PECO Green Grants Support Local Park Projects

Inspiration for the design of the planned Steel River Station

in Pottstown's Memorial Park

Revitalization projects in Pottstown and Limerick are among those that will benefit from a PECO Energy grant program.

A total of $150,000 in grant funding from PECO's Green Region program, the company’s municipal open space and environmental grant program, will benefit a total of 20 communities.

Through PECO Green Region, PECO has awarded more than $2 million to nearly 300 projects since the program’s inception in 2004. The program is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to support environmental initiatives across southeastern Pennsylvania, including open space preservation, improvements to parks and recreation resources, and environmental conservation, according to a press release.

In Pottstown, a grant of $7,500 will provide part of the 20 percent match for a $200,000 grant being sought by the Colebrookdale Railroad to improve connections with the new "Steel River Station" it is building in Memorial Park.

“This project will connect the visitor- and trail-user-oriented recreation amenities of the new Steel River Station to Pottstown's Memorial Park -- one of the region's largest and most asset-rich downtown parks -- and to the regional trail network," according to Kirsten​ Werner, senior director of communications for Natural Lands, which helped PECO assess applications.

"This connection brings critically-needed hospitality and visitor functions to the park and the trail system. This connection also enables the station to function as a hub for what the borough would like to market as a district of attractions in and around the park. Funds are sought for an ADA-accessible pathway, a small but critical component of the roughly $2 million Steel River Station project,” Werner wrote.

Monday night, Pottstown Borough Council authorized the full grant application to be made to Montgomery County's "2040 Fund," which was set up to support initiatives aligned with the county's Comprehensive Plan, adopted in early 2015.

In Limerick, a grant of $10,000 will help to pay for an update to the township's open space plan.

"Limerick Township adopted an open space plan in 1996 to guide the township's future decisions on developing parks and preserving open space. The last update to the open space plan was 2006," Werner wrote. "Limerick Township will undertake a second update to set a new strategy toward the preservation of open space and the natural resources of the Limerick community."

Here are a few of the other grant recipients:

• Chester County: East Bradford Township, East Fallowfield Township, South Coatesville Borough, and Tredyffrin Township 
• Montgomery County: Borough of Jenkintown and Upper Merion Township
• Delaware County: Borough of Prospect Park, Marcus Hook Borough, Marple Township, and Rutledge Borough

“The municipalities and nonprofits receiving grants are putting their energy into the environment, and we’re proud to support these initiatives as PECO remains committed to increasing the environmental sustainability of the communities we serve across southeastern Pennsylvania,” Mike Innocenzo, PECO president and CEO said in a press release from the company. 

“Each of these projects will positively impact the region as they create new green spaces, revitalize vacant lots, beautify trails, and much more.”