Pottstown borough hall

POTTSTOWN PA – After a Pottstown Borough Council 4-2 vote Monday (May 9, 2011) to deny authorization that would have allowed the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority to seek a matching funds grant from the state, Mayor Bonnie Heath “stormed out” of the council’s chambers, Roy Keeler of Roy’s Rants reports, apparently in anger or frustration.

The grant would have given the authority $60,000 to help pay, in part, for the final year of a Main Street manager’s salary. However, PDIDA would have been required to raise $60,000 to match the state portion; if it failed to do so, the borough would have been held liable for the cost. Council members decided, on a recommendation from its Finance Committee and to Heath’s displeasure, to avoid that risk.

“The confidence in PDIDA’s ability to match this grant is very questionable,” Keeler wrote.

• Read a story by Roy Keeler, titled “Pottstown Mayor Storms Out Of Council Meeting After PDIDA Vote” and published Monday by Roy’s Rants, here.
• Read a story by reporter Evan Brandt, titled “Pottstown council rebuffs grant for PDIDA” and published Tuesday by The (Pottstown PA) Mercury newspaper, here.