Odd Fellows Donates $10,000 to Library Youth Dept.

Submitted Photo

From left, Arthur Weiler, Chairman, Oddfellows Board of Trustees; Holly Chang, Executive Director of the Pottstown Regional Public Library; Pete Uhniat, Treasurer, Oddfellows, Board of Trustees; Lisa Kraljevich, the youth services coordinator; Mindy Lipsky, youth services staff.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library announced it has received a $10,000 grant from the Home for Orphans of Odd Fellows of Pennsylvania for the Library’s Children’s Department.

The grant will be used to improve and expand technology programs for children, including adding virtual reality technology. Libraries across the country are adding virtual reality devices to improve the technology already in place for children for story-telling and educational programs.

Digital literacy and experience with technology tools have become as important to young people as traditional books and reading. 

A goal of the Pottstown Regional Public Library is to ensure that all children in our area have equal access to these new tools. According to Lisa Kraljevich, youth services coordinator, “it is critical that kids in our area do not fall behind their peers in digital literacy experience.” 

She noted that grants such as from Odd Fellows are a welcome and necessary contribution to make this happen, in addition to the daily fundraising and appeals that the library conducts directly to individuals and businesses.

The library emphasizes story-telling to teach communication, whether to one person or to a group. It improves a child’s creative thinking, develops language skills, and helps to organize thought. Cameras and animation software allow children to take on the roles of writer, director, costume designer, art director, and animator as they produce their own film to tell their story.

Other modern tools already available to borrow from the Pottstown Library are Launchpad tablets and Wonderbooks, which the grant will help to expand. 

The Playaway Launchpads are durable touchscreen tablets pre-loaded with educational apps for patrons aged 3 to 10 years of age. They are designed for little hands to pass around, with no need for WiFi or downloads. 

Wonderbooks, which are audio books ready to play at the touch of a button, are now replacing CD audio books. Children can read along with the book, or switch to learning mode for more fun.

These tools may look like toys, but they are a powerful pathway to literacy and reading. Kraljevich said she is “proud to select them with the same professionalism and expertise we use for our entire library collection.”

The Pottstown Regional Public Library serves the Borough of Pottstown and the Townships of Lower Pottsgrove, Upper Pottsgrove, and West Pottsgrove. The Library,  located at 500 E. High Street in Pottstown is in a building that is more than 100 years old, and was originally built as the U.S. Post Office.

The library’s continued existence in the community is based on contributions both large and small, private and public. The library is dependent on funding and support from our area municipalities, the state, grants, and donations from residents and businesses. lhe Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The library provides books and e-books and other digital material, videos, WiFi sessions, public computers, assistance with on-line job applications, reference questions, passport services, copying, faxes, and more.

More than 12,000 residents hold library cards, and in 2018 there were 128,000 visits to the library from patrons in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties.

Odd Fellowship is one of the oldest fraternities in the world. This non-political and non-sectarian order was founded on the basis of universal brotherhood. The order stresses the importance of the principles of Friendship, Love and Truth. Odd Fellowship aims to impress upon its members a real sense of their need, as well as an obligation to impress upon its members a sense of obligation to others. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a worldwide organization with more than 600,000 members in over 10,000 local lodges.

The Home for Orphans of Odd Fellows of Pennsylvania is an independent non-profit corporation composed of members who are Odd Fellows. The original Orphanage was incorporated in 1884 to provide care and education of children. The present mission of the home is to continue the legacy of the orphanage by promoting children's literacy and care programs in underserved communities.

Pottstown Library CHAIR-ity Event is Underway

Canine reader Annie in the window of the William F. Brogley law firm on South Charlotte Street in Pottstown with chairs from last year's auction painted by Gwen Marie Parrish, and sponsored by the team of Kaylee Fellenbaum & Gloria Romano, and Sammi Scheiderman, and sponsored by Art Green, Daylor, Allebach, Scheffly & Picardi Attorneys-at-Law, and Judi and Clay Ryce. They books they evoke, from left, are “Helen Keller: Books in Braille”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, and “The Outsiders.”

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library's Second Annual CHAIR-ity auction is now in the works.

The plain wooden chairs are painted and decorated by local artists to evoke favorite books and then auctioned off as a library fundraiser.

This chair “Secret Garden” was painted
by Arline C. Christ, and sponsored
by Thomas L Zeigler, PE

The library is now recruiting sponsors for twenty chairs, at $100 each. 

