MOVING READING FORWARD: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND COMPLETION OF ADMINISTRATION

Mayor Vaughn Spencer met with the media on May 24th in City Council Chambers to give a progress report on initiatives implemented by his Administration.  “We’ve accomplished quite a bit since we started in January and I want to make sure the public is brought up to speed on what we’ve accomplished and what we’re about to do,” said Spencer.  He mentioned the formation of the Sustainability and Initiative Compliance Committees which include input from members of all sectors of the community, his improved outreach to citizens through community meetings and social media, and modernization of the Human Resources office through a job classification study and subsequent re-establishment of evaluations to improve accountability and performance of the City workforce. Police Chief Bill Heim provided updates from the Police Department like the opening of the new Firing Range on Fritz’s Island, the addition of more security cameras, and a new telephone system for the Police Communications Center.  The Mayor also took the opportunity to introduce the new Chief of Fire and Emergency Services, Dave Hollinger, who started on June 1st to replace the retiring Acting Chief Jeffrey Squibb.  “I’m happy to be back in Reading and look forward to working for the Mayor and the citizens of Reading,” stated Hollinger. Finally, the Mayor announced his nominee for Managing Director, Carole Snyder, and his nominee for Administrative Services Director, Matthew Bembenick, both of whom have been approved by City Council.  He also announced the appointment of Nechelle Oxendine as Human Resources manager.

FRESH PRODUCE FOR SALE: PENN ST. MARKET OPENS

The Penn Street Market is now open every Friday at 10:30 a.m. on Penn St. between 8th and 9th Streets. The open air market, which features fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, baked goods, dairy products and more, is a joint project between the City of Reading, the County of Berks, and Berks Agricultural Resource Network, a non-profit organization.

Mayor Vaughn Spencer was on hand for the first day of the Market, which opened at its current location in 2010. “This is great to have in the downtown business district and gives all who live and work in Reading a chance to support local farmers,” said Spencer. “There has been an open air Farmer’s Market on Penn St. since the 1700’s, and we are committed to having the Market here, and appreciate the partnership with Berks County and the Berks Agricultural Resource Network, and look forward to making it bigger and better every year.  If you add in the entertainment, it’s a great reason to walk down to Penn St. on a Friday.”

The Penn Street Market is an initiative to bring fresh, local produce back into the urban center. The Market is open on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and runs through October 5th. Each Friday there will be entertainment as well as a featured restaurant of the week from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Other support for the market has come from the City of Reading, the Reading Redevelopment Authority, the Reading Hospital and Medical Center, the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce, and the Reading Downtown Improvement District.

COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF NEW YORK ANNOUNCES $50,000 GRANT FOR READING TO FIGHT POVERTY

Mayor Vaughn Spencer announced recently his “Mayor’s Partnership For a Cleaner City” initiative.  This program is a partnership with hundreds of invited nonprofit organizations and Reading Beautification, Inc. to conduct 100 clean ups around the city as well as commitments from these non profits to adopt a park or block of a street for sustained clean ups. 

This initiative is part of the Mayor’s S.I.L.O.T. Program, or Services In Lieu Of Taxes, an alternate to his recently announced P.I.L.O.T. Program, or Payments In Lieu Of Taxes, a program where nonprofits that own property in the city offer a payment to help defray the cost of the services they receive from the City.

The Mayor sent out approximately 240 letters to nonprofits asking them to participate in this program as an alternative to participating in the P.I.L.O.T.  Program.  “Some nonprofits are struggling financially and may not be able to offer a payment, so we think this a good alternative where they can give back to the City with a valuable service and at the same time help clean up their neighborhood, keeping on-track my initiative for clean and safe.  Cleaner neighborhoods lead to safer ones,” said the Mayor.

READING GETTING SAFER: 18 NEW POLICE OFFICERS START

Police Chief William Heim announced on June 5th that 18 new police officers have started their field training after graduating from the Reading Police Academy on Friday, June 1^st.   They were administered their oaths of office by Mayor Vaughn Spencer.  “I got a chance to meet them at the Academy,” said Mayor Spencer.  “They’re a fine group of officers and I wish them luck in their careers, and I’m proud to have them as part of our department,” he added.

The officers will now undergo months of field training under the watchful eyes of seasoned police officers. They will work different shifts and patrol all parts of the city during their orientation period, typically lasting about four months.  During this time they will have the opportunity to put their academy studies into practical use by meeting residents, investigating crimes, performing traffic stops, and making arrests. 

Chief Heim related that this group of recruits did well in the academy, and expectations are high for their future performance. “We are very glad to have these officers on the streets in time for summer,” Chief Heim said. “The extra police presence in our neighborhoods will help keep everyone safe.” 

