Pottstown Gallery On High Becomes Art Fusion 19464

Editor’s note:  Congratulations to our friends at Art Fusion 19464.  Arts revitalization is a key piece of Pottstown’s ability to reinvent itself and transform the borough into a once again thriving community!

POTTSTOWN, PA — As of this week, the Gallery on High is no more.

But don’t worry. You’re not going to miss any of the art exhibits, sales of local artists’ works or art classes offered there.

That’s because the nonprofit that offers appealing exhibits as well as engaging programming through its educational arm, the Gallery School of Pottstown, still exists at 254 E. High St. It just has a new name — Art Fusion 19464 — to go with a renewed and more acutely focused mission.

The name signifies the coming together — the fusion, if you will — of the gallery and educational portions of the organization, which launched in Pottstown in 2005, according to Erika Hornburg-Cooper, executive director and co-founder of Art Fusion 19464.

“We are evolving … again,” said Hornburg-Cooper. “We have so many arts and cultural amenities in Pottstown. This new name positions us as a destination.”

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120908/FINANCE01/120909575/pottstown-gallery-on-high-becomes-art-fusion-19464&pager=full_story

The Brick House Versus The Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority

It never ceases to amaze me how The Fishwrap inserts itself into Pottstown’s affairs.  There is a fine line between reporting the news and “creating” the news.

The most recent article about the dispute between PDIDA and Brick House owner Dave Walsh is a sterling example of taking a bad situation and making it worse, under the guise of “the public has a right to know”.  The article is slanted in favor of PDIDA and against one of the most successful merchants downtown.  It paints an unflattering picture of Dave Walsh.

I have read the study on the use of opera and classical music to remove vagrants from business districts.  I agree it was worth a try.  I also understand business owners have a right to their opinion, even if that opinion disagrees with PDIDA.  Without business owners there would be no PDIDA.  Frankly, downtown Pottstown is in the worst shape I have ever seen it; since moving here in 1983.  Antagonizing and bad-mouthing Dave Walsh is spitting in the face of one of the few reasons to even go downtown.

I interviewed Dave Walsh a while back and found him to be one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met.  He answered all my questions, he was forthright, polite, genuine in his desire to help Pottstown and was a pleasure to talk with.  It was the first conversation I ever had with him.  He was a wealth of information.  Instead of pissing him off, maybe PDIDA should pick his brain and find out why and how he is so successful!  He readily shared that information with me.

As for Bonnie trying to mediate this “crisis” I LOL!  Bonnie is firmly on the side of PDIDA, or should I say her agenda. 

Andrew Monastra had the only sensible comments that were reported.  And trust me Andrew, you are right on when you say Dave has valid points which are not personally driven.  Dave Walsh could be a great asset to PDIDA.  He is already a great asset to Pottstown.

As for the loitering problem downtown…we do have a police department, don’t we???  We have laws on the books.  As usual we don’t use our existing tools to solve problems.  The only way to turn Pottstown around is to clean it up.  The police department is a key part of the equation.  Playing opera only keeps undesirables away while the music is playing.  We need to send a clear message that we will not tolerate this behavior on our streets and that can only be done by enforcing the law.  Private citizens can not do that.

I really do applaud PDIDA for trying something.  Sometimes things do not work, for a variety of reasons, and we need to regroup and move on.  Demonizing Dave Walsh is neither productive nor proper.  Dave is not the problem here.  You should extend an olive branch and tap into what Dave knows.

Pottstown Civic Activists Stage Rally Against Deadbeat Slumlords On King Street

Teri Lyn Jensen-Sellers and Katy Jackson, both neighborhood residents, organized a rally today to protest “landlord” Andrew Soule’s $10,000+ in back payments for sewer/water/trash to the Borough of Pottstown and the condition of his buildings in the 400 block of King Street.  Reporters from The Mercury, The Pottstown Patch and Roy’s Rants were on hand to document the effort of this group to draw attention to this huge problem plaguing Pottstown.  Absentee landlords with blighted properties and overdue bills are straining Pottstown’s already stressed tax base.

The Borough of Pottstown is owed over $700,000 in back water/sewer/trash payments from 200 people.  The top 10 people on the Pottstown Wall of Shame owe nearly $200,000.  As Pottstown Borough Manager Jason Bobst has stated, “It’s all the same people that we see time and time again.”  Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski uses the Hall of Shame tactic in Allentown very successfully.  Mrs. Jackson recently attended a webinar on this subject hosted by Allentown’s mayor to learn more about how other towns and cities are coping with this problem.

Mr. Soule was evidently on the scene when the first protestors appeared, but left upon their arrival.  Mrs. Jensen-Sellers questioned a man but he denied being Andrew Soule.  A neighbor stated it was Mr. Soule after the man departed.

Sixth Ward Councilor and Man of the People, Jody Rhoads was on the scene as the sole representative of Pottstown Borough leadership along with Gallery on High/Gallery School co-founder Cathy Paretti and Andrew Monastra, a real estate lawyer with an office in the borough.  A Code Blue member was in attendance as well as other concerned borough residents.

I interviewed two former tenants of Mr. Soule, both of whom had unpleasant dealings with the landlord.

Both Mrs. Paretti and Mr. Monastra shared their feelings about doing business in Pottstown and the challenges of being a business owner here.  Both see the potential Pottstown has to offer but understand that many things need to change before Pottstown can follow in Phoenixville’s footsteps.