Beginning November 29th, 2015 Take Pottstown Area Rapid Transit, Give Back

In the spirit of the holiday season, Pottstown Area Rapid Transit (PART) is pleased to announce our “Take PART, Give Back” Campaign!

Beginning November 29, 2015 PART will be collecting donations to benefit the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities and Operation Backpack. PART is pleased to partner with these organizations to help build the supply of food and goods available to those in need in our local community.

How can you PARTicipate?

By riding on one of PART’s Special Sunday Shopper Days! Every Sunday beginning November 29th, 2015 through December 20th 2015 from 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., bring your donation on board a PART Transit Bus and ride for $1.00! *Applies to Adult Base Fare ONLY

During the Tri County Area Chamber of Commerce Holiday Mixer & Business to Business Expo on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at Norco Fire Company, 144 W. Schuylkill Road, Pottstown, PA 19465. Bring your donation to the event and receive a PART Holiday ornament!

The Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization providing a multitude of programs related to food security, clothing and housing assistance, and other supportive services. Activities are intended to “address the basic human needs of persons within the Greater Pottstown community, while assisting with their spiritual and social needs.”

The Cluster is currently in need of dry goods including laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaners, paper towels, and toiletries. Canned goods including fruits, vegetables, soups, tuna fish, and tomato products are also in high demand.

Operation Backpack is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization, providing food to students in the greater Pottstown community who would go without over the weekend.  The organization works to “help homeless and hungry students succeed by addressing the issue of childhood hunger.” The organization works with individuals and organizations to gather ready to eat items to fill backpacks distributed to participating schools at the end of each week.  Operation Backpack is currently in need of prepackaged tuna, macaroni and cheese, soups, pasta, cereal, granola, breakfast bars, crackers, juice, and water.

As a public service, PART takes great pride in providing safe, affordable, and reliable quality transportation to the Borough of Pottstown, Lower, West, and Upper Pottsgrove Townships, Limerick Township, and North Coventry Township.

Please help PART Give Back! Questions? Contact Erica Batdorf at 610-970-6515 or ebatdorf@pottstown.org

Or visit our website at http://www.pottstownarearapidtransit.com

Ride Free All Day, June 18th On Pottstown Area Rapid Transit

Here To Help Job Fair In Pottstown

Tuesday, September 9th
10am-2pm

Sunnybrook Ballroom

50 Sunnybrook Road, Pottstown

Connect with businesses and organizations within the region who are seeking qualified employees.

Admission is free!
Information regarding Human Services agencies and

Veteran’s Services will also be available.

Explore training and educational programs available through local colleges and universities.

Bring multiple copies of your resume.

Job seekers should come prepared to complete applications.

Click here for more information.

Click here for a listing of registered organizations.
Click here if you wish to be an exhibitor.

 

**Pottstown Area Rapid Transit (PART) will make special stops at Sunnybrook Ballroom for the Job Fair.**

Click here for more information.

 

Presented by Senator Rafferty’s Office in partnership with Pennsylvania CareerLink and the TCN Workforce Development Committee.

State of the Borough Address To Be Given By Mark Flanders And Erica Weekley At TCN Monthly Meeting

State of the Borough Address

Receive new and exciting updates on:

Community Collaborative Initiatives

Pottstown Area Rapid Transit

Pottstown Municipal Airport

Infrastructure Projects

Manatawny Gateway & Mini Golf Complex

TCN Membership Meeting

Tuesday, October 15th, 8am-10am

Montgomery County Community College, West Campus

101 College Drive, Pottstown

Community Room

You’re invited to join a TCN Committee and help address community issues.  Committees will meet during the second hour.
Caregivers Support – Community Partners Against Abuse – Environmental Health & Safety – Homeless Services – Workforce Development – Youth Development 

The Fundraising Gala Committee will meet 10am-10:30am. 

Registration required.  Click here to register or call 610-705-3301, Ext. 2.

Pottstown Area Rapid Transit Introduces New Website

Welcome Aboard!

Pottstown Area Rapid Transit offers a safe, reliable travel alternative to driving.  Save yourself time and trouble and forget about looking for parking.  With convenient service operating Monday through Saturday, let PART take you to your destination.  For more information call 610-326-5413.

Bus service in Pottstown and adjacent communities is a publicly owned and privately operated system.  The Borough of Pottstown owns, funds and administers the system.  The day-to-day operations are the responsibility of Pottstown Area Rapid Transit, Inc. (PART).

