First Responders Salute Pottstown Hospital Staff

Sirens blasting, 25 emergency vehicles paraded down East High Street to Pottstown Hospital Monday night to offer their full-throated support of the front-line medical workers battling coronavirus.

Photos and video by Evan Brandt

Emergency responders line up in front of Pottstown Hospital 

to salute the front-line medial workers there putting 

their lives on the line to fight coronavirus.

The idea was the brainchild of state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist.

"My sister is an RN in New York and she sent us a video of all the churches ringing their bells in support of the medical workers, and then the next day, all the fire trucks came by with their sirens sounding and I thought 'that's pretty cool. We should do something like that here,'" Ciresi said Monday evening.

The Pottstown Fire Department and EMS worker picked up the idea and ran with it.

Their participation was organized by Chad Quinter, chief of the Phillies Fire Company.

Medical workers in the window looking out on the parking lot 

at Pottstown Hospital wave back at the emergency responders 

applauding them Monday as part of an organized salute.

Pottstown Fire Chief Frank Hand said the 25 vehicles that participated got together at the Goodwill Fire Station on High Street.

They then made their way down High Street to the hospital, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

"Limerick was supposed to be here too, but they had a fire," said Hand, as a Goodwill Ambulance took off from the hospital parking lot. "They have a call too," Hand said.

"We're so impressed with how the hospital staff is bearing up under this threat," said Hand. "It really shows the strength and backbone of this community."

A mask-wearing Rich Newell, CEO of Pottstown Hospital couldn't agree more.

Hospital staff gather at the entrance to Pottstown Hospital

to watch the emergency vehicle parade in their honor, all 

while maintaining social distancing from them, naturally.

"The staff has been so dedicated through all of this. We haven't seen a large number of call-outs or no-shows," said Newell.

"And the show of appreciation from the community has been absolutely tremendous," he said.

Newell said the show of support by the first responders means a lot to the staff.

"I haven't seen anything like this before, except on the Fourth of July," he joked.

First responders from the Pottstown area applaud the staff

at Pottstown Hospital Monday evening.

"This just takes my breath away, said Skye Tulio, marketing coordinator for the hospital who was out taking pictures and shooting video.

"I know it must have made their night," she said of the employees. "We're so grateful for the support from the community. This is incredible. We all really appreciate this."

"You know, outside of Philadelphia, Montgomery County is being hit about the hardest in all of Pennsylvania," said Ciresi.

Emergency vehicles lined up in front of Pottstown Hospital.

Just hours before the first responders gathered to being their parade, Montgomery County Commissioners Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh reported 25 more people died in the county over the weekend from COVID-19, bringing the county’s death toll to 91.

Officials also reported 208 new positive cases of the virus in the county since Saturday, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 2,023 since March 7.
For Ciresi, who lost his brother several months ago to cancer, this show of support is personal.

"I talk to my sister every night, and she'll tell me about the people they lost that day. I'm worried about her. Her boyfriend has terminal cancer, so he can't stay with her and she comes home every night and she's alone," Ciresi said.

This sign has been erected outside Pottstown Hospital.

"It's taking its toll on her mentally and emotionally, I can tell."

"And my niece is a nurse's assistant in Port Jefferson and she is on the front line too," Ciresi said. "Now she has a cough now and a fever."

"Everyone needs to know these people put their lives on the line every time they walk into that hospital," Ciresi said.

"As well as the police officers and EMS workers. They never know what they're going to find when they answer a call," Ciresi said.

"And even the kids working in the grocery stores are at risk. They don't know who is walking in there," Ciresi said.

Ciresi Calls for Bells/Sirens to Show Solidarity

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the offices of state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist.

State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, encourages fire stations and buildings of worship across Montgomery County to show solidarity by extending appreciation to first responders, health care workers, educators and others for their service during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

First responders and religious leaders, if they choose to participate, should activate sirens or ring bells for up to five minutes on Monday, April 13 (Fire Stations at 7 p.m./ Houses of worship at 7:05 p.m.). Similar displays have occurred in New York.

“Since last month, our citizens have shown tremendous resolve, kindness, and poise in the face of unprecedented uncertainty,” Ciresi said. “I cannot thank our EMTs, nurses, doctors, police officers, and all health and safety workers enough for persevering in the face of this invisible enemy. They are keeping us alive. So, I am asking for a public show of solidarity -- that we can all find joy in while staying safely at home.”