The chairs this year are full-sized chairs donated by The Hill School, and little-people chairs from a Pennsylvania elementary school. 

Three chairs from 2019's auction can be seen in the window of the William J Brogley Law Firm, 18 S. Charlotte St in Pottstown, where Annie, the voracious reading dog, tries to lure passersby to the window to have a look.

Brogley, a member of the Pottstown Regional Public Library’s Board of Directors, said he loves to display and use these works of art by area artists.

Another chair from the 2019 fundraiser can be seen on the Mezzanine level of the library.

It was purchased by Elliott Menkowitz with the $500 Buy-it-Now option, and then in turn offered to the library as repurposed functional artwork.

Individuals and businesses interested in sponsoring a chair for the artists to paint should contact the Library at 610 970 6551, text Deb Penrod at 215 840 9943, or stop by the library.

Chairs will be available for viewing and bidding starting April 1, with winning bids announced on May 2 at a reception at the Library.

Chang Promoted to Pottstown Library Director

Holly Chang

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

The Board of Directors at the Pottstown Regional Public Library has appointed Holly Chang as the new Executive Director at the Library, effective December 23.

Chang’s appointment follows a short period when Holly served as “Co-interim Director” with Lisa Kraljevich, Youth Services Director, following the resignation of the former Executive Director, Michelle Kehoe.

Chang has been employed at the library for most of the last 20 years, most recently as the circulation manager.

She is a native of Pottstown, a graduate of Pottstown High School, and a graduate of Clarion University, where she is also currently enrolled in graduate studies.

Chang is well-known and recognized by many in the Pottstown area for her presence at the circulation desk, as well as her work as manager of the library’s passport acceptance facility, reference librarian, computer instructor, notary of the public, and coordinator for community service and adult volunteers.

Her goals for the Pottstown Library include “maintaining the high level of service to Pottstown area residents and businesses, as well as informing the community of the wide variety of services available.” “Fundraising and outreach are my two biggest challenges,” Change said.

“The transition to Holly will ensure that the details of managing our budget, our 100-year old building, and our collection will be in good hands," said Board President Chris Delp. "Holly will also manage Pottstown Library into the future of libraries.”

Former Executive Director, Michelle Kehoe departed the Library just weeks ago to take on a new opportunity as Director of “MCLINC”, the Montgomery County Library and Information Network Consortium.

MCLINC provides the infrastructure and services for all 16 libraries in Montgomery County. As a member of MCLINC, Pottstown Regional Public Library is pleased to benefit from Michelle’s expertise and familiarity with Pottstown's Library.

Author Bill Haley Jr. at Pottstown Library Nov. 8 to Discuss His New Biography of His Famous Father

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

Bill Haley, Jr., well-known local businessman, publisher, musician, and now author, will appear at the Pottstown Regional Public Library on Friday, Nov. 8, from 2 to 4 p.m., to discuss his new book. 

The book, "Crazy Man, Crazy: The Bill Haley Story," is a biography of his father, Bill Haley, and his band, the Comets.

Bill Haley and the Comets were a breakthrough group who introduced the biggest change in mainstream music up until that time. 

In 1953, the song “Crazy Man, Crazy” became the first rock ‘n’ roll song to be in the Billboard Top 20, followed by “Rock Around the Clock” at number one. The music of Bill Haley and the Comets has been a constant in American culture ever since, even if Bill Haley, Senior himself had but a fast-burning, short-lived presence in all of it.

Bill Jr. tells the history of a time in American music, set against the dysfunction and tragedy his father created for his family. The family stories and background are as interesting as the music, even after all these many years. 

The book, written by Bill Jr. with noted biographer Peter Benjaminson, has been celebrated as the first complete biography to tell the story of the first star of rock ‘n’ roll.

You know the melodies and basslines, you know the words, you probably even know the dance steps.

Bill Haley Jr. with his guitar

Come to the Library to hear stories about all of it, compiled by Bill Jr. from years of research and interviews.

When Bill Jr. isn’t involved in music performances or music history, he runs his business publication, The Route 422 Business Advisor, which is a monthly news and issues magazine focusing on the growing business community along the Route 422 and Route 100 corridors in Montgomery, Chester, and Berks counties in Southeastern PA.

This publication, established in 1995, features business profiles, company news, expert columns and targeted information for business owners, operators, and key decision makers who live and work in and around the region surrounding Pottstown, PA. 

