Pottstown receives update on economic future
POTTSTOWN » “The future is really bright for Pottstown” in terms of its economic development.
That was one of the messages Thursday, Jan. 21, from Peggy Lee-Clark, executive director of Paid Inc., the Pottstown Area Industrial Development Inc., during the organization’s “State of Economic Development of Pottstown” virtual meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to “take a pulse of where the focus is,” according to LeeClark, and to look at “what are the things we can accomplish that will make a difference.” She added that not everything can be done at once.
Stephen Rodriguez, Pottstown School District Superintendent and PAID Inc. board of directors president, said PAID has been “singularly focused” on economic development in Pottstown, adding that the work PAID does is important.
“It’s not something elected leaders can do by themselves,” he said. “It must be a collaborative effort spearheaded by a commission.” The meeting included a cross representation of about 70 area leaders including investors, local county and planning officials, education officials and community advocates.
Speakers also included Howard Brown, senior program officer, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation; state Sen. Bob Mensch (R-24th Dist.); and state Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-146th Dist.). Attendees then broke into groups for discussion.
Lee-Clark said she reached out to Brown in the fall to reengage on the Urban Land Institute (ULI) study that had been presented to Pottstown in October 2019.
“We have been talking since then about revisiting the study. We looked at all 68 recommendations,” Brown said during his remarks. “Two recommendations rose to the top — today’s town
hall and the three pillars.” The pillars are the focus of PAID Inc.’s economic development efforts.
The Urban Land Institute is a think tank that has made previous recommendations for revitalization in Pottstown. Its most recent study reflected the opinions of 95 stakeholders that were interviewed as part of the process.
Lee-Clark said the ULI study specified the need for a clear leader for economic development — a role she said PAID fills.
In her remarks, LeeClark said it’s important for Pottstown to keep moving forward on economic development.
“After a strong end to 2019 and start of 2020, we had a pandemic barrel in and shut us down in ways we could never imagine. It was a shock at first to everybody but it didn’t take long to realize we had to keep doing business,” she said, adding members of the business community stepped up and wanted to help the community, even when they were struggling.
Rodriguez added that PAID remained in contact throughout the pandemic with the business community — connecting them with vital information.
Lee-Clark the future is bright because “people have continued to make investments” in Pottstown during the pandemic. New businesses opened in the borough in the midst of the crisis, and other projects already in process have continued.
She pointed to the recent award of $2.5 million in funding from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program to support three ongoing projects:
• $1 million for the former Mercury building, for comprehensive renovation and rehabilitation to become a boutique hotel and restaurant/lounge.
• $500,000 for Y3 Life Sciences Incubator, to repurpose 7,500 square feet of vacant space on the third floor of 159 E. High St. in Pottstown, which will eventually house a variety of life science ventures.
• $1 million for Pottstown Sustainable Energy Park for development of a 174,000-ton per year Biomass Gasification facility, which will process clean commercial waste from 54 production plants in Montgomery, Berks and Lehigh counties.
Mensch told the attendees that the three projects represent an investment in Pottstown.
“I don’t think the $2.5 million fully met the mark, but it is a substantial investment,” he said.
“When the $2.5 million came, we knew we were on the right path. We will look for other ways to bring funding into the community,” Ciresi said.
Other economic development highlights mentioned include the renovation of the Comfort Inn, 99 Robinson St. in Pottstown into a Fairfield Inn, planned to open in May; as well as the recent announcement by Montgomery County community College about the opening of the Challenger Learning Center, expected to open in fall 2021.
The three economic pillars of focus for PAID Inc. were developed during a discussion with the Health and Wellness Foundation, its president David Kraybill and PAID’s executive committee.
They include: Private development supported by public policy; enhancing Pottstown’s infrastructure; and skilled workforce and youth development. Data collection and organization is identified as the foundation, with the final step being marketing and social media — telling the story.
The next steps, according to Lee-Clark, are to review the comments shared during the breakout session discussions and continuing to work on the private development/public policy pillar.
Additional community engagement will take place in the form of a stakeholder survey, Brown said.
“It will help us understand more about how the goals and strategies of groups in Pottstown and how they align with the proposed economic pillars, and how they would prioritize the associated ULI recommendations,” he said. “It will help us tap into the community’s knowledge about things that are already in the works, get their thoughts on what should happen and when, and what entities are best positioned and have access to resources that would empower them to take the lead on a collaborative effort.”
Following that, he said, will be meetings to share what is learned in the survey. He did not yet have timing on the follow-up efforts.