В Потстауне установят шесть новых уличных фонарей и отремонтируют тротуары для повышения безопасности района

POTTSTOWN — Six new streetlights will be installed at and around the Ricketts Community Center thanks to funding obtained through Hobart’s Run. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development provided a grant of $139,997, and The Hill School contributed $60,000 in matching funds. An additional $15,000 was provided by the Pottstown Community Voices Fund of the Pottstown Regional Community Foundation. The combined project will include installation of six streetlights: One at the Ricketts basketball court at Grant Street and Union Alley; four between Grant and Adams streets on the south side of Beech Street; and one — specifically funded by the Community Voices grant — at the corner of Adams Street and Union Alley. Sidewalks will also be improved in the corresponding area. The project builds upon previous sidewalk repairs and the installation of five streetlights along the 700 block of Beech in 2021. That phase of improvements was funded by a $100,000 DCED grant obtained by Hobart’s Run and supplemented by $37,000 from The Hill School. Excavation for the additional improvements will begin this summer, with completion of this phase targeted for Aug. 1. Once completed, the lighting fixtures will be ordered (with a lead time of up to 14 weeks) and then installed, with targeted project completion by December. Ongoing safety-related surveys launched by Hobart’s Run have pointed to concerns about nighttime visibility, walkability, and unsafe sidewalk conditions in the Ricketts neighborhood. “These conditions impact safe access to this important community asset and contribute to overall concerns about neighborhood safety,” Alyssa Slade, executive director of community engagement and economic development for Hobart’s Run, said in a press release announcing the funding. “Our hope is these generous, grant-funded investments will improve pedestrian safety, enhance visibility, and respond directly to resident concerns. Visible improvements to neighborhood infrastructure have been shown to strengthen neighborhoods by encouraging residents to take pride in their greater community and increase positive social interactions,” Slade said. “The lighting improvements will enhance safety and accessibility for the families and youth who use the Ricketts Center and surrounding neighborhood,” Robert Varga, executive director of Boyertown Area Multi-Service, which oversees Ricketts Center operations, said in the release. “We appreciate the collaborative investment in our community and look forward to the positive impact these enhancements will have for residents for years to come.”