The publication, which offers advertising opportunities, is available at www.422BizMag.com.

RSVPs are appreciated for the author-program and book-signing on November 8th, but not necessary. There is no charge to attend. Bill will have copies of his book available for purchase and signing.

The Library is located at 500 E. High St., Pottstown, at the corner of E. High and Washington streets.

Celtic Music Concert to Benefit Pottstown Library

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

Charlie Zahm returns for the sixth year to perform at the Pottstown Regional Public Library on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.

Charlie provides a popular and relaxing evening Celtic Concert of great songs from Scotland, Ireland, and the sea. Join us for an evening of beautiful Celtic songs and stories.

Tickets are $20 all proceeds benefit the library. Pottstown Regional Public Library is located at 500 E. High Street, Pottstown.

Stop in or call (610-970-6551) to reserve your tickets. Tickets are also available at the door.

Charlie is one of the most popular soloists at Celtic music festivals, Maritime, and American Traditional music events anywhere east of the Mississippi. 

With a baritone voice some have described as "coming along once in a generation,"; which explains his tremendous successful performances on the Celtic festival circuit, Charlie weaves magical moments of Scottish and Irish history for the listener and viewer, with passion for the performance and a chosen repertoire pleasing to all members of the family. 

A master of the guitar as well, Charlie brings an authentic love and respect for the music he sings and with dashes of humor and a light in his eyes, he will draw you into the stories of his songs.

ABOUT THE LIBRARY

The Pottstown Regional Public Library serves a broad population in the Pottstown Region, with patrons from Pottstown Borough, and the Townships of West Pottsgrove, Upper Pottsgrove, and Lower Pottsgrove, and surrounding areas.

The Library provides

Passport processing                                                                        Computer training

Computer usage on-site                                                                Adult and Children’s programming

Book clubs                                                                                           Toastmasters

Museum passes                                                                                DDV/Blu Ray

STEM kit                                                                                               “Play-Away” launch kits

Audio Books                                                                                       Used book store

Fax services                                                                                        Photocopying

Notary service                                                                                   Job-search computers

Free wifi                                                                                               Remote printing

Remote access to e-books & e-magazines                             Remote access to Hoopla & Libbey

Rokus and Hot spots for rental                                                   Local newspapers

Quiet location for tutoring & studying                                     Meeting space for small groups

The Library relies on support from a number of sources, including municipall contributions, grants, fees from services, donations from individuals and businesses, and tickets sales for events.

Here Are All the Artistic Chairs for Library Auction

Pottstown Regional Library Wants Your CHAIR-ity

The chair at left has done a yoeman's job, giving readers at the Pottstown Library a place to sit for decades. Now, as shown at
right, this chair and dozens like it are entering a new stage of life, as works of art.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library

Save the date, Saturday, May 4, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for the Pottstown Regional Public Library’s CHAIR-ity reception.

Twenty classic wooden library chairs are being recycled during
the month of March into works of arts by artists from all around the Pottstown area.

Chairs will be available April 1 through May 4, during regular Library hours, for viewing and silent-bidding. Bids for the finished masterpieces will be accepted until the closing reception on May 4, at which time the highest bidder will be announced.

The theme assigned for the artwork is a specific book, an author, a literary genre, or other reading-related subject, at the choice of the artists. Creativity of the submissions is expected to extend to children’s books, adult mysteries, non-fiction, classics, and everything in between.

The Artists range from amateurs to professional, young to old, and students to teachers. Student artists are represented from schools in the Pottstown and Pottsgrove School Districts; participating art organizations include ArtFusion 19464, the Pottstown Area Artists Guild, Pottstown Community Arts, as well as professional art studios.

Join us at the reception on May 4 to honor the sponsors and artists; final silent-bids will continue to be accepted during the reception which should create some fun competition between final bidders. 

Tickets for the May 4 reception will be available for family, friends, Library patrons, and the public for $10 each at the Library, or by a check payable to PrPL, 500 E. High Street, Pottstown PA 19464. Window-shopping that evening is ok, too, if you don’t need a chair.

Generations of readers have many happy memories during the long 55-years the chairs were in use at the library; the chairs will now be recycled and made available for loving new homes with booklovers.

Library Book Tree is Unique Holiday Fundraiser

The Book Tree

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library book tree is a new holiday tradition which honors the place books hold in the history of the holidays.

