Fleetwood Borough celebrated the official opening of its new Town Square, Fleetwood Walkway, at 28 W. Main St. with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 16.
“I’m excited to finally see this project completed. We started this eight or nine years ago. It was a long process. It was all done through grant money and we finally got to a finished product so I am thrilled,” Fleetwood Mayor Tammy Gore said. “This is our town center that we were lacking before. It’s a place where we can gather and have a Christmas tree and celebration. People can meet here and have a cup of coffee. I think it’s going to add to the business community.”
Gore said the Fleetwood Walkway connects parking at the old Tannery site to Main Street.
“I think it’s going to make Main Street a more viable, accessible location for people to use,” said Gore.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was held in conjunction with a Fall Pumpkin Fun Day hosted by the Fleetwood Recreation Board. Children were invited to wear their Halloween costumes and join in pumpkin decorating, Trick or Treating, giveaways and contests.
“This location, this is what it is meant for,” said Gore, while children Trick-or-Treated at tables set up by local businesses. “The children are here in their costumes and Trick or Treating where it’s safe and healthy and fun. Towns people are coming together. This is what this is meant for.”
The more than $200,000 project was funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and in cooperation with the Redevelopment Authority of Berks County, according to the event release.
“A wonderful cooperation and a team effort to put a very valuable public space in the middle of Fleetwood,” said Berks County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Kenneth Pick. “It adds to the downtown. It’ll be a wonderful addition, hopefully help revitalize (with) lots of activities in downtown Fleetwood.”
Berks County Redevelopment Authority Project Director Kathy Miller said this has been a great joint effort between the Redevelopment Authority, Fleetwood Borough and Olsen Design Group who all worked together to get a nice downtown space for public use like that day’s Pumpkin Fun Day.
“I’m really hoping this is going to be the start of lots activities here for the Borough,” said Miller.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony Lee Olsen from Olsen Design Group, Greenfield, said this project demonstrates cooperation from the Mayor, Council, Planning Commission, Olsen Design Group, DESCCO Design & Construction, Inc. in Fleetwood, and state representatives.
“We met with Council, we met with people who would use this. We did a lot of studies as to what makes the most sense and at the end of the day we found what we needed was a place to congregate, a public square which is not uncommon in many cities throughout the world,” said Olsen.
DESCCO Design & Construction, Inc., the general contractor, recently completed the project.
“We’re real happy to be involved in it because Fleetwood is our community. It is where my business is based,” said Nick Stoltzfus, president of DESCCO Design & Construction. “It’s where I live. It’s where my kids go to school. I went to school here. It was nice that we could do a project in our own backyard. That means a lot.”
Stoltzfus said a lot of their employees live in the Fleetwood community.
“It was a neat project for everyone in our company just because of it being so local.”
He said Fleetwood Walkway is going to be “the channel way between parking and Main Street. It’s a pretty space that can be used throughout the year. Bring food from restaurants to eat. It’s a nice addition to our community.”
Sen. Judy Schwank said, “It’s a great asset for the borough. We’ve always needed someplace to convene, to sit around and chat and in the center of the borough. We’ve never had a site like this before so I think it’s a very welcome project and one that the residents will likely use, too.”
