Building, Tearing Down Bridges in W. Pottsgrove

Photo by Evan Brandt

West Pottsgrove Township Manager Craig Lloyd, right, explains to township commissioners Charles Valentine, left, and Pete LaRosa, center, how the Grosstown Road interchange on Route 422 will be changed during the eight months it is closed for construction.

As is so often the case, Wednesday night's West Pottsgrove township Commissioners' meeting was short.

But it was not over too soon to allow West Pottsgrove Police Chief Matt Stofflet a chance to provide a sweet summer tale.

Tuesday night for about two hours, volunteer township police officers drive around West Pottsgrove to give away free water ice.

"It was so much fun and so many people came out to talk," said Stofflet.

Photo from West Pottsgrove Police Facebook page
West Pottsgrove Police officers delivered free water ice
to the community Tuesday

"We had people from age 6 to people aged 60," he said.

It's the second year the department has connected with the community in this way, and it was even more successful than last year.

"We only got to about half the township, because so many people came out," Stofflet said.

He asked for, and quickly received, permission from the township commissioners to do it again in August to visit the half of the town police did not get to Tuesday.

The truck comes from a vendor named Kona, out of Oaks not only was the water ice donated, so too was the officers' time, who undertook the task unpaid.

"We had a couple of people ask us if we were pulling over the water ice truck to give him a ticket," Stofflet said with a chuckle. "But it's a way to bridge the gap with the community, part of our community outreach," Stofflet said.

Speaking of bridges, the Old Reading Pike bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks has been removed, Craig reported.

But if you thought driving on Old Reading Pike is going to get any easier any time soon, think again.

Township Manager Craig Lloyd said starting today (Thursday) the road will be closed for several months near the Pottstown water treatment plant while PennDOT replaces a structurally deficient bridge that crosses an unnamed stream there.

"So you won't be able to get into Berks County on Old Reading Pike for a couple of months," he said.

And without further ado, here are the Tweets from the meeting.

Water Ice and Road Closures