Without notice, Olivet dumps Ricketts Center
“What a shock. That is not a pleasant surprise.” — Dan Weand, Pottstown Borough Council President
POTTSTOWN >> Without warning, the Olivet Boys and Girls Club has announced it will cease providing programming at the Ricketts Community Center as of Wednesday.
The announcement comes just two days after Pottstown Borough Council voted unanimously to renew the Reading-based club’s lease for four more years.
“The board of directors voted to return to their original mission of maintaining its focus, energy and funding on the youth of Reading and Berks County,” stated a press release issued late Wednesday afternoon.
“The announcement was made after months of discussions with both the Pottstown borough as well as within the Olivet Boys & Girls Club organization,” according to the release.
Just one week prior to the announcement, Olivet Boys & Girls Club’s new CEO, Christopher Winters, sat before council to make his case for the club’s continued operation of the center, saying Olivet would do a better job in the future making better connections within the Pottstown community.
Saying he had grown up in Douglassville, Winter said he spent much of his childhood in
the borough.
“I get Pottstown,” he told council.
Attempts to contact Winters for a further explanation before press time Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Attempts to reach Borough Manager Justin Keller before deadline were also unsuccessful.
Reached via cell phone late Wednesday afternoon, Borough Council President Dan Weand said he had not even heard the news yet.
“What a shock,” he said after a pause. “That is not a pleasant surprise.”
“I’m not sure they can even do that. We’ll have to check with out solicitor,” said Weand, noting Olivet has a current contract to provide programming through the end of the year.
Weand agreed that had council known sooner that Olivet had misgivings about continuing its association with the Ricketts Center, there would have been more time to explore alternatives.
As it was, a Pottstownbased group called the STRIVE Initiative had made a pitch in May to run the center, but in June one of its members complained that the borough was not even returning its calls and emails.
Now, it seems, the borough may have to start from scratch.
Ironically, at least two people said Monday night that the borough’s parks and recreation department should be running the center if Olivet could not manage to be more inclusive and collaborative with the community.
Both of those people, Borough Councilman Joe Kirkland and Jonathan Corson, president of the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP, could not be reached for comment before deadline.
In its press release, Gary Redner, chairman of the Olivet board of directors, stated, “We are grateful to the Pottstown community who have generously supported our efforts at the Ricketts Center for the past 10 years. The Borough of Pottstown, Pottstown Health and Wellness and so many caring residents have aided us in providing great futures for the children of Pottstown,” he said in the release.
“We are confident that the Borough will continue to provide life-changing community support at the Ricketts Center for years to come,” said Redner.
Speaking to council in May, Redner acknowledged that the Olivet had suffered from a leadership vacuum, noting there has been a high turnover of chief executive officers.
During that presentation to council, Redner and other Olivet representatives provided a proposal, a budget and even showed a video of the advantages of being affiliated with Olivet.
A poll taken of Olivet members at Ricketts showed 100 percent felt “a sense of belonging; 94 percent avoid risky behaviors like alcohol and smoking; 94 percent intend to pursue post-secondary education and 96 percent report having a positive experience at the club, the representatives reported in May.
It is unclear when the center will open again and under what circumstances.