Council May Allow Carousel to Run Mini-Golf Course

The news not yet reported to come out of last night's council meeting came, as is so often the case, from something not on the night's agenda.

After unanimously approving three re-developments and one major plan for the development of Keystone Boulevard which I'm quite sure you all read in Sunday's Mercury ..... right? .... the surprise was sprung.

Borough Manager Justin Keller brought up a new item and said he had just Friday been made aware of a vote by the board of directors of the Carousel at Pottstown.

They have agreed to the borough's terms for having the carousel take over the operation of the adjacent Manatawny Green Mini Golf.

Located on the High Street side of the parcel adjacent to the Carousel at Pottstown, Manatawny Green was first opened in 2014 and although it has lost money every year, "we were satisfied with the growth," said Parks and Recreation Director Michael Lenhart.

Satisfied, that is, until last year.

With one of the wettest summers on record, Manatawny Green had an operating loss of $26,000 in 2018, said Keller.

Much of that is due to the $42,000 in seasonal staffing costs. All of those hired for the season are eligible for unemployment benefits when the season ends, "and it can get quite expensive," he said.

Manatawny Green on it's first day of operation in 2014.

Lenhart said "when things are really humming," it takes three employees to run the mini-golf facility, one at the concession stand, one at the ticket window and one to police the course, pick-up trash and be available for breaks for the other two.

In 2018, Manatawny Green brought in $29,878," said Keller, $23,000 from golf and another $7,000 or so from concessions.

Under the three-year lease agreement council unanimously authorized Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. to draft, the Carousel would pay the borough $3,500 each year to lease the space.

The borough would still remain responsible for cutting the grass, plowing the snow and paying utilities.

Board members take the first ride on the Derek Scott Saylor
Memorial Carousel in 2016.

Both the Carousel and Manatawny Green are on a set of parcels along Manatawny Creek and between King and High streets once occupied by an industrial use, the former Pottstown Metal Weld, which had closed by the time it was purchased.

The property was obtained through the support of Montgomery County's Open Space Program, the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, and the PECO Green Region Program.

Two years after Manatawny Green opened in 2014, it was the Carousel at Pottstown's turn.

It opened in 2016 just in time for Christmas after 16 years of effort. Since then it has covered its costs and operated in the black.

The solid wood animals on the carousel were carved by Disney

carousel carver Ed Roth and painted and finished by volunteers.

Lenhart said although the carousel group and borough have always cooperated, having one entity oversee the whole site will make coordination easier and let the carousel consolidate ticket operations for both facilities.

Rides on the carousel are only $2, and it makes most of its money from hosting events.

The most recent was a "Noon Years Eve" for kids on Dec. 29, which raised money for a planned Pottstown Children's Discovery Center.

Last year, members of the carousel board told council they hope to add a catering kitchen to the facility in 2019, making it more attractive for events like weddings and parties.

Control of the concession stand at the mini-golf may eliminate the need to build a separate snack bar at the carousel facility.

Located across King Street from Memorial Park and just over a block from Riverfront Park and the Schuylkill River Trail, the site is also near to Pottsgrove Manor, the ancestral site of Pottstown

Concept design for the Pottstown station 

for the Colebrookdale Railroad in memorial Park.

founder John Potts, as well the Secret Valley Line, the tourist line of the Colebrookdale Railroad between Memorial Park and Boyertown.

Plans call for the construction of a Victorian period rail station in Memorial Park.

Taken together, the carousel, mini-golf, railroad, Pottsgrove Manor, Trilogy Park BMX track, River of Revolutions interpreative center in Riverfront Park and art galleries in the Montgomery County Community College comprise Pottstown's TRec district, which stands for tourism and recreation.

The concept was created with an aim toward attracting financing by demonstrating the cooperation between the government and non-profit entities and applying jointly.

Both Manatawny Green and the Schuylkill Greenway sites also provide free bicycles through the Bike Pottstown program. One is also planned for the colebrookdal Railroad station.

Most of the other matters at last night's meeting were routine.

Here are the Tweets.

Carousel May Take Over Mini-Golf

2019 Starts With Swath of Re-Development Plans

Three redevelopment projects received a favorable reaction from borough council Wednesday night with all three seemingly on track for final approval Monday.

The first and the one in the biggest rush were the representatives of Catalyst Commercial Development in Conshohocken.

Dollar General at Former Subway

They were before council with a plan to re-develop the property at 1432 E. High St., which many may know as the site of the former Subway restaurant.

Photos by Evan Brandt
Aaron Repucci, left, of Catalyst Commercial Development,
shows council a rendering of the upgraded High Street site.

Catalyst representative Aaron Repucci told council the plan is to demolish the portion of the building that once held the Subway to create more parking and create space for a Dollar General store.

The re-development will also allow for expansion of both King Pizza and the popular Three Brothers Grill Mexican restaurant there.

The developers were asking for council to waive the land development process, arguing that they are actually creating more parking and open space, as well as repairing and extending the facade to hide the utilities visible on the roof of the building.

