140 College Drive.

Basically, we will go through the following 5 steps:

1. Organize & Plan – What do we want for our community as a heritage destination? Form Useful Partnerships; Create a Vision & Goals, and Define Partner Expectations.

2. Identify & Assess – What do we have to offer as a heritage destination? Identify Heritage Resources; Assess Heritage Resources; and Bring People and Ideas Together.

3. Market & Improve – What do we need to market our community and what has already been done? Create an Image; Market Your Community; Improve Effectiveness.

4. Protect & Manage – How do we get there? Build Public Support, Look at Ordinances & Other Regulations, Make Any Recommendations That Will Help Protect Resources.

5. Prepare & Implement – How to complete the Heritage Action Plan?
Define Projects and Activities, Assign Costs, Manage Resources Over Long-Term

By the end of this process, Pottstown will have:
• A List of Partners and Stakeholders
• A Vision, Goals, and Objectives
• A Summary of Stakeholders and Assigned Jobs, Tasks, and Other Duties for Partners
• An Inventory of Heritage Resources, which have been Evaluated and Assessed for the Heritage Program
• A Marketing Plan Summary including an Image/Brand
• A Listing of Current Government Protections for Heritage Preservation and Tourism
• A Summary of Needed Policy and Regulatory Protections for Heritage Resources
• A Project List, Description of Projects, and Budgets
• A Final List of Recommendations or Strategic Actions including projects; and
• An Organizational Structure for the Long-Term Management and Oversight of the Heritage Program

The HAP will then be used to make another application to the SRHA for $25,000 in implementation funding to carry out the top priorities in the Plan. Those activities must be completed by May 2012.

The next step for Tom and me is to get in touch with folks from an initial list of local “Partners,” inviting them to participate in the process and start filling out a Partnership Form from the Toolkit. Please give me a day or so to get that email out. We invite others who want to participate to get in touch with us at PtownHAP@gmail.com.

Obviously, I think there’s a lot of potential here to get some solid forward movement on the economic development front. I appreciate the Borough giving Tom and me the chance to work on the project and rally the community around common goals – an improved local economy, stronger partnerships and more positive exposure and marketing of all that Pottstown has to offer.

Public input wanted on District’s Task Force on Facilities

Note: Sorry to be kind of quiet lately. I’ve been “snowed under” with school work. Should be coming up for air again in a couple of days! SR

Last spring School Board President Rick Huss announced the formation of the Board President’s Task Force on Facilities and appointed James Bush to lead the effort. The mission of the Task Force is to visit, collect data and analyze all of the Pottstown School District’s facilities, including the Annex and Administration Building, without preconceptions, in order to make informed, educationally-sound and fiscally-responsible recommendations to the School Board about the future of the elementary schools.

So far, the Task Force has visited all the elementary schools. Last Monday night (Jan. 24th) I had the opportunity to tour the high school and learn more about the Task Force and how they’re approaching their mission.

First, the Task Force itself is a large and diverse group. Second, they’ve got very big binders filled with details and reports about the capacity, weaknesses and costs of each building in the district. I regret not having made it to any of the elementary schools, but all of the agendas, meeting summaries and some reports are available here on the District’s website. Third, I learned that Pottstown has a really amazing high school. The building is light, clean and modern, having been updated and expanded in 2001. Its diverse programming prepares students along the whole educational continuum with life skills, technical and academic training that will get them to the next level that’s appropriate for them.

One really interesting aspect of the high school’s physical plant is that Pottstown Community TV uses 4,800 square feet of space there and pays $1,000/month to the School District to do so. PCTV is owned and operated by the Borough through a contract with Mark Pollock. The lease arrangement is a pretty sweet deal compared to the going rates for commercial/ retail space on High Street or in the region. While this local programming is certainly a benefit to Pottstown and the larger region that it reaches, PCTV’s activities are completely separate from the high school’s operations. From what we were told on the tour, PCTV does not benefit any students, involve any students, or have anything to do with the educational mission of the District. On the one hand, regardless of where PCTV is located, at this time it is a taxpayer-subsidized operation, whose current contract was a sticking point in Borough Council’s recent budget talks. One might ask, “Does it really matter if it’s coming from Borough taxes or School taxes?” On the other hand, now is the time to re-think its location in a school, where the educational mandate is clear and every option for cost savings must be considered.

It was stated at the meeting that the District currently uses a total of 12,534 square feet for administration. I would expect that the possible availability of 4,800 square feet for administration or the re-configuring of students/classrooms would be on the table in discussions this spring.

The President’s Task Force on Facilities meetings are open to anyone and allow for public comment and questions. The next one is on February 7th at the Middle School. I urge everyone to get out to the meetings that will continue through the spring and to get up to speed on what has already been reviewed, so that there will be a critical mass of informed citizens ready to take part in the discussions that are on the horizon. No less than the quality education of Pottstown’s youth and the financial future of the town are at stake.~

Feb. 2, 2011. Please note this comment and clarification received from Superintendent Dr. Reed Lindley:

“Seems that the statment “involves no students, not connected to the educational mission,” is somewhat of an overstatement. PCTV recently received a grant from the Health and Wellness Foundation to work collaboratively with the High School in the development of a live AM “cooking show.” While the details are still being finalized, this project is directly connected to the educational mission, and would involve students from more than one academic/career program at the High School.”