The tree is created entirely from out-of-date books that were destined for the recycling bin.

For a donation in the amount you choose, (minimum $10), the library will place your name or family name on the spine of a book for the 2018 holiday season.

One hundred percent of your donation will be used at Pottstown Library to enhance the collection of books.

Dedications are available Nov. 20-Dec. 22.

Stop into the library for a Holiday Tree Donation Form or call 610-970-6551 or email mkehoe@mclinc.org to receive a form.

Celtic Concert Tonight to Benefit Pottstown Library

Charlie Zahm, also known as the Celtic Balladeer, will perform the Jacobite Risings in song and story tonight, Saturday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at the Pottstown Regional Public Library at 500 E. High St. in Pottstown.

Refreshments will be served.

Tickets are $20 and all proceeds benefit the library. 

Stop in or call (610-970-6551) to reserve your tickets.

Library Hosting Bridges Out of Poverty Program

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library 

The Pottstown Regional Public Library will host Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities on March 20, 2018 at 6pm.  

The Cluster’s Program Bridges Out of Poverty will provide community leaders and residents with training to enable a better understanding for individuals living in economic poverty.  

The program features discussion about Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting-by World, a mentored program for building a better life.   

Refreshments will be served. 

To sign-up contact Ryli Meyer, Pottstown Cluster at 610-970-5995 or Michelle Kehoe, Pottstown Library at 610-970-6551. 

Pollock Park Pollution Clean-Up Must Come First

Photos by Evan Brandt

Once the contamination is removed from Pollock Park, the borough will try to get funding to implement this master plan for a new park.

Updating and improving Pollock Park has become complicated after an environmental study of the two-acre site found heavy metal and other chemical contamination beneath the soil.

Nevertheless, having a master plan in place will help attract funding to pay for the park once the clean-up has occurred.

The clean-up will take at least 14 to 16 months from now according to Joseph Kraycik, a consulting geoscienctist with Environmental Standards, the Valley Forge-based firm that discovered the contamination.

Parks and Recreation Director Michael Lenhart addresses
environmental concerns during the Pollock Park meeting.

Funding for the clean-up could come from a variety of sources, said Michael Lenhart, Pottstown's director of parks and recreation. In fact, he said, he has already gathered the paperwork for the first grant application to the federal government.

Because the park is now considered a "brownfield," a name for former industrial sites that have contamination, it may actually be easier to attract funding to pay for the park, once the clean-up is done, said Lenhart.

And they're going to need it.

Because now that the park will be taken down to soil, all the trees,m pavement and vegetation removed, the estimated price has jumped from $300,000 to $600,000.

Residents also posed questions and expressed concern about the clean-up, whether they would be exposed and whether any previous exposure might have caused long-term health problems.

There were no immediate answers.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting.

Pottstown Public Library Announces New Director

Michelle Kehoe, right is the new executive director of the Pottstown Regional Public Library. She is pictured here with Lisa Kraljevich, the library's youth director since March.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library. 

The Pottstown Regional Public Library Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Michelle Kehoe has been appointed as the new Executive Director, effective Nov. 8.

Michelle’s background includes an impressive list of experience as Township Manager at Union Township; Library Director at Wernersville Public Library in Wernersville and Library Manager and Children’s Library Coordinator at Boone Area Library in Birdsboro.

Michelle received a BA in History and Art History from Lycoming College, certification as a Library Technical Director from Northhampton Community College, and a MS in Library Science from Clarion University.

Michelle is notable for her ability to bring together the many stakeholders in a modern library, including elected officials; state, county and municipal offices; donors; patrons; media; and foundations or other sources of grants.

Michelle has been on the staff at the Library since April 2012; she has had time to become fully engaged in the adult, teen and children’s programs, and stated, “That’s how I knew I loved the Pottstown region, and why I wanted to lead the organization”.

The retiring Executive Director, Susan Davis, who has been with the Library since 2012 said, “I am thrilled to be able to leave the Library in Michelle’s care, who I know will be able to take it well into the future.”

Please join the Board of Directors in congratulating Michelle on her new position. Stop in at the library to meet Michelle, and to see the extensive renovations completed, including new carpeting installed this month in the Youth Department.

Pottstown Library Needs Region's Support

The Pottstown Regional Public Library has begun its end of year appeal for funds.

