$1Million Up for Grabs in Montco Grant Program

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Montgomery County.

Applications are now open for a $1 million grant program aimed at furthering the goals outlined in Montgomery County's comprehensive plan and there is a March 1 deadline to apply..

The Montgomery County Commissioners approved $1 million for the second cycle of the Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program. The program is intended to assist municipalities in making targeted physical improvements that achieve real progress toward the goals of the County’s comprehensive plan, Montco 2040: A Shared Vision.

This year, for example, Pottstown intends to apply for funding to pay for a pedestrian crossing on King Street, linking the Carousel at Pottstown and Manatawny Green mini-golf with Memorial Park and the

Colebrookdale Railroad, furthering several county goals including making communities more walkable and promoting tourism and recreation as an economic driver.

“This grant program provides the opportunity for municipalities to advance and build projects, such as parks, sidewalks, public art projects, and green infrastructure, which improve our communities and raise Montgomery County’s quality of life,” said Jody L. Holton, AICP, Executive Director of the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

The program will be administered similarly to 2016, with another $1 million available on a competitive grant basis for municipalities and their partners, but with one important change in 2017.

Applications will no longer be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis. A deadline of March 1, 2017 is the important date to submit applications for projects that are ready to go for round one of funding.

There will also be a second round opportunity to apply by July 1, 2017, but that round will be dependent on funding still remaining after the first round.

The program, initiated in 2016 with annual allocations expected over the next five years, successfully awarded 14 projects totaling $1.24 million in 2016, with the final two projects awarded at a recent Board of Commissioners meeting.

The first was a $42,500 grant to the Upper Perkiomen Region headed by East Greenville to implement a wayfinding and identity program that will install 65 signs across the region.

The second was a $200,000 grant to Lower Merion Township supporting Phase 2 of a multimillion dollar roadway and streetscape project that will improve pedestrian and vehicular travel across a 1.4-mile stretch of the busy corridor separating Montgomery County and Philadelphia.

“The program focuses on supporting local projects that make Montgomery County a great place to live,

Val Arkoosh, chairperson of Montgomery County Commissioners

work, and raise a family,” said Val Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “These projects specifically further the goals of Montco 2040 and its themes of Connected Communities, Sustainable Places, and Vibrant Economy.”

While the program is open to a wide array of projects fitting within the comprehensive plan, there are specific focus categories announced each year that highlight recent County planning initiatives.

In 2017, these focus categories will correspond to Walk Montco and Bike Montco (trails, paths, sidewalk connections, and bike facilities), Support of Downtowns and Community Destinations, and Revitalization of Office and Business Parks.

Visit www.montcopa.org/Montco2040GrantProgram for program details, a brochure that provides information on eligible projects, complete guidelines for the 2017 cycle along with application forms and instructions, and to view the 2016 grant recipients.

For more information on the Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program, please contact Scott France Scott France, AICP, Section Chief of County Planning, at 610-278- 3747 or via emailsfrance@montcopa.org.

A New Police Chaplain, a New Obstacle for Fecera's

Wednesday night's borough council meeting was only about an hour long, but boy, they sure covered a lot of ground.

Among the first orders of business was the appointment of the Rev. Bishop Everett Debnam as the official chaplain for the Pottstown Police Department.

Here's the video of the swearing in.



As those of us who know him well might expect, you won't be surprised to learn, Bishop Debnam had a few words to say after his appointment.

We captured those as well:


The council also got a somewhat lengthy presentation from the Montgomery County Planning Commission regarding its sparkly new county-wide comprehensive plan.

Then we discovered collectively that although the folks working to re-develop the former Fecera's building on Beech Street have been working over-time to try to establish more off-street parking to address concerns of council the community, it still won't be enough.

Despite doubling the off-street parking provided for the project, the new zoning regulations adopted by council, now require even more.

As a result, the folks from Genesis Housing and Housing Visions will have to go to the zoning hearing board -- again -- for a variance.

And, having fought hard to get council's support for the tax credit that makes the project's finances work, they may now have to fight to convince council not to send a letter to the zoning hearing board opposing their application.

Councilman Dan Weand, whose ward extends down to the corner of Beech and Evans streets, said he wants council to oppose the application. Council President Stephen Toroney, who wavered in his support for the project initially, said the die has been cast and the project should be allowed to move forward without any more opposition.

We'll see what happens Monday.

Also, Pottstown School Board member Ron Williams told council that the school board will oppose any zoning variance sought by the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities to expand its office operation into the 1887 mansion that borders its facility on North Franklin Street.

In the meantime, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Back to the Future (Planning)

Last night was the first of the final four public input sessions being conducted by the Montgomery County Planning Commission on the draft of the new comprehensive plan, titled, as you can see above, "Montco 2040: A Shared Vision."

Below are the Tweets issued from the meeting by yours truly.

If Tweets aren't your thing, here is a link to the story that appears in today's Mercury and on-line at pottsmerc.com

And, if you're really, really into comprehensive plans, click on this link where I have uploaded the plan and annotated it with notes about interesting parts of the plan that pertain particularly to Pottstown and the surrounding area