Literary dreaming

Okay, I’m here amid the snow-covered Green Mountains, hanging with my writing buddies at the end of  a long day of readings and workshop, and I get to spinning out part of my dream scenario for Pottstown’s revitalization. This particular version includes a writing center in Pottstown, where my buddies and other writers – maybe they’ve published books, maybe not yet – can stay in a gorgeously renovated Victorian bed/breakfast writers’ retreat for 1-4 weeks, for a modest weekly fee. Writers are always on the lookout for a reasonably-priced retreat, where they can get some work done. (Maybe we’d entice them with a tour of The Hill School, where Tobias Wolff spent some time, or maybe a trip to Shillington, home of John Updike.) We might even be able to get some writers to visit a class in the schools, do a program at the library, or give a reading at night. Some of my people here like the sound of all this. And, you never know — if we built a solid network of authors who had already been to Pottstown, the next step might be to invite them all back, along with others, and begin hosting an annual literary arts festival. Wouldn’t that just turn the world’s perception of Pottstown on its head? Would make a really good story, too…

SCORE scholarship deadline: Dec. 28

There’s still time to fill out the quick-and-easy application form to be considered for a scholarship to the upcoming Small Business Workshop Series taught by the local chapter of SCORE.

SCORE is run by volunteers who have had successful careers in business; they pass their experience and knowledge on to entrepreneurs in workshops and through individual counseling sessions. Positively!Pottstown is offering two scholarships to Pottstown-based businesses for the next series, which begins on Jan. 10th at the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce at 152 E. High Street. The 4-workshops and business plan manual offered by SCORE have a $100 value.

For more info, click here.

The application can be downloaded below.

SCORE Scholarship Application (pdf)

SCORE Scholarship Application (Word doc)

You can either email it to positivelypottstown@gmail.com by midnight tomorrow, Dec. 28 or get it in the mail so that it’s postmarked by Dec. 28th. Mail it to Positively Pottstown Blog, P.O. Box 1509, Pottstown, PA 19464.

(I was originally going to announce the winners on the blog, but in the interest of discretion, winners will only be announced if they specifically agree!)

SCORE Scholarships Available

POSITIVELY!POTTSTOWN
SCORE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
January 10, 17, 24 and 31, 2011

Positively!Pottstown, a community blog dedicated to promoting Pottstown, is offering two $100 scholarships for an upcoming Small Business Workshop Series taught by members of Pottstown SCORE. Positively Pottstown scholarships are available to anyone who is already running a business in Pottstown or who is planning to open a business in Pottstown.

SCORE is the Service Corps of Retired Executives, a nonprofit association sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Association. Course instructors are experienced practitioners who teach practical, real-life skills and strategies for those interested in starting a business or learning how to run their business better. By attending a SCORE workshop, entrepreneurs will also be introduced to a network of supportive professionals who want to see you succeed.

The next workshop series will be held on January 10, 17, 24 and 31, 2011. Registration begins at 6:45 pm for all workshops, which then run from 7-9:30 pm. The course includes a manual on preparing a business plan.

January 10 – Sources of Information, and the Tax and Legal Implications of the Different Legal Structures
January 17 – The Business Plan and The Business Loan
January 24 – Sources of Market Information and Marketing
January 31 – It’s All About Profit

For more detail, visit SCORE’s website at http://www.pottstownscore.org. Please note: The January workshops will be held at the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce Conference Center, 152 E. High Street, Suite 360, Pottstown, PA 19464.

To be considered for a scholarship, please cut-and-paste and fill out the application below in Word or an email. On a separate page, write a few paragraphs about your current business or your business plans; include some information about your past business/work experience. You do not need to submit a résumé.

Please mail or e-mail the application and your written statement by December 28, 2010 (e-mail & postmark deadline) to one of the addresses below. Winners will be contacted and announced here on January 3, 2011. Visit www. PositivelyPtown.com. Questions? Call 609-658-9043.

Sue Repko
c/o Positively Pottstown Blog
P.O. Box 1509
Pottstown, PA 19464
OR
positivelypottstown@gmail.com

POSITIVELY!POTTSTOWN
a community blog at http://www.PositivelyPtown.com

 

 

POSITIVELY!POTTSTOWN

SCORE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

January 10, 17, 24 and 31, 2011

Positively!Pottstown $100 scholarships for SCORE workshops are available to anyone who is running a business in Pottstown or planning to open a business in Pottstown.

Please type or print clearly:

Name:___________________________       Phone:_____________________

Address:__________________________       Mobile: ____________________

City:_____________________________       E-mail: _____________________

State: ________________ Zip:________        Website: ____________________

Business Name:____________________     Phone:______________________

Address:__________________________       Mobile: _____________________

City:_____________________________       E-mail: _____________________

State: ________________ Zip:_______           Website: ____________________

The following information must accompany the application:

□ Write 2-3 paragraphs about your current business or your business plans; include some

information about your past business/work experience. You do NOT need to submit a

résumé.

□ Is your business or proposed business located in the Borough of Pottstown?

Circle one: Yes   No

□ Would you be willing to be quoted in future press releases about SCORE workshops or the

Positively!Pottstown scholarship? Please note: This is NOT required to receive the

scholarship. Circle one: Yes   No

□ I certify that the information provided in this application is true & complete.

Signature________________________  Date ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________

Send to:

Positively Pottstown Blog

P.O. Box 1509

Pottstown, PA 19464

Or

PositivelyPottstown@gmail.com

Must be postmarked or received via e-mail by: December 28, 2010

(Scholarships are non-transferable. Recipients will receive a certificate good for the

January 2011 Small Business Workshop Series, including manual.)

 

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