Pottstown, Norristown big winners in Montco’s COVID relief spending plan

More than one-quarter of all Montgomery County’s $151.4 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funds will be spent in just two of the county’s 68 municipalities — boroughs that together represent just 7% of the county population, according to the draft plan released last week.

Those municipalities are Norristown and Pottstown, with Norristown projects getting $20 million, Pottstown projects getting $14 million and an additional $7 million allocated to programs that will benefit both, according to Tom Bonner, the county’s recovery officer.

Project proposals were vetted based not only on whether they would have otherwise occurred if not for the stimulus funds, but they also were selected “with a lens of equity” aiming at the county’s areas that are most in need, resulting in a big boost to Pottstown and Norristown.

The source of all this funding is the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which issued $1.9 trillion in stimulus funds nationwide. Montgomery County received $161.4 million, which must be spent by the end of 2026.

The draft plan allocates $32.4 million to housing projects, including new construction and short-term transition housing, an additional $28 million to community services and facilities, and $25.6 million toward county operations, including pay for essential workers, with smaller allocations earmarked for uses in behavioral health, economic and workforce development, public health, child care, food security and nonprofit support categories.

And some of the projects are slated to receive a big boost from taxpayer-funded public dollars.

Perhaps the largest project in the two boroughs is $7 million for a new community center in Norristown. No location for that project has been announced yet, or who would occupy it, or what would happen there. .

Emma Hertz, strategy director with the county’s Recovery Office, explained how a project with no budget, no location, no program, no partners and no tenants ended up on the receiving end of $7 million in federal funding.

“Throughout its 10-month community engagement process, the county Recovery Office heard consistently and repeatedly from Norristown municipality residents that county [COVID-recovery] dollars should invest in both community services and recreation and in a central ‘hub’ facility providing shared space for their operation,” she said.

"The Recovery Office received 33 project submissions totaling $54.75 million for community-based services and recreation. Of those, 17 projects comprising $38.8 million requested funding for facility construction and/or improvements to provide operating space for services and programs," Hertz said.

So rather than picking and choosing from among them, the county wants to see whether it can accommodate them.

The largest grant awarded in Pottstown is the $5.5 million to YWCA Tri-County Area for a project described as “Collaborative Opportunity Centers for Leadership, Health & Education Equity: A case for placed-based investments to improve systemic disparities and revitalize communities.” The organization asked for $28.4 million.

Also significant in Pottstown is $1.3 million for a year-round “emergency transitional shelter.”

The Montgomery County Commissioners are expected to vote to make the plan final, with any changes, at their Aug. 18 meeting. The commissioners have sole authority to adopt the plan as is recommended, or make changes and add or subtract projects outside the administration's recommendations.

MediaNews Group staff writer Dan Sokil contributed to this article.