Pottstown Police Get 3 Years of 3% Raises in Pact

Borough Council saved the news for last last night.

After leaving immediately to a closed-door executive session after the meeting began, the vote and details of a new three-year contract with the Pottstown Police Officers Association were not addressed until the end of the meeting.

As you have no doubt already read in the print version of The Mercury, council unanimously approved a new three-year contract for police that provides raises of 3.25 percent the first year; 3.5

percent the second and 3.5 percent in the third.

The police contract cycle is now the same as the non-uniformed union cycle and all borough employees are in the same health plan -- there were once something like seven plans.

In other news, council also agreed to assist with plans to put a welcome to Pottstown sign in the empty lot at King and Manatawny streets across from The Ice House, as well as art panels along the King Street bridge and light pole banners downtown.

Borough Manager Mark Flanders said work on replacing the King Street bridge will likely not get underway until the summer of 2018 and council voted to apply for a Montco 2040 grant to install a pedestrian crossing across King Street at the entrance to Memorial Park and the Carousel at Pottstown on the other side.

Council also agreed to sell 629 Walnut St. to Habitat for Humanity to be refurbished and sold to a first-time homebuyer.

And Phillies Fire Company Vice President Miles Feather said about a dozen people turned out for the first Fire Academy event. The next one will be on Feb. 26 and will focus on ladder operations.

While you're waiting, you can read the Tweets.

Pottstown-a-Palooza

Photo by John Strickler

If you couldn't find something to hold your interest in Pottstown Saturday, then you just weren't
trying.

From the May Fair at Pottsgrove Manor, to the Pow Wow at Memorial Park; from the Community Health Fair at Ricketts, to the Re-dedication of Rupert; to the car show and the scholarship award at the car show.

When Pottstown leaders unveiled the creation of a tourism and recreation district last October, this is the kind of thing they were talking about.

Cultural and entertainment events that draw people into Pottstown, introduce them to what we have, and convince them to come back.

You didn't need to be a rocket scientist Saturday as I sat inside the Ice House to notice that it was overflowing with customers who seemed to have walked over from the Pow Wow across the Manatawny.

While walking down High Street during the car show, I saw diners in Juan Carlos and the Milkman Cupcake folks out on the sidewalk vaunting their wares.

(Here's the compilation video from the May Fair)



Certainly, ticket-holders for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" at the Steel River Playhouse could not have helped but notice that High Street was packed with both people and classic cars.

All of this and the Carousel was not even open, and the Colebrookdale Railroad not even running.

Photo by Dominick Armato

From left, Judy Zahora, Matt Moyer, John Armato, Jeff Sparagana

at the Rupert re-dedication Saturday.

Imagine what kind of crowds (customers, future residents) the town might have hosted if those attractions had been running as well.

Perhaps some of them might even have gotten lost, and had a look at what was going on at Rupert and said, "hey, that looks like a pretty active school."

They might even have done a little research and found out that when it comes to school profile scores among urban districts in Pennsylvania, that Pottstown ranks second in the state.

If we want people to return to Pottstown, people who want to build lives, spend money and appreciate the town for its assets, we have to get them here, and show off those assets.

As you will see in the Tweets below, links to the videos are included, but with the exception of the YouTube video, which can be watched right here, the Touts bring you to a new page, so, as I'm sure you noticed above, I have embedded some videos so you don't have to leave the page.



And here is the video shot by Michilea Patterson at the Community Health Fair at the Ricketts Center, which also looked like a lot of fun.


And, as always, here are the ever-present Tweets, including some from the ever-present John Armato.