borough of pottstown projects

2023 Roadway Paving

Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: Summer 2023

Funding/Project Amount: State Liquid Fuels Fund / $700,000

Of the 60 miles of Borough roadways, 19.92 were rated in need of repair at a Level 5, which is a road that has progressively deteriorated and has multiple cracks, with many patches and has a very uneven riding surface. Of the 19.92 miles, 3.35 miles of Borough roadway will be paved using State Funds.

Additional roads will be re-paved as part of other projects funded separately by PennDOT:

• 1.0 mile of High Street between Manatawny Street and Glasgow Street
• 1.0 mile of High Street between Keim Street and Porter Road

CDBG Stormwater Inlets Phases I & II

 Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: Late 2023 

Funding/Project Amount: Community Development Block Grant Program / Phase I – $200,000 2021 CDBG funding, Phase II – 2022 CDBG funding

The Borough has developed a multi-year phased Stormwater Improvement Plan to install 39 additional stormwater inlets which will convey the runoff and sump pump drainage to the Borough’s stormwater drainage system. These inlets will aid in mitigating degradation of the roadway caused by water and ice created from sump pump drainage onto the street. Phase I of this project includes the installation of six inlets and piping in one problem area   . Phase II of this project is the installation of nine inlets and piping in four problem locations. The inlets will be constructed of concrete and piping will be constructed of either concrete or high-density polyethylene. Once all inlet and piping work has been completed the roadways will be paved in a later Borough paving cycle anticipated for 2024. These roads will include the 400 block of York Street, the 400 block of Franklin Street, the 600 block of Hawthorne Avenue, and the 600 block of Keim Street.

Moser Road Bridge

Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: June 2025

Funding/Project Amount: $448,750 / County Transportation Program; Borough ARPA Funds $300,000 

The proposed bridge rehabilitation will address the high priority items identified in the safety inspection reports for the Moser Road Bridge. The project includes replacement of abutment bearings, jacking of the superstructure, replacing steel end diaphragms, zone painting the ends of the beams, bridge joint replacement, repair of bridge deck spalls, replace down-spouting, and milling of approach pavement and paving items. It is anticipated that Moser Road will be closed in this location during a six-month construction period. 

LED Streetlight Conversion

Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: Spring 2023 to Fall 2024 

Funding/Project Amount: $1,000,000 Local Share Account / $250,000 DCED ARPA Funds 

The Borough has 1,821 streetlights, many of which were installed in the 1960’s, consisting of high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor. The Borough is replacing these lights with new, energy efficient LED lights and control systems. LED lights produce the same amount or higher luminance as traditional lights but require only half of the power consumption. These lights will improve nighttime visibility and safety through better color rendering, uniform light distribution, and emitting a directional light that can be controlled remotely. The streetlights will be fully integrated with remote smart technology that will allow staff to receive notifications for malfunctioning lights and more promptly address issues. Also, included in this project are additional surveillance cameras for use by the Police Department.

Borough Hall Parking Lot

Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: Spring 2023

Funding/Project Amount: $73,051.75 

The work will include parking lot mill & overlay of approximately 352 tons, supplying and installing Super Pave 9.5 mm, sealant, with approximately 3,200SY of milling.  

Memorial Park Pedestrian Bridge

Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: Late 2024 

Funding/Project Amount: Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation $45,000 / Department of Conversation and Natural Resources $150,000 / Montgomery County (MontCo 2040) $200,000  

The project consists of replacing the steel bridge damaged in the 2019 flash flood on the Manatawny Creek.  The bridge will be replaced with a prefabricated steel bridge. Other improvements made during the project will be streambank stabilization upstream and downstream from the structure.  This whole project is expected to improve the resiliency of the structure to survive future flooding events, especially as streambank improvements will work to channel the flow in the waterway back to its center in the vicinity of the bridge abutments.

Chestnut Street Park

Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: Late 2023 

Funding/Project Amount: $239,300 Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources / $59,830 PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development

The Chestnut Street Park project seeks to redevelop the park as a whole. It will replace aging playground elements, remove unused and deteriorating features, provide improved access for park users who may have mobility issues and reconfigure the use of the space to provide for a more useful open space/open play, lawn section. Existing playground equipment will be removed, and new equipment will be installed closer to the street frontage, utilizing park space reclaimed from the demolition of the old police substation. This new location will provide for better oversite from the street to address concerns of nighttime vandalism and will allow the space previously occupied by the playground to be conjoined with the existing lawn space to make for a larger and more useful section of lawn for neighborhood play. The old “bandstand” will be removed and will be reclaimed partially as green space.  The existing picnic pavilion will be preserved.  Finally, a stroller path will be installed around the perimeter of the park property.  

