Slag must go to the borough for the disorganization surrounding the first Phoenixville Fury collegiate bicycle race last Saturday. The Phoenix did print a couple of articles leading up to the event, but sadly, a number of people do not read their hometown newspaper every day, so they were caught unprepared. It’s true that Anthony DiGirolomo, a major proponent of the race, was fired as borough manager in January, but is that enough of an excuse, two months later, for the lack of advance communication from officials to residents and merchants about the upcoming high-traffic (and full parking) event? Should everyone wonder what other events may be looming on the horizon, unheralded because of the apparent lack of institutional memory? Some sort of formal advance-notification procedure needs to be put in place for every event like this.
Steel thanks go to the Phoenix Property Group for helping Phoenixville Borough and Community Development Corp. by allowing the parking on parcel N of the steel site for the Phoenixville Fury bike race last weekend (and thanks to an alert reader for providing this tip).
Steel congratulations go to the event itself — hundreds of people showed up despite the rain.
Steel thanks go to race organizers who changed the format to criterium style (looped) rather than the long road race that had been planned, due to heavy rain. This made the event much safer for everyone. Steel salutes are also due to police and fire personnel who helped keep any major accidents from happening.
Steel good wishes go to Markels Roberts, owner of the new Diving Cat Studio on Bridge Street. She had a soft opening on March 1 and will build up to a grand opening on the April 4 First Friday.
Steel congratulations go to the Phoenixville Jaycees for their first date auction last Saturday, which successfully raised more than $1,000.
Steel thanks go to borough council for taking the next step on Tuesday toward establishing a parking authority. The ordinance to do so will be debated and possibly undergo a final vote on April 15. It’s been a slow process, which is reasonable given the matter at hand, but what a relief it is to see progress, after so many years of complaints with no action being taken! And yes, Kendrick Buckwalter, the borough definitely has a parking problem, as anyone who tries to get here during a big event can testify. It may not be a parking crisis, but to belittle the situation as an “inconvenience” is to ignore the cumulative effects brought about by years of revitalization, with a few too many parking-spot waivers for developers. It’s good that a lot more people want to visit here these days, but they need to actually stop in for a few hours, not just drive through wishing they could have found a space.
Steel congratulations go to Kathleen Loux, who was named Practicioner of the Year by the Childhood Education Coalition of Chester County, and to her co-worker at Magic Memories Child Development Center in Schuylkill Township, Jeanna Rittengaugh, who received honorable mention.
Finally, Steel good wishes go to Melanie Quinn, who is leaving today for a three-year mission to Botswana. With the help of her church, Hope Community Fellowship, she has been fund-raising for over two years in preparation for her trip to work with a youth group and teach about AIDS prevention, and how to care for those afflicted. We wish her good luck in her good works.

Posted by
Patricia Matson