Pottstown Thanks Three for 100 Years of Service

Photos by Evan Brandt

From left, Mayor Stephanie Henrick, Detective David Mull, Officer Gregory Fritz, Police Chief Mick Markovich after recognizing the two retiring officers for a combined 60 years of service to the Pottstown Police Department.

Kathie Mintto, center, is congratulated by Pottstown Borough 

Council President Dan Weand, left, and borough Manager

Justin Keller, right, on her retirement after 40 years.

Two days after welcoming some new faces, borough hall said goodbye to some very familiar ones.

Two police officers, David Mull and Greg Fritz, both retired after 30 years of service each to the department.

Also bidding borough hall farewell was Kathie Minotto, who has held a number of posts in the borough offices for 40 years.

Mull served for more than eight years as the School Resource Officer in Pottstown Middle and High School and in 2012 was selected by his fellow officers as the Officer of the Year.

Fritz was recognized last month with a lifesaving award for his successful efforts to save a baby during birth in September.

Speaking of life-saving, Fire Chief Frank Hand reported to council Wednesday night that not only did the borough's emergency medical services have 353 calls in December, in all of 2019, they responded to 3,959 calls. "That means our emergency services were on the street an average of 13 times a day," Hand said.

On the fire side, the department has 86 calls in December with two fires totaling $125,000 in damages. In all of 2019, the department had 1,069 calls and 12 major fires totaling $580,000 in damage, said Hand.

In other matters, Borough Manager Justin Keller said on Tuesday, five parking kiosks were installed along High Street which will allow people to pay for parking without downloading the smartphone Parkmobile app the borough initiated in May.

The app will still work, but the kiosks will allow those without to pay for parking without getting a ticket.

The kiosks can be used for any spot or parking lot on High Street because "we're now identifying vehicles with their license plate numbers," Keller said.

He also reported that an improved pedestrian crossing will be installed in King Street to make it easier for folks to cross between Memorial Park, and the new Colebrookdale Railroad station there, and the Carousel at Pottstown and Manatawny Green mini-golf.

Also of interest is a plan to make it easier for developers and property owners to get through the borough processes by having the planning commission and historic architecture review board meet on the same night and, when possible, share members.

Not only would it make it easier on applicants, it would also save the borough money by not having to pay professionals to be at two different meetings on two different nights, Keller said.

And now, because Twitter Publish seems to no longer want to embed its own product, click here to read the Tweets from the meeting.