You can donate online by clicking right here.

The library gets public funding, at varying levels, from the borough and the three surrounding townships of Lower Pottsgrove, Upper Pottsgrove and West Pottsgrove.

Cutting the ribbon on the interior renovations.

(It also gets many users from North Coventry, who make no tax contribution but find it more convenient than the library in Ludwig's Corner of Phoenixville, the nearest Chester County libraries).

It also gets funding from the state, funding that has not been increased in years, but is under constant threat of being decreased.

Nevertheless, through grants, fundraising events and donations, the library just last December completed a $755,000 renovation to the interior of the historic building that was once Pottstown's Post Office.

As board member Arthur Green recently reported to borough council, the library is now making use of a Schuylkill Highlands mini-grant to design improvements to the exterior, with an eye toward stormwater control and keeping it out of the building's basement.

The full "wish list" would cost about $235,000, Green said, adding that the landscape advisers broke the project up into smaller segments that could be completed sequentially as money became available.

More than 1,200 people attended the library's 

solar eclipse program last month.

"So obviously, the library and the community are going to have to raise some money," said Green.

If you, by chance, think libraries are obsolete in the age of Internet wisdom, consider that the solar eclipse program last month at the library was its largest event ever, with more than 1,200 people, who made eclipse T-shirts and received 450 free eclipse glasses.

You might say it "eclipsed" all previous events .... sorry, couldn't resist.

If that's not enough evidence for you that more people than you think use the library, consider this information contained in the latest appeal letter:

Who are the people coming to the Pottstown Regional Public Library?A preschooler attending story time

Pottstown Schools students use the library regularly.

• A preschooler attending story time.
• A family checking out a museum pass for an educational and fun day
• An adult using a quiet area to prepare for a professional examination
• Two sisters researching their family in the newspaper archives
• A legally blind patron browsing audiobooks with the assistance of a staff member
• A student checking out a WiFi HotSpot for school projects

These people, and many more like them, are using the Pottstown Regional Public Library for educational, recreational, social, financial, and professional reasons. 

With your library card you have access to a wealth of materials and resources, both in the Library and through the Library website. Since 1921, the Pottstown Regional Public Library has existed to meet the needs of our community. This goal is not possible without your support.

Ryan Costello

Pottstown Regional Public Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Financial support from patrons, businesses, and foundations is essential. The library would welcome a donation to the 2017 year-end campaign, which will provide much-needed support for services and programs.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library is even a place where you can make contact with your Congressman. On the first and third Thursday of every month, either U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6th Dist., or someone from his office holds office hours at the library from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

If you need more information about what the library offers, check this out:

Available at Pottstown Regional Public Library:

• A collection of 70,000 books, magazines, audiobooks, music, movies and kits
• Plus access to library collections in Montgomery County and across PA

  

  The entire basement of the library is devoted to children.

• Classes and workshops for children, teens and adults
• Public computers, WiFi, fax, copy and print services
• Passes for Elmwood Zoo, Morris Arboretum, Reading Public Museum, and Boyertown Museum of
• Historic Vehicles
• Ancestry.com - genealogical research
• Foundation Directory - research grant opportunities for non-profits
• T-Mobile Hotspots and ROKUs to loan
• Passport services

Your Virtual Library 24/7:

The library often hosts Science in the Summer.

• Online library catalog for searching, reserving, and renewing library materials
• Overdrive - e-books
• Zinio - digital magazines
• Mango - language learning
• Brainfuse - homework help and test preparation
• JobNow - resume and job search services
• Freegal - downloadable and streaming music and streaming video
• Reference USA - address and phone number directory
• Tumblebooks - animated read-along children’s books
• Universal Class - instructor led online classes with course completion certificates

Hours of Operation:

• Monday through Wednesday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Library Painting Party Gets You Eclipse Glasses

As anyone who has tried to buy the special glasses needed to safely watch the upcoming solar eclipse on Aug. 21 knows, they are not easy to find.

But fear not, your friendly Pottstown Regional Public Library is coming to the rescue.

Just bring a dark short to the library tomorrow between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and use library-provided supplies to participate in a community art project and make your own "galaxy shirt" and you'll get a pair of glasses.

Pottstown Library to Host Presentation on Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles

Blogger's Note: The following wa sprovided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

Autumn Shaner, Curatorial Assistant, Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, will give a presentation about the museum and its exhibits in the balcony meeting room of the Pottstown Regional Public Library on Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m.