Ciresi encourages everyone to adhere to the stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Tom Wolf for all 67 counties, in place until at least April 30.

Ciresi’s office staff remains available by phone or email, although the physical office is closed. For more information, call 484-200-8265 or email RepCiresi@pahouse.net.

Meanwhile, here is a song of which I am fond to get you into the mood for some bell ringing:

Interfaith Forum Explores Ways to Combat Hate

Photos by Evan Brandt

Above: Darrell Brown, center, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Paoli, makes a point during last night's interfaith forum on combating racism. At left is Bishop Michael Anthony of Heart of God Church. At right is Tameka Hatcher from the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

At left: There were about 50 people in the audience at last night's interfaith forum.

If you think this world is getting crazier by the day, and people struggle to connect in meaningful ways, you're not alone.

A lot of people who feel the same way turned out Tuesday night for an interfaith forum held at the Carousel at Pottstown and spurred by  an incident last summer outside the Royersford office of state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist.

A message promoting the Ku Klux Klan was discovered written

in dust outside state Rep. Joe Ciresi's office in August.

In the dust on windows opposite his office, someone had drawn hate symbols, including a swastika and comments about Anne Frank, whose diary written while hiding from Nazis documented the struggles Jews faced during the Holocaust.

He was joined by fellow state legislators state Rep. Tim Hennessey, R-26th Dist., and state Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24th Dist. and the ability of the three to cooperate on legislation that benefits the greater Pottstown area was used as an example of people overcoming their differences for the greater good.

The panel also responded to questions from the audience.

The panelists for the evening were Bill MacGregor of Pottstown Works; the Rev. Dr. Marcia Bailey,
pastor of First Baptist Church in Pottstown; the Rev. Nichole Jackson, pastor of Trinity Reformed United Church of Christ in Pottstown; Bishop Michael Anthony, pastor of Heart of God Church; the Rev. Darrell Brown, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Paoli; Tameka Hatcher, Educational Outreach Coordinator of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and Julia Katz, from the board of governors of Hesed Shel Emet, Pottstown's only synagogue.

Hatcher told the crowd of about 50 that the Human Relations Commission got its real start in the 1950s when a statewide poll of employers showed that most would not employ an African-American even if the worker had an advanced degree. She said Pennsylvania was the fourth state to adopt an anti-discrimination statute.

She said that although no one was ever charged for the incident outside Ciresi's office, profiles of such actors suggest it is a young person who feels marginalized in society. With 36 active hate groups, Pennsylvania ranks eighth in the nation for the number of hate groups operating here according to the Southern Poverty Law Center's database, Hatcher said.

More recently, the Human Relations Commission has been working with its counterparts in Pottstown, with the Exeter School District and in York County, where pro Ku Klux Klan leaflets were left on cars parked outside a theater where Spike Lee's film "Black Klansman" was showing, said Hatcher.

From left, state Sen. Bob Mensch, and state Reps Tim Hennessey

and Joe Ciresi all attended last night's forum.

Her agency does more than fight racism, said Hatcher. She noted that when a Pennsylvania company was purchased by a larger corporation, and became more automated, it began laying off older workers who were said to be unlikely to be able to adapt to the newer technology.

"They were predominantly older white men, and so many of them said to us that they did not believe discrimination really happened in the workplace, that people just didn't want to work, until it happened to them," Hatcher said.

Mensch said the state Senate is currently mulling legislation that would give the Human Relations Commission "more teeth" to combat discrimination, and that could be expanded to also include protections for those discriminated against due to their sexual orientation.

"I'm getting a lot of messages from people telling me not to do it, but those people read too much on Twitter," he said.

Marcia Bailey, center, pastor at First Baptist Church in Pottstown,

makes a point with Nichole Jackson, pastor at Trinity Reformed

United Church of Christ, right, and Bill MacGregor from Pottstown

Works, left, listen.

In fact social media and the wider Internet in general were discussed as ways that keep people from reaching a deeper understanding of each other and, as Bailey noted, "makes it easier for people to be targeted electronically."

