Marable St.? Fire Services? Residential Tax Breaks?

Photo by Evan Brandt

Photo of a Photo: Mercury Photographer Kevin Hoffman arranges borough council and staff for the photo that will be buried in the new time capsule to be opened in 50 years and buried about where the officials are standing.

Wednesday was a long one as borough council meetings go.

Starting at 6:30 p.m. with two conditional use hearings and now winding up until 9:30.

There were lots of things discussed, but the major ones in no particular order were:

• What to do about expiring fire services agreements; 
• Whether a cell tower should be allowed at the wastewater treatment plant; 
• Whether to re-name Cross Street for Newstell Marable;
• Whether to renew the lease with Fly-Elite to operate Pottstown airport;
• Whether to move forward with a new LERTA district;
• Whether to finance new emergency radios from the county and own them or allow fire companies to buy them from the borough;
• And a few others.

You can read all about them in the Tweets below and in upcoming stories in The Mercury, your local newspaper for more than 75 years.

Welcome to Pottstown Senator

Photo by John Armato

State Sen. Robert Mensch, left, meets with Steel River Playhouse director Marta Kiesling and PAID director Steve Bamford during his recent tour of Pottstown.

The new 24th State Senatorial District will soon include Pottstown.

When Pennsylvania's long-delayed legislative re-districting finally falls into place in the beginning of

the year, Pottstown will not only have a new, additional representative in the House of Representatives, but a new state senator as well.

The boundaries of the 44th District, currently represented by John Rafferty, will shift south and the 24th senatorial district, will slide south to encompass Pottstown, as well as West Pottsgrove and Upper Pottsgrove.

The 24th district seat is currently held by Republican Robert Mensch.

Photo by John Armato

Mensch tours the Sly Fox Brewery

In an effort to get out in front of the change, Pottstown officials last week invited Mensch for a day-long visit to the borough to help him re-familiarize himself with town and to be sure Pottstown's issues are front and center.

Schools Superintendent Jeff Sparagana spear-headed the effort and reported on the results to the school board Monday night.

It began with a walking tour of the downtown area.

"To start, we visited VideoRay, ArtFusion, Steel River Playhouse and Weitzenkorn's, which Senator Mensch remembers because his father used to work at OxyChem and that's where he bought his suits," Sparagana said.

The group included Borough Manager Mark Flanders, PAID Executive Director Steve Bamford,

Photo by John Armato

Mensch meets with ArtFusion 19464 director 

Erika Hornburg-Cooper.

TriCounty Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Eileen Dautrich, Hill School Headmaster Zach Lehman, PMMC CEO Sharif Omar, PDIDA Executive Director Sheila Dugan and Myra Forrest, executive director of the Foundation for Pottstown Education.

From downtown, the group boarded a trolley and visited the Pottstown campus of Montgomery County Community College, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area headquarters, The Hill School campus and the community gardens on Chestnut Street.

From there, the group went to Pottstown High School where the culinary arts class prepared lunch

Photo by John Armato

Mensch meets with Weitzenkorn's proprietor Marc Weitzenkorn.

and, in the process, "really went above and beyond," Sparagana said.

Afterwards, Sparagana said the group visited Pottstown Municipal Airport and the Sly Fox Brewery on the Circle of Progress.

"Senator Mensch told us he never expected to have the type of day he had and he was pleased and impressed by all the collaboration he saw taking place in Pottstown," Sparagana said.

"It was a good opportunity to demonstrate what happens here as this community comes together as one," Sparagana said.

Pottstown, the Economic Development Winner

Representatives from Chamber Member Companies with Significant Anniversaries from left to right: Jeff Graber and Lauren Graef, Graber Letterin’ Sign Co.; Adele Klein and Ashley Hoke, Klein Transportation; Susan Keddie, Visiting Nurse Association; Megan Bauer, Coventry Corners; Stephen Longacre, The Longacre Co.; Julie Keilman, Greater Reading Economic Partnership

Blogger's Note: The information below was provided by the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce. However, before we go to that, a comment from interim borough manager Mark Flanders.

Wednesday night Flanders told borough council that "for the first time in the many, many years that I have been going to the chamber's economic development luncheon, the winners of all three economic development awards went to Pottstown businesses."