The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles houses dozens of automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles that were manufactured right here in Pennsylvania while the industry was still in its infancy. 

The mission of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles is to collect and preserve vehicles built in Pennsylvania. 

Contained in the collection are examples of motorized, horse-drawn, and man-powered road transportation — from wagons and trucks to bicycles and cars. 

Many of the manufacturers’names may be unfamiliar, but all were made right in our own backyards here in Pennsylvania. 

In addition to dozens of road vehicles, the Boyertown Museum also counts related literature and memorabilia amongst its collections.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library partners with the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles to offer free passes to the Museum. The pass is good for free admission of one adult and up to three children

Summer Reading Program to Build a Better World

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

Pottstown Regional Public Library is ready for Summer Reading 2017, inspired by the theme of “Build a Better World”.

The Summer Reading Kick-Off Party is scheduled for June 13 at 6 p.m.

 The library and its community partners will be having a building workshop, a planting table, recycled crafts, games, door prizes and snacks to celebrate the beginning of summer.

During the summer, free family programs are scheduled at the library on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. and Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Registration is not required to attend. A full schedule of events for all ages is available on the library website and printed fliers are available in the library.

It's easy to be a part of the Summer Reading Program! Starting June 12, children ages 0-18 may pick up an activity log in the children’s department at the library. There are three different participation levels to choose from:

• Pre-Readers - children who cannot yet read on their own
• Elementary Readers - children who are in elementary school 
• Teen Readers - children who are in Middle or High School. 

The children's section is in the library basement.

As participants mark their progress on the activity log they earn prizes for their efforts. All children who complete and return their entire activity log before Aug. 19 will be entered into grand prize drawings.

Traditionally, summer reading programs are designed to encourage children to keep reading during summer vacation. Preventing the “summer slide” continues to be the main objective of summer reading programs. Students can lose two months of reading achievement in the summer. For many families the public library is the only community space available during the summer months where they can access free educational and cultural enrichment activities and programs.

The benefits of summer reading programming for children:

• Children are motivated to read.
• Children develop positive attitudes about reading, books, and the library.
• Children maintain their reading skills during summer vacation.
• Children have access to experiences that further their sense of discovery.
• Children have access to experiences through which they can learn to work cooperatively.

Summer is a great time to build and create and have fun with friends! Your local library is the perfect place to help your imagination take off! Join us this summer for books, movies, music, activities and fun… And together we can build a better world.

A Place to Park on Pottstown's South Side

Pollock Park is located between South Street and Cross Street on Pottstown's south side.

More trees or fewer trees?

Keep the soccer field, the tennis courts and the basket ball court? Or get rid of them?

Lights?

A Gazebo?

These are the kinds of questions posed, answered and asked again Monday night during the first attempt at getting input on a concept plan for Pollock Park.

Your faithful blogger arrived 45 minutes late, as you no doubt realized, having read yesterday's post indicating I began the evening in Gilbertsville for a very short Douglass (Mont.) Supervisors meeting.

So forgive me if this report is less-than-complete.

The two-acre park is wedged in between South and Cross streets and is a neighborhood staple, if a little under-used.

In an attempt to change that, and with help from a grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Simone Collins landscape architects met with a group of more than 20 people in the new community meeting room of the Pottstown Regional Public Library Monday night to get their thoughts.

There were a lot of them.

Many said they wanted to find ways to make the park safer, as well as more useful to the neighborhood. They worried about vandalism, but some said they didn't want lights.

Peter Simone, who heads up the landscape architecture firm, said in some parks they have installed motion sensor lights to cut down on vandalism.

There was also discussion of some sort of public art project and Assistant Borough Manager Justin Keller said the borough is currently working on an ordinance to make it easier to paint murals in the borough.

By the time the meeting was over, about 8:30 p.m., the idea board was packed with post-its and Simone said they would use those ideas to put together a draft plan to bring back to the residents.

That will occur on March 21, time and place to be announced.

In the meantime, here are the Tweets.

Pollock Park Planning Meeting Set for Feb. 6

Pollock Park is located in the 800 block of Cross Street on Pottstown's south side.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottstown Borough.

The Borough of Pottstown will host a public meeting to gather input for the Pollock Park Master Plan on Monday Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. 

The meeting will take place at the Pottstown Regional Public Library on 500 E High St. 