Jackson said that attempts at conversation online can go so toxic so quickly that she prefers to speak with people face to face, or at least on the telephone.

She said her conversations with Johnny Corson, president of the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP, have eased her out of her comfort zone.

"Relationships are at the root of everything we do," Jackson said. "It's a humbling experience to hear the pain of another person without getting defensive, but if we can keep coming back to the table, it gets less so."

Those face-to-face conversations are the way to build understanding and break down walls between faiths, ethnicities and beliefs, said Brown.

Even family relationships tend be the path out of hate, said Bailey. She used an example of a family member who reveals that they are gay. "They already love this person, how can they reject them? And then all the pre-conceptions that had about 'those people' melt away," Bailey said.

Bishop Michael Anthony, center, pastor of Heart of God church,

makes a joke while the Rev. Nichole Jackson, left, and pastor

Darrell Brown, right, show their appreciation.

"I truly believe the power of relationships is how we're going to overcome," said Brown. The fact that Pottstown's leaders are having these conversations now; the fact that Pottstown Police Chief Michael Markovich attends Pottstown Ministerium meetings are all important for understanding.

"What happens to a community when they're not prepared, when they can't reach out to their leaders," he said. "One terrible act of violence can tear a whole community apart, unless people in the community can look to their leaders to have their best interests at heart."

Anthony said that this generation of children seems to have by-passed many of the prejudices their parents may hold, knowingly or not. "Kids hang out together without all the hang-ups adults have," he said.

But those children are being discriminated against by a state education funding system that has been shown to short-change school districts with a higher minority population, said activist John Tremble.

Anthony, who works in the school district, said he sees first-hand how Pottstown's school children are

"How do we get people to understand we're just like they are?"

said Julia Katz, right, from the board of governors of Temple 

Hesed Shel Emet.

denied resources wealthier districts enjoy.

"It's about priorities," said Hatcher, who emphasized she was expressing her person opinion and not a policy position of the Human Relations Commission. "The state will end up dealing with these children one way or the other. The question is whether they will pay for it on the educational level, or pay for it at a correctional institution."

"In my tradition, Christianity, we say every child is a child of God. But I think this is a justice issue," said Jackson. "I see children in my congregation who are being denied what they need to grow. And if I don't stand up say its unfair, I can't say every child is a child of God."

Anthony said while it is incumbent upon Pottstown to teach its children "how to be strong in this moment," it is incumbent upon those with the power to right this wrong to act.

"You can't tell me you love me, and then watch me suffering and not do something to help," he said. "Love is an action word."

And with that, click here to read all the Tweets from the forum.

$78K in State Grants Will Aid Seniors and Housing

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the office of state Rep. Joe Ciresi.

State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist., has announced that Neighborhood Assistance Program Tax Credits have been approved by the Department of Community and Economic Development for two projects in the district.

Genesis Housing Corp. in Pottstown was approved for $75,000, Family Services of Montgomery County in Lower Pottsgrove Township was approved for $3,750.

This year’s Genesis projects will focus on neighborhood revitalization using partnerships to build a new affordable single-family home, exterior renovations for affordable rental units, homeowner rehab and facade improvements. All projects are designed to increase financial literacy and promote healthy communities.

GHC has partnered with Pottstown Community Action, Habitat for Humanity, Mosaic Community Land Trust and Hobart’s Run to support revitalization efforts to improve safety, housing and commercial development.

Family Services’ project Helping Elderly Adults Remain in Their Homes (HEARTH) assists low-income, elderly seniors age 60 or older who live in Montgomery County and are at risk of institutionalization.

HEARTH has two major components: mental health counseling and volunteer supportive services. HEARTH also includes telephone reassurance phone calls up to five times a week to isolated seniors for emotional support and well-being checks.

“Between the housing needs of Pottstown and our senior citizen needs in Lower Pottsgrove, this is a big win for our communities,” Ciresi said. “This funding will help families in our community, alleviate blighted properties and help low-income seniors.

“The improvements also will help relieve the stress that these groups of people are under. With many of our seniors facing medical expenses, fixed incomes and even poverty, financial struggles create a perfect storm for depression and other mental health issues," Ciresi said. "These funds mean that we can have our seniors’ backs and put our community on the right track.”

Veteran Discount Cards Available at Ciresi's Office

State Rep. Joe Ciresi

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the office of Joe Ciresi.

State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist., will be hosting a mobile event for Veterans’ Photo ID Discount Cards with Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds Jeanne Sorg.

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 24 at his Royersford Office, 301 N. Lewis Road, Suite 140C, Royersford, 19468.

Veterans’ Photo ID Discount Cards may be used for discounts on goods and services at participating merchants. 

All Montgomery County veterans are welcome and should bring a photo ID, such as a drivers’ license, and DD214 forms to receive the discount ID card.

An accessible entrance is available in the rear of the building off Oak Street.

Contact Sorg's office at 610-278-3292 or Ciresi's office at 484-200-8265 for more information.

State Grant Will Help With Pollock Park Clean-Up

Pollock Park has been closed since contamination was discovered in the soil there in 2017.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the office of State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist.

State Rep. Joe Ciresi has announced that the Department of Community and Economic Development has approved $56,704 in new funding through a Industrial Sites Reuse Program grant to perform an environmental assessment and remediation plan for Pollock Park on the former Mayer Pollock Steel Company site in Pottstown. 

The borough plans to remediate the site, which has been closed since 2017, and return it to recreational use.

Two-acre Pollock Park, shown here as the green square, is located
between Cross and South Streets in the southern portion of Pottstown.

“With the commonwealth’s help, we will restore this recreational space in Pottstown and make it safe once again,” Ciresi said. 

“With this new funding, we come a step closer to properly cleaning and reopening Pollock Park, which will lead to years of enjoyment of this outdoor space for our residents. I’d like to thank the DCED and Governor Wolf for their support of public health and outdoor recreation with this funding,” Ciresi said in a prepared release.

Pollock Park is located on the 800 block of Cross Street and serves a residential neighborhood on Pottstown's south side. It is also a designated trail head park for the Schuylkill River Trail. 

Heavy metals and Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) have been identified in the soil throughout the property. It is believed that contamination originates from the previous use of the site as a scrap yard. 

When Pollock Park was closed in November, 2017 due to soil
contamination, a health warning was posted there by authorities.

The grant will provide $56,704 to perform the comprehensive scope of work which includes soil tests, installing and monitoring ground water wells, data validation, reporting of results and drafting of a DEP-approved remediation plan.

“Pollock Park is a very important park to the surrounding residential neighborhood and to Pottstown at large, and it has real potential as a destination park with appeal to the wider community,” said Pottstown Parks and Recreation Director Michael Lenhart. 

“This DCED grant, supported by the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority, is crucial support for the effort to restore a key Pottstown recreation space to public use. The Borough offers its sincere thanks to PA DCED and Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority for their support of the Borough’s Parks and Recreation system.”

“This investment will provide the neighborhood with a recreational space that will promote a sense of

Before being stalled by the discovery of contamination, a 

new master plan for the park's revitalization was created.

community while ensuring the preservation of public health and safety,” said DCED Secretary Dennis Davin. “The Borough’s leadership in remediating this space will serve as a benefit to the residents of Pottstown both now and in the future.”

The Industrial Sites Reuse Program provides loans and grants for environmental assessments and remediation carried out by eligible applicants who did not cause or contribute to the contamination. 

The program is designed to foster the cleanup of environmental contamination at industrial sites, thereby bringing blighted land into productive reuse.

For more information about the Industrial Sites Reuse program or DCED, visit www.dced.pa.gov.

Feedback and Transparency in Pottstown Schools

Last month, the Pottstown School District asked folks to take a survey about their efforts, their successes and where they could do better.

Last night, Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez gave a brief overview of the results, which will be posted shortly on the district website, if they are not there already.

The purpose of the 30-question survey was "to learn more about current perceptions of the district and our communication efforts. We want to determine how we can improve our communication and interaction with key stakeholders," Rodriguez said when the survey was released.

Among the more interesting results, was the fact that most of those who responded were satisfied with the district's early education offerings "but that seems to fall off in the secondary level, which is something we're going to have to work on," Rodriguez told the board.

He was saddened, Rodriguez said, to find that many in the survey do not believe their tax dollars are spent appropriately, although they also strongly approve of the district's advocacy efforts to fully implement the fair funding formula which would add more than $13 million to the district's bottom line each year.

