Funding Sought For New Phoenixville Rec Center, Fire Station

PHOENIXVILLE, PA -- Local leaders are working to gain support for a proposed new senior center, a combo fire station-recreation center, and a transit center.

Both State Rep. Warren Kampf (R-Chester/Montgomery) and State Rep. Becky Corbin (R-East Brandywine) have presented a pair of projects for funding to Harrisburg.

"Over the last 20 years, the Borough of Phoenixville has undergone very significant changes and growth," Kampf wrote in a statement. "Population has increased, the downtown bustles with retail, restaurants and new multi-family developments, and what was once a struggling former manufacturing town has transformed itself."

Kampf's office added that State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester) also supports the project, giving it bipartisan support.

Funding would come through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

Lawmakers noted that increased population has meant more and more people driving, increasing area traffic. A multi-modal transportation plan would incorporate more parking, public transit, additional trails, and other projects to make the area more walkable and bikeable.

"As Phoenixville has transformed into a thriving suburban town that serves residents from throughout the region, the need for capital improvements has increased," Corbin said in a statement. "The Phoenixville Fire Department is in serious need of a new building given that its current home is more than one hundred years old. A multi-modal center with additional parking would alleviate some of the congestion and parking problems residents, merchants, and commuters face."

Officials are hoping for an $8.3 million grant for the fire station and recreation and senior center, plus $4.2 million for the transit center.

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