To view the new website, click here:  http://pottstownarearapidtransit.com/

Pottstown May Create Authority To Run Buses, Airport, Parking

POTTSTOWN — The borough is looking at forming a new transit authority that would oversee the PART bus system, the Pottstown Municipal Airport and possibly even parking in town.

Assistant Borough Manager Erica Weekley told borough council on June 5 that the suggestion came from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as part of its five-year performance review of the Pottstown Area Rapid Transit bus system, better known as PART.

According to PennDOT, it’s unusual for a system as large as PART to be in a town as small as Pottstown and for it to be run by the local government instead of an authority specifically dedicated to its management, Weekley said.

“I can’t think of any other municipality with as many assets to oversee as this council does,” said Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130611/NEWS01/130619906/pottstown-may-create-authority-to-run-buses-airport-parking#full_story

Pottstown Area Rapid Transit Fares To Increase August 1st!

Please click on the link below to learn what changes are taking place for Pottstown Area Rapid Transit (PART) users in a few days: http://www.pottstown.org/PDF/2012-part-fare-increase.pdf

Pottstown Area Rapid Transit Special Holiday Service

Image via Wikipedia

Special holiday service will operate on the following Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas Days: November 27, December 4, December 11 and December 18.

The holiday service will operate every 60 minutes between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM, and follow the Night Line routing on Stowe-Sanatoga, Philadelphia Premium Outlets-Pottstown Center, North End Loop-Upland Square and Coventry Mall lines.

Contact PART for specific route and trip information at 610-326-5413.

Pottstown’s Hometown Holiday Charity Ball

By now many of you have seen the advertisements for Pottstown’s Hometown Holiday Celebration.  One component of this month-long celebration is a Christmas Costume Ball for charity.  The event will benefit PMMC’s pre-natal clinic.  The ball will be held at the Elk’s and there are only 225 tickets being offered for $40 per person or $70 per couple.

This all sounds wonderful and certainly donating to charity is always great.  The Borough of Pottstown made a $4000 donation to help defray the cost of entertainment.  An 11 piece band has been hired for the event.

The borough’s donation was made using money from Pottstown Area Rapid Transit’s promotions line item in their budget.  This was done at the discretion of the Borough Manager and did not go before council.  Councilor Rhoads asked about this at last night’s Committee of the Whole meeting as councilors were unaware of this donation when contacted before the meeting.

I am wondering how this donation promotes Pottstown Area Rapid Transit?  Do we expect to gain new riders for PART from those attending the ball?  Are there not better ways to have used this money to encourage people to “Take PART”?  A few well placed ads in the Mercury would have reached more people.  I suppose the other thing that puzzles me is why this money was not used toward the Pottstown 4th of July celebration that tens of thousands of area residents enjoy each year?  Would we not have gotten more “bang for our buck”, if we are trying to promote PART, at a huge event rather than a ball for 225 people?

If our goal was not necessarily to promote PART, but rather to give to charity, should this money have come from another source?  Hint: Tom Hylton likes to donate money.

$4000 is a blip on the transit budget for PART.  However, considering the fact the economy is trashed and we keep raising taxes and fees for services, should we not be better stewards of public funds? 

Public figures are just that, public figures.  People watch the decisions you make and follow your example.  Food for thought: Was this donation the best use of money from the transit budget?  You may want to consider that possibility if a similiar situation arises in the future.

Pottstown Borough Creates Intermodal Transportation Center Using Federal Stimulus Grant

If you have been downtown lately, you will notice there is construction going on next to Harleysville Bank First Niagara Bank.  The old SEPTA train platform area is being renovated and transformed into an intermodal transportation center.  This is a much-needed improvement for Pottstown.  Currently, PART’s main transfer point is right in front of Argento’s restaurant and in the middle of the very busy High & Hanover Street intersection.  Those big buses take up a lot of room!

Wisely, our borough government has applied for and been awarded a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create the intermodal transportation center.  A transportation center makes SENSE!  If you have ever been to Norristown’s transportation center you will see how organized this makes using mass transit.  Pottstown is unique as we are the only municipality in Montgomery County to have our own mass transit system.  Pottstown also has SEPTA service along with PART. 

As I am constantly posting and hinting around about Pottstown getting grants to pay for improvements, I feel it is only fair that we give public recognition to the borough for obtaining one!  Nice going and let’s get some more :).