N.J. Company Proposes Spring Ridge Hotel

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A New Jersey development company wants to build a 111-room hotel on Meridian Boulevard in Spring Township’s Spring Ridge development.

AVA Development Co. of Parsippany hopes to buy 4½ acres for a three-story Fairfield Inn & Suites from BPG Properties of Philadelphia.

AVA won’t buy the property unless BPG gets township approval for the project.  The 576-acre Spring Ridge is a planned residential development that allows office uses but not hotels.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=443766

Reading School District Security Chief Leaving

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Reading School District has lost its top security official.

Russell DelRosario, director of security, announced he’ll leave the district at the end of the week.  He will take over as director of security for Montgomery County Community College‘s west campus in Pottstown.

DelRosario, a 44-year-old former New York City police officer, was hired by the district in January 2010.

He said he feels he’s been able to accomplish a lot during his tenure to help improve safety in the district.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=443731

Reading Weighs Accepting Grant For More Firefighters

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  We can’t predict the future. Take the money, hire the people and hope for the best!

Spending a $4 million federal grant to the city is not as easy as it seems.

The problem is not what the grant would do – hire 30 new and badly needed firefighters for the next two years, adding more personnel to each truck – but what happens to those firefighters when the grant expires.

Fire Chief David Hollinger and City Council labored over the issues Monday night.

On the positive side, the grant does not require the city to keep the grant-paid firefighters after the grant runs out in March 2015.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=443754