Pottstown Gets $150K Grant To Repair Memorial Park Pedestrian Bridge

POTTSTOWN, PA — The borough has received a $150,000 state grant to help with the repair of a pedestrian bridge at Memorial Park.

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn made a visit to the Montgomery County borough on Tuesday to announce the funding award from the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf.

"We are pleased to be here today to announce funding for critical infrastructure at this important Pottstown park," Dunn said in prepared remarks, which were included in a news release announcing the Tuesday morning appearance. "DCNR is proud to support local parks and their mission of providing recreation opportunities for millions of visitors each year. I look forward to seeing the impact this project will have in this community and the surrounding region."

Memorial Park is a 78-acre community space that serves as Pottstown's main park and includes baseball fields, BMX bike racing, skateboarding areas, picnic tables and trails.

According to state officials, the pedestrian bridge that will be upgraded with the grant dollars helps to connect two different areas of the park that are bisected by Manatawny Creek, which experienced a flooding episode back in July 2019 during a particularly bad summer storm.

"Assisting Pottstown with this bridge rehabilitation project will again connect park users to the wonderful array of amenities in the park," DCNR Deputy Secretary Lauren Imgrund said in a statement. "We at DCNR are thankful the borough prioritized this bridge to ensure park visitors are able to safely enjoy everything the park has to offer, while addressing the environmental concerns that made the old bridge unusable."

Pottstown Parks and Recreation Director Michael A. Lenhart stated that the Memorial Park bridge represents the "restoration of a key piece of park infrastructure serving the residents of Pottstown and regional visitors to the park alike."

The money for the repairs came out of the Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program, which is considered a critical part of Montgomery County's comprehensive plant titled "Montco 2040: A Shared Vision."

Val Arkoosh, a Democratic Montgomery County Commissioner, said that the grant program provides funding for projects considered priorities for the county.

Arkoosh said in a statement that the commissioners were proud to partner with DCNR and the Borough of Pottstown to "help bring this park back to life."

There are more than 6,100 local parks across the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, according to the DCNR.

The administration of Gov. Wolf says that it has awarded more than $342 million in grants to 1,965 projects across Pennsylvania in the eight years since Wolf has been office.