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Residents urge caution on trail spending, push for Meals on Wheels support and propose 24‑hour childcare pilot
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Summary
Public commenters pressed commissioners on affordability and budget priorities: concerns about large trail expenditures and a dark-fiber IT item, appeals to preserve Meals on Wheels’ in‑home volunteer component during an RFP, and a pitch for a 24‑hour workforce-aligned childcare pilot in Pottstown.
During two public-comment periods at the April 23 meeting, residents raised several community concerns that commissioners and staff heard but did not action at the meeting.
Budget and trails: David Morgