Hill Students Lend Hand in Hobart's Run Rehab

Photos Courtesy of Hobart's Run

Hill arts instructor Ellen Nelson, far left, and Hobart’s Run’s Director of Community and Economic Development Twila Fisher, embraced the volunteer efforts of numerous students who pitched in to help paint a house Hobart’s Run is rehabilitating.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Hobart's Run.

A group of Hill School students, faculty members, and a Hill parent volunteer picked up paint brushes and rollers on a recent Saturday as part of an ongoing project to rehab a house at 59 Edgewood St. in Pottstown.

The house – which was facing foreclosure – was purchased by The Hill School for the Hobart’s Run initiative. Hobart’s Run is working to improve the abandoned property, using volunteers as much as possible in order to keep its costs low.

Hill students Aleksandr Glamazdin, of Moscow, Russia, 

and Yoseph Kim, of Seoul, South Korea, wanted to give back
to Pottstown, their home-away-from-home, by helping
with the  Hobart’s Run house rehab project.

After enhancing this structure, Hobart’s Run will rent the home to someone who wants to live in the neighborhood and, ideally, walk to work.

Another “win” is that the rental income will be directed back into the Hobart’s Run community in some form, which could range from façade improvements to other programming benefitting families in the neighborhood.

Another big gain: The taxes on this property had been delinquent, but the house will remain on the Borough and Pottstown School District tax rolls and all taxes will be paid through The Hill School.

Hobart’s Run also is planning a similar rehab-to-rental project on a home at 702 Walnut St. 

Here is a video about the project:

Hobart's Run welcomes contributions to these efforts to improve the neighborhood while generating funds to help Hobart’s Run sustain its operations and give back to the community – and volunteers who can wield a paint brush or a broom or help with other home repairs are greatly appreciated. 

For more information contact Twila Fisher at tfisher@thehill.org or Cathy Skitko atcskitko@thehill.org.

The next work day will be from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26 – although the location may change to the Walnut Street home.

A 501(c)(3) formed in May 2017, Hobart's Run works with its residents and property owners to revitalize the neighborhood through projects that create a clean, safe, and inclusive community; provide incentives for home ownership and home improvements; and generate positive, sustainable commercial and retail development. While initially addressing an area of approximately 600 parcels in Pottstown (Queen Street in the south, North Adams on the west, Beech, Grant, and Jackson on the north, and Keim Street on the east), Hobart’s Run strives to use successes in this focus area to spark and support revitalization throughout the Borough. Please find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @hobartsrun!