The presentation will include an existing conditions analysis of the park site and a brainstorming session. 

The Borough encourages all interested persons to attend this meeting. 

“We are open to a whole range of ideas for Pollock Park,” said Mike Lenhart, Director of Parks and Recreation. “We want to make this park a resource for the entire community.”

Based on public input, a draft plan will be created and presented to the public on March 21, for additional comment. 

Pollock Park is located at 847 Cross Street in the sixth ward of Pottstown. 

The plan is being prepared by the Borough with the assistance of Simone Collins Landscape Architecture of Norristown. 

Funding for the plan is partially provided by a grant administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. 

If you plan on attending, RSVP to Kourtney High, Borough Grants Administrator at (KHigh@pottstown.org) 

If you forget to RSVP please attend the meeting anyway!

Pottstown Library Gears Up for Grand Re-Opening

Access to the front of the library was improved under the renovation project.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Regional Public Library.

Just in time for the holiday season, the greater Pottstown area is receiving a gift of a renovated library.

To celebrate the renovation, a ribbon cutting ceremony will occur on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m.

A public open house will be held on Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the library will return to full public access on Monday, Dec. 5.

This renovation was made possible by a $300,000 matching grant from The Keystone Recreation Park, and Conservation Fund.

Portions of this project were funded by Pottstown Health and Wellness Foundation, the Arcadia Foundation and private donations.

In January 2015 the Borough of Pottstown was awarded a $300,000 matching grant through the Keystone Fund to complete the following renovations at the Pottstown Regional Public Library:

The project provides:

1. Redesigned and repaired front entrance to address accessibility issues and resolve water issues and structural deterioration.
2. Reconfiguration of existing space for better management of programs, increased accessibility, and improved services to the children, families, adults, and disabled in our community

   

   Much of the library's interior was gutted.

3. Upgrading of library engineering systems (lighting, electric, cabling, phone, security) to meet current standards and provide a safe environment for staff and patrons.

The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund was established by an act of the General Assembly in 1993. The Department of Education, through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Bureau of Library Development, administers the public library portion of this program which is funded from a portion of the realty transfer tax.

A competitive grant application process is used to award matching facilities grants to municipalities that sponsor state-aided public libraries. To be eligible, the sponsoring municipality and the board of the state-aided library must jointly submit an application developed cooperatively by both entities and signed by their governing bodies. The Keystone grant requires a dollar-for-dollar match.

The completion of this project will have the following impacts on the library and the community that it serves:

• Improved access, both outside and inside the building
• Improved energy efficiency and the cost savings that result
• Expanded, multipurpose, attractive and comfortable public spaces.
• Improved customer service.
• Improved safety for patrons and staff.
• Improved security of the buildings and grounds.

The Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit receiving public funds from Pennsylvania, Pottstown, Lower Pottsgrove Township, Upper Pottsgrove Township and West Pottsgrove Township.

he Pottstown Regional Public Library serves a population of 43,625 from four municipalities in Montgomery County. A sizeable number of patrons are from Berks and Chester Counties.

The building houses a collection of more than 70,000 cataloged items.

In 2015 the library offered 748 programs with an attendance of over 20,000. The library offers many online resources including homework help, online job search resources, e-books, e-magazines, streaming music, and is a Funding Information Network Partner of the Foundation Center of New York.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library owns and occupies a former post office built in 1915 and converted to a library in 1961.

It consists of a main floor, mezzanine, basement and upper floor, each roughly 6,000 square feet in size.

The upper floor has not been used since the post office occupied the building.

In the early 1980s a set of major renovations made the basement level public space, replaced the south facing windows, added a wheelchair ramp, added an external stair tower, and replaced the existing elevator.

To celebrate the renewal, the Library will offer new services and programs starting in December 2016 including ROKU streaming devices and wireless hotspots for loan.

Library Announces Winter Reading Program

The Pottstown Regional Public Library has announced its free winter reading program for families and children.

Here are a few highlights:

• Dec. 1-19 families may sign up to read 20 minutes for 20 days and receive a prize.
• Dec. 1-19 Kindness Quest: Write down three acts of kindness performed and receive a prize.
• Dec. 3 from 10-2 the library has invited the public to celebrate the completion of our renovation with crafts, tours, Dogs are Readers Too, and more.
• December-January Kids Helping Kids: The youth department is collecting new clothing and diapers for children in need.