To Stream or Not to Stream

ON another matter that has been brewing with the school board for some months is the question of live-streaming committee meetings on Facebook.

The irony of the fact that some board members were resisting the idea of live-streaming a committee meeting when the very board meeting at which the discussion was itself being live-streamed on Facebook was not lost on all.

Further irony could be found in the fact that having just digested the results of a survey meant to bolster communication with the public, a survey in which their constituents reported that they want more information about the operations of the school district, some members continue to resist doing just that.

Raymond Rose argued that the public deserves transparency from the board.

Kurt Heidel argued that many of those who come to (and watch the livestream of) full board meetings feel confused because the discussion has all occurred at the committees and the votes occur without discussion. "They tell me it seems like we've all made up our minds beforehand," he said.

John Armato, who in addition to being a school board member is also its unpaid director of community relations, took up these theme with a vengeance.

"We ask those people every year for $40 million; they entrust us with about 3,200 of their young people. Tonight we just voted on 16 items by consent and no one watching knows how we reached those decisions," Armato said. "I feel very deeply that we owe them this transparency."

Susan Lawrence said talk at committee meetings is very open and non-structured, including from parents and teachers who attend, but some might not feel as free to speak their minds if they knew the meeting was being live-streamed.

Kim Stilwell took another tack, saying despite the fact that the issue first came up in a public relations committee meeting; and was discussed by the full board at their July workshop meeting, that "not everyone has had their say."

This patently ridiculous claim was based on the fact that the issue had never officially appeared on a committee meeting agenda. "I believe strongly in the committee system," said Stilwell.

Well, she got what she wanted. 

With Community Relations Committee Chairwoman Katina Bearden saying she supports the move, but only wants the board to do its "due diligence" in adopting rules for the livestreams, the matter was tabled to her committee for further discussion.

Heidel, who chairs the Finance and Facilities Committee, said he will put the matter on his committee's agenda as well and pursue live-streaming that committee, even if the board ultimately decides against livestreaming the others.

And with that, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Surveys and Live-Streams

Grant Boosts Environmental Education in Pottstown

Students at Rupert Elementary School participate in the Powered by Nature  program in this photo from 2017.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the office of state Rep. Joe Ciresi.
State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist., announced Friday that Pottstown School District has been awarded an environmental education grant.

The $3,000 grant will be used to support the Pottstown Powered by Nature program, teaching fourth to sixth grade students scientific inquiry in environmental issues.

“I’m delighted to see Pottstown School District receive this funding,” said Ciresi.

Last November, the program included a week-long free trip to 

North Bay Environmental Education Center on the Chesapeake Bay

for 168 Pottstown Middle School students

“We know that every dollar spent on our public school children pays dividends," he said.

"In a world where our children will be dealing with the effects of climate change, funding specifically earmarked for environmental education is doubly impactful,” Ciresi said.

Administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Environmental Education Grant Program awards funding to organizations to implement educational projects that focus on priority topics of climate change, water, or environmental justice. 

Projects range from creative, hands-on lessons for students, teacher training programs, and outdoor learning resources to conservation education for adults.

Talking Trams, Trains and Traffic in Southeast PA

The battery-powered trackless tram, or ART, in operation in Zhuzhou, China, showing the trackless autonomous guidance system, highlighted in last night's presentation by Australian innovation professor Peter Newman.

One way to look at how we do transportation wrong in this country is a simple measurement of space.

Peter Newman, a professor of sustainability at Australia's Curtin University who is in the U.S. for a
visit to the University of Pennsylvania and accepted an invitation to speak in Pottstown Thursday, did it with one slide.

Photos by Evan Brandt
Peter Newman shows how many cars, buses, or "trackless trams"

it takes to transport the same number of people.

He was there at the invitation of state Rep. Joe Cireski, D-146th Dist., who is trying to make good on a campaign promise to search for alternatives to traffic headaches on Route 422.

His research led him to Newman, who, when Ciresi contacted him, informed him he was coming to Pennsylvania and agreed to speak at a forum Ciresi arranged at the Pottstown campus of Montgomery County Community college Thursday.