He added, "it does show things are moving forward. We hear a lot of negative about Pottstown, but there is a lot of positive going on here and people need to pay attention to that as well."

Now on to the chamber's release:

 TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Members gathered at Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown for the Chamber’s Annual Economic Development Luncheon on Nov. 1.

The keynote speakers for this event were from the office of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Susann Morrison, an executive assistant for unemployment compensation programs and Gwenn Dando, policy director for unemployment compensation, worker compensation, and workforce development gave their perspective along with the information needed to understand the system, Act 60, the recent bond sale, and how all initiatives are working to provide a stable financial future for the commonwealth.

Mark Flanders, interim Pottstown Borough
Manager, left, and John Vestri,
Director of Operations at VideoRay, LLC

At this year’s luncheon, the Chamber presented five awards to local businesses related to economic development:


The Economic Development Award went to VideoRay LLC. This award is presented to a project that provides quality land use improvement, generates economic benefits for the community, and has the potential for creating new jobs.


VideoRay is the largest volume producer of “remotely operated vehicles,” or ROVs, in the world.

VideoRay, which has between 30 and 40 employees, will move from a 5,000 square foot barn, into 32,000 square feet of flexible office and light manufacturing space, purchased for $275,000, in the Borough of Pottstown in the former Levitz building on High Street.

Steve Bamford, Executive Director, PAID, Inc.
and Peter and John Giannopoulos,
Managing Partners of Sly Fox Brewing, Co.

The Economic Impact Award went to Sly Fox Brewing Co., Inc. This award is presented to an organization that provides a significant contribution to the economic vitality of the communities that the Chamber serves.

Their Royersford location was sold in 2011 and Sly Fox opened a 50-hectoliter, 30,000 square-foot state-of-the-art brewery on the Circle of Progress in Pottstown in January 2012, investing over $6 million and housing more than 20 employees.

A Tastin’ Room was also opened in Pottstown to attract patrons from near and far.

The Environmental Impact Award went to Cigas Machine Shop, Inc. This award is presented to a business who is taking a “green” proactive approach for a more sustainable business environment.

Michelle Maher,
Human Resources Manager,
Cigas Machine Shop, Inc.

Cigas Machine Shop is a leading manufacturer of high quality stainless steel plate products for industrial, commercial and architectural applications.

The Pottstown building was purchased in 2007 in the Pottstown Industrial Complex which previously housed the old Bethlehem Steel Building.

The 100,000 square foot Pottstown facility underwent extensive renovations including conventional and solar heating; daylight harvesting; rainwater harvesting; and also the facility is a zero energy building – large roof areas are ideal for solar panels generating clean, renewable power making the building an energy producer rather than consumer.


The Regional Planning Award went to Boyertown, Colebrookdale and Pike Townships. This award is presented to two or more intergovernmental agencies that develop and implement a multi-organizational plan that fosters smart growth.

Rod Martin, left Chairman,
TCACC and Jake Lea,
Chairman of the Joint
Zoning Board Committ

The Boyertown, Colebrookdale, and Pike Joint Zoning Ordinance divides Boyertown Borough, Colebrookdale Township, and Pike Township into various zoning districts with varying regulations for each district.

 The ordinance was created with consideration for the character of the borough and Townships, and the suitability for particular uses and structures in the various districts.

The Legislator of the Year Award went to State Representative Marcy Toepel. This award is presented to an elected official for their leadership in helping to create and/or support a pro-business environment.

Toepel brings her experience from county government and the private sector to the state Capitol. Toepel had 100 percent voting record and took tough stances on issues of importance for the business community, including voting for tort reform and two no tax budgets. She has a clear understanding of how government can negatively impact the economy.

Nine companies were recognized at the Luncheon for their significant anniversaries and their commitment to doing business here.

• Malvern Federal Savings Bank -125 years
• St. Aloysius School - 100 years
• Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown & Vicinity - 95 years
• The Longacre Co. - 90 years
• Klein Transportation - 55 years
• Coventry Corners - 30 years
• Community Music School - 20 years
• Graber Letterin’ Sign Co. - 20 years
• Greater Reading Economic Partnership - 10 years

For more information, visit www.tricountyareachamber.com or contact 610.326.2900.