The stolen ‘Welcome to Kutztown’ sign has been replaced thanks to a donation from a Maxatawny Township apartments developer.
‘Welcome to Kutztown, A Most Agreeable Town,’ says the sign at the mini-park on Greenwich Street that welcomes people to Kutztown as they enter via Route 737.
‘It is a most agreeable town,’ said Gail Young, treasurer of the Woman’s Club of Kutztown. ‘It’s a great town to live in.’
The Woman’s Club of Kutztown co-presidents Young and Roxanne Moyer were more than pleased when the new Welcome to Kutztown sign was installed last week, replacing the one that had been stolen last year. Kutztown Borough Public Works installed and cemented the new sign June 24, in time for the start of the Kutztown Folk Festival.
‘I think it’s really a neat sign to have at this mini-park to welcome everybody to Kutztown,’ said Moyer.
Young and Moyer were really appreciative of Kutztown Borough to reinstall the sign. ‘They’ve been really cooperative,’ said Young.
Moyer was instrumental in initiating the installation of the original sign in fall 2008. The club, with contributions from the Kutztown Historical Society, Hobos, Rotary Club and Main Street Fund, commissioned the original sign from Rockland Signs at a cost of $1,876 in 2008.
After the sign had been stolen, the club pleaded for the sign’s safe return in a Kutztown Patriot article last year, but the sign was never found nor returned. Young told the Patriot last year that they did not have the funds to replace the sign.
‘We were devastated,’ said Moyer, during a recent interview in front of the new sign.
‘To steal property that belonged to the whole town, that was an insult,’ said Young.
Wanting to help, Advantage Point Apartments developer Greg Sarangoulis of GMI First Inc. in Reading donated funds to replace the sign. In July 2013, he had donated $4,000 to Kutztown Community Library and at the time asked if there was anything else he could do to help in the community. Discovering there was a need for the new sign, he donated the funds for Rockland Signs to create an identical replica of the original Welcome to Kutztown sign.
‘They were really upset when the other one went missing, so I think it’s very important to the borough,’ said Sarangoulis about replacing the sign. ‘I’m just trying to help out the community.’
‘It was very nice of Mr. Sarangoulis to step up,’ said Young.
‘We’re very happy’ to see the new sign up, said Moyer. ‘Especially in time for the folk festival,’ added Young.
‘I think when you work in a community as a developer you should be involved,’ Sarangoulis said. ‘We’re trying to do what we can. I’m looking forward to future involvement with the borough and township.’
Sarangoulis said he wants to contribute toward the community. Advantage Point Apartments in Maxatawny, with 337 units for student housing, will be built aside of Golden Bear Village South. He hopes construction will begin soon.