MAYOR COORDINATES PENN CORRIDOR EFFORTS

Mayor Vaughn Spencer has announced his commitment to revitalizing downtown Reading and the Penn Corridor with a plan that includes creating a task force for Downtown which will be a partnership between the Spencer Administration and the Downtown Improvement District.  Their first action will be applying for Main Street Designation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which will allow the City to receive state funding to support the effort. 

“My administration has made downtown revitalization a priority and I am committed to creating an environment that supports existing businesses, and sets the foundation for new ones to open and prosper,” said the Mayor.  “Most importantly, our efforts will focus on fostering a clean, safe and vibrant downtown that is inviting to locals and visitors alike.”

The task force will be made up of five committees:  the Organization Committee (chaired by the Mayor along with the Downtown Improvement District and Community Development Director Lenin Agudo); the Promotion Committee; the Design Committee; the Safe, Clean and Green Committee; and the Community Enhancement Committee.

The second part of the plan is a partnership with the Department of Community Development and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.  “My administration is prepared to provide the coordination and technical support necessary for the success of these five committees. We will achieve this via our Community Development Department and our partners at the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. A few weeks ago we met and secured their support as part of our venture to foster a vibrant downtown Reading.  We will not duplicate the efforts of the many community groups who are already doing their part, but we will act as coordinators and supporters of these initiatives so the City can apply for Main Street Designation,” stated the Mayor.

The third part of the plan is appointing a manager of the Main Street Program, which will be the Downtown Improvement District.  “Due to their proven track record in supporting downtown revitalization efforts, my administration will empower and support the Downtown Improvement District to become the Main Street Program Manager,” added Spencer.

The Mayor also asked for volunteers, business owners and community leaders to join the five committees and stated the importance of everyone working together to achieve this goal of an improved and thriving Penn Corridor.

COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF NEW YORK ANNOUNCES $50,000 GRANT FOR READING TO FIGHT POVERTY

Mayor Vaughn Spencer attended a news conference on June 14^th where the Collegiate Church of New York, along with Odyssey Networks, announced they will co-produce Christmas in Reading:  A Community Celebration, a one-hour CBS Network television special that will be aired on Christmas Eve.  The program, which will take place at Hope Lutheran Church, will “celebrate the true spirit of Christmas and the unique character of the community of Reading,” according to Odyssey.

The Collegiate church also announced it will match the production grant of $50,000 with comparable funds to local organizations to help sustain their efforts to alleviate poverty in Reading.

“We appreciate the grant money, it’s a generous offer,” said Mayor Spencer.  “We have several organizations in the City who can use it for their programs.  This TV special will show the true character of our city.  We are a diverse community, but we are a strong community, and a community on the rise.”

“We did not want to just come into town, shoot the Christmas Eve special, and then leave,” said the Rev. Robert Chase, one of five Senior Ministers of the Collegiate Church.  “We wanted to offer a lasting benefit to the people of Reading as they courageously work together to fight the economic realities that have been thrust upon them.”

The Collegiate Church has set up the site readingpalove.org to accept grant requests from organizations in Reading who seek funding for initiatives such as providing shelter, fighting hunger and supporting education.  The submission deadline is November 1, 2012.  The grant recipients will be announced at the Christmas in Reading premier on December 11, 2012.

SPENCER AND SCIBAK SLAM ROMNEY FOR RECORD AS GOVERNOR

Mayor Spencer joined special guest Massachusetts State Representative John Scibak at the Obama For America Headquarters on N. 5^th St. recently to review Mitt Romney’s poor record as Governor of Massachusetts.  “He didn’t deliver for Massachusetts, and he won’t deliver for Reading, or Pennsylvania, or the nation,” said Scibak.

Scibak pointed out that during Romney’s term, Massachusetts lost 40,000 manufacturing jobs and dropped from 36^th to 47^th in the country in job creation.  “Do we want to bring Mitt Romney back and do the same thing to Pennsylvania and the other 49 states that he did to Massachusetts?” asked Scibak.

“We need to bring job creation and economic development to Reading to turn around our economy,” said Mayor Spencer.  “We also need to focus on education so the next generation is prepared to enter the work force.  Romney’s economic policy didn’t work, and job creation got worse in Massachusetts under his watch.  These are the things that Reading and Pennsylvania need, and we need someone who understands what is needed to build the middle class.”

 “Here’s a Representative from his state telling us how bad of a Governor he was,” added Spencer. “The economy and unemployment rate is slowly rising thanks to President Obama.   He’s trying to clean up the mess the Republicans left him.  Mitt Romney couldn’t help one state, so how is he going to help the other 49 states?” concluded Spencer.