Put two people in car, which is a lot to assume among American commuters, and put them with their fellow morning travelers on Route 422 and they will take up a certain amount of space on the roadway, Newman said.

Now multiply that and count 100 cars. That's 200 people and whole lot of roadway filled up. That same number of people could fit on two or three buses or just one "trackless tram."

Newman said trains, because of their fixed routes, attract

development and investment. But they are also expensive to build.

Fewer vehicles, fewer traffic jams.

Simple, right?

For years, we've believed the solution to increasing traffic on our roadways is a return to commuter rail. Newman, who got involved in the issue when he fought to save the train in his hometown of Freemantle, shared that believe and the effort he joined saved the train.

So Newman spent decades advocating for light rail, commuter rail and other similar transportation alternatives to the automobile because of the efficiency, and the other advantages it brings.

Old time trams began as a way to get people to new real estate.

It's ability to move easily and carry the equivalent of eight lanes of traffic makes rail a space saver, energy saver and times saver, he said.

Rail also attracts development, particularly near its stations. In fact, he said, the original train and trolley lines were primarily real estate investment attractions.

"Good public transit services unlocks the value of the land," Newman explained.

State Rep. Joe Ciresi talks about the need to break the 

transportation gridlock that is hampering redevelopment 

in the greater Pottstown area.

The problem with rail, it is expensive.

Very expensive, as those of us who watched with sagging expectations as the cost estimates for the proposed Schuylkill Valley Metro system rose out of reach know only too well.

So maybe it's time to start looking elsewhere, Ciresi said.

"There is not a person here who disagrees that putting a train back on tracks would be a great solution," he said pointing toward one of the two sets of freight rail tracks that run through Pottstown and were once the provenance of the competing Reading and Pennsylvania railroads.

"But we can't wait any longer," he said.

So if traffic is terrible and trains are too expensive, what do you do? 

How about something that runs on existing roads, but has the advantages of rail by having fixed stations and a fixed route that has the flexibility to be changed with the need arises?

Entrepreneur Richard Branson just purchased the newly built

Brightline light rail line in Florida and wants to build more.

And how about we make it electric, to reduce greenhouses gases, and maybe even make it solar-powered, to reduce them even more?

And what it was significantly cheaper than traditional light rail and, some might say best of all, is initiated by private capital that partners with local governments to tie redevelopment to a new and efficient transit system?

If you said that sounds like a "trackless tram," then you might be a professor from Austrailia, because that's what Newman described that is being pioneered now in China, India and, if he has his way, down under in Australia as well.

Having the entire enterprise spearheaded by entrepreneurs cuts through government bureaucracy and inertia, and entrepreneurs no less famous that Richard Branson are seeing the value, said Newman.

He said Branson just bought the recently completed Brightline rail line in Florida, and he wants to build more rail lines because there is money to be made in the real estate development that accompanies it.

"This won't work unless you guys are behind it," Newman told

the roughly 75 people who came to hear him speak Thursday.

He said public support is what brought light rail to Portland, Ore.

and started a worldwide return to automotive alternatives.

The systems work on roads, have a carrying capacity in the hundreds and three cars and a station only costs about $3 million, said Newman. He said the projects can be bid so that the equipment is built locally to bring jobs to the area.

And existing businesses need to bring workers to the area, said Cassandra Morabito, director of human resources for the Topos Mondial Corp., which designs, engineers and manufactures bakery equipment of all types here in Pottstown.

"We need workers," Morabito said after the presentation. "We have trained workers who can't get to Pottstown. We need skilled tradespeople, electricians, welders, mechanics."

Added Morabito, "we have an aging workforce and no influx of young people. We need to get a younger generation to the jobs we have," she said, noting that the company employs about 30 people.

Ciresi said he is looking for solutions. "It may be this, it may be something else. If 1,000 people use this, that's 1,000 cars off Route 422. I would hope for 5,000. Why don't we let this region be the place where it gets tested?" he said.

Borough Council President Dan Weand, who attended the talk with fellow councilwoman Trenita Lindsay, said the two felt sure they could convince the rest of council to support making Pottstown the place where the trackless tram is test driven.

"The main thing to do is give it a try and take it step, by step," Newman said.

Here are my Tweets from the talk.

Trackless Trams, Trains and Automobiles