Ciresi announces $167,000 in state grants for Pottstown and Royersford parks
Rep. Joseph Ciresi January 16, 2024 | 3:36 PM
HARRISBURG, Jan. 16 – A long-time proponent of parks and outdoor recreation, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, announced today that he secured $167,000 in state funding for park projects in Pottstown and Royersford:
- $75,000 – Pottstown Pollock Park Remediation Project.
- $92,000 – Royersford Victory Park Redevelopment Project.
“Our parks provide important green public spaces in our communities,” Ciresi said. “With this state support, we will continue the great progress we’ve seen in Royersford’s Victory Park and drive a new vision for an improved Pollock Park in Pottstown when it reopens. These state grants are important investments in spaces that bring our neighborhoods together and create opportunities for healthy outdoor recreation.”
According to Ciresi, the $75,000 in grant funds will help execute Phase 1 of Pollock Park’s remediation project. While closed since 2017 due to the discovery of contaminants from its former industrial use, the site is being cleaned up and will be turned into a neighborhood pocket park. Phase 1 improvements that will be supported with this grant include a new playground, a dog park, and parking and access improvements – expanding the utility and value of the park to the local community when it’s once again made available for public use.
Ciresi added that the goal for Royersford’s Victory Park redevelopment is to make it ADA-accessible and inclusive to the entire community. The $92,000 in grant money will continue the improvements the park has seen in recent years and will be used to fund accessible pathways throughout the park, including accessible picnic tables and benches, and accessible porous play surfaces with underdrains, along with replacements of deteriorated playground equipment.
The grants were awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, which oversees the state’s distribution of gaming revenues to support public projects.