Also, said Repucci, Dollar General is anxious to move in soon. "they want this lease signed yesterday, and they want to be in by August," he said, adding that any delay may cause them to lose the tenant, whose tenancy makes the project financially feasible.

Despite the fact that the borough engineer's review letter had only been received that evening, council seemed inclined to try to accommodate the project, particularly given that some of the elements sought by the planning commission, such as some brick and faux iron fencing similar to that along the Wawa and McDonald's, was added to the plan.

Burger King

Another re-development project calls for the addition of a play area and better driv-thru circulation at the Burger King at 1515 E. High St., which will result in the loss of 15 parking places.

Borough Manager Justin Keller told council the restaurant's business is changing and more of its customers want to get their food at the drive-thru so the proposed changes will allow the addition of a second drive-thru kiosk.

Council raised no objects to this plan and will vote on it at Monday night's meeting.

Creative Health

Over on the other side of town, Creative Health returned with its final plans for a "long-term structured residence" at 71 Robinson St.

Creative Health CEO Andrew Trentacoste, right, outlines
plans for the new structured residence facility.

This plan calls for renovating the former Palladino Roofing building into offices and six rooms with two beds each and construct a 1,600-foot cottage with two rooms, each with two beds, for patients of Creative Health.

The rooms will be used to prepare patients to be transitioned back into the community and is similar to the facility that Creative Health already operates at 11 Robinson Street, said Andrew Trentacoste, Creative Health CEO.

Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. said although not required to, Creative Health has made a sizable contribution to a fund to pay for a new traffic signal in that part of town when it becomes necessary.

The planning commission has recommended preliminary/final site plan approval on which council will vote Monday night.

Expanding Business and More Plans

Peggy Lee-Clark, executive director of Pottstown Area Industrial Development, better known as PAID, also announced that the Robinson Street/Shoemaker Road area of town is about to become the home of a borough business that is expanding.

A business called Turn 5 is doubling its work force and, from 3 to 8 p.m. today is accepting applications for new part-time and full-time positions.

One potential development for the Keystone Boulevard area
near the intersection with Route 100 in the borough.

Starting pay is between $14 to $16 per hour, she said.

Lee-Clark is also shepherding the plan for the re-development of Keystone Boulevard, the strip of land between West High Street and the Schuylkill River, toiward approval by both the borough and West Pottsgrove township

First outlined in May, the Keystone Employment and Economic Plan for the area is now ready for adoption and calls for industrial, research and development, office and residential elements.

Monday night, council will vote on the plan which calls for specific pre-approved development.

The Mayor Looks Back at 2018

Before we move on to the Tweets of the meeting, take a few minutes to hear and watch Mayor Stephanie Henrick give a retrospective of the past year during her Mayor's Report last night.



And here are the Tweets:

2019 Starts with Redevelopments

Pottstown Council Caps 2018 Tax Hike at 18.61 %

Pottsgrove School District Business Manager once told that school board that "no one remembers a zero tax hike the next year."

That piece of wisdom may now become relevant to Pottstown Borough Council which, in past years, has passed zero tax hikes by raiding its reserves and now finds itself facing a double digit tax hike of 18.61 percent.

In fact, without scheduling any further budget meetings, council last night adopted a preliminary budget at a "not to exceed" tax hike of 18.61 percent for 2018.

"I can't believe we sat up here and passed a budget not to exceed 18 percent. I'm shocked, just cannot believe it," said Councilman Dennis Arms. He and Council Vice President Sheryl Miller cast the only no votes.

As Councilman Ryan Procsal, reelected last week without any opposition, pointed out, all the vote means was that next year's property taxes would not rise above that increase. "I don't see what the big deal is," he said.

If enacted without change, the "big deal" would be an annual increase of more than $163 on a home assessed at $80,000, the borough median,

"These are real people and it's their money, savings and retirement we're impacting," said Arms, who added that his mother can no longer afford to pay the taxes in town. "We are going to drive more people out of this town."

Several cost-cutting suggestions were floated Monday night, including reducing the number of fire companies to two; out-sourcing the codes department and cutting administration where Vice President Sheryl Miller insisted the borough is "top-heavy. We have assistants to assistants to assistants."

And, in fact, Finance Director Janice Lee confirmed part of the $170 increase in the public works department in the budget draft is due to a new "assistant public works director."

As Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. explained, there are certain deadlines council must meet in terms of public availability of a draft budget and council's action last night means no action need be taken until the next meeting in December.

Although budget meetings later in December can be scheduled -- "it's been done before" -- said Weand, there was no mention of any additional meetings being scheduled in either November or December.

"We have a month. We're not finished yet," said Weand who began the budget discussion by characterizing the many assessment challenges the borough has endured this year as "somewhat of a tragedy" and being "outside of our control."

In other business, council also rejected a request from Creative Health to endorse a pitch to convert a vacant warehouse on Robinson Street, adjacent to their facility, into housing for patients being displaced by the closing of Norristown State Hospital.

Here are the Tweets.