UPDATE - Pollock Park Contamination Remediation

Project Owner: Borough of Pottstown

Proposed Timeline: TBD 

Funding/Project Amount:  $491,880 EPA Grant / $450,000 DCD Grant / $250,000 DCED GTRP Grant

In 2017, environmental assessments of the park indicated the presence of heavy metals and PCBs in the soil at depths below 1’.  Since that time, the Borough has worked in conjunction with The Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority to design a remediation plan and execute soil and groundwater remediation.  Multiple soil and water samples have been taken and processed from throughout the property and neighboring properties to define the limits of the contamination and assess vapor intrusion risks.  In 2022, Pa Dept. of Environmental Protection approved the compiled results for a soil remediation plan for the applicable contaminants.  With an approved remediation plan, the Borough applied for the necessary funding to complete the cleanup work and was awarded the EPA grant.  The Borough has also applied to the DCED GTRP grant in companion funding to install park equipment and amenities upon the heels of the remediation.  DCED funding will be awarded in the Fall.

Pottstown Borough Authority Projects

Lead Service Replacement Phases I & II

Project Owner: Pottstown Borough Authority

Proposed Timeline: Phase 1: Summer 2023 and Phase 2: Winter 2024

Funding/Project Amount: Phase 1: PENN Vest Grant $785,135; Loan $499,865 / Phase 2: Montco ARPA Grant $2.75M: 

Phase 1 of this project will investigate and replace lead service lines in buildings constructed prior to 1950 in various locations north of Beech Street. This phase will take place in the spring-summer of 2023 and includes inventory of 237 service lines of which 100 containing lead will be replaced.  The project entails replacement of approximately 3,000 L.F. of lead service lines, replacement of 100 water services, installation of approximately 3,000 L.F. of ¾” copper service lines, and associated test pits, restoration, and appurtenances required for construction. 

 Phase 2 of the project is expected to take place in the winter of 2023-2024.

It is crucial to note that this project is subject to oversight by both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and PENNVEST, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and standards.

Hydraulic Bypass at Sewer Plant

Project Owner: Pottstown Borough Authority

Proposed Timeline: Late 2023

Funding/Project Amount: 

This project is to relieve a bottleneck at the headworks to prevent overflows during extreme rain events. This mitigates pollution of storm water if an overflow occurs. Overflows occur at the Sewer Plant when we hit 44 million gallons per day and a rain event of 4 plus inches of rain or more. This internal bypass will relieve pressure at the headworks where flow restrictions are. It will work by allowing wastewater elevations in the influent through to be almost at full capacity, the computer system that will monitor liquid levels will control valves to open the bypass to mitigate an overflow.

PECO Projects

Overhead Electrical Transmission Upgrade Project

Project Owner: PECO

Proposed Timeline: Ongoing

Funding/Project Amount: Approximately $9 million

This infrastructure upgrade consists of upgrading and installing new equipment, including poles, wires, and specialized equipment that can automatically restore service or isolate damage. The project will help improve reliability, reduce the frequency and duration of outages, and allow PECO to better meet customer needs.

County Projects

Keim Street Bridge

Project Owner: Montgomery and Chester Counties

Proposed Timeline: Late 2023

Funding/Project Amount: 80% Federal Funding; 15% State Funding; 5% Montgomery County Funds; Approximately $17 million

The Keim Street Bridge, built in 1935 over the Schuylkill River, connects Pottstown with bordering North Coventry Township in Chester County. The Keim Street Bridge was close din 2010 due to structural deficiencies. The bridge is planned for a complete rebuild and will connect Montgomery and Chester Counties for vehicles and pedestrians. Due to the historic eligibility of the structure as a National Register of Historic Places, the project has gone through extensive processes, which ultimately allowed for the existing structure to be replaced. The new bridge will have two 11-foot driving lanes, with two four-foot shoulders, as well as a six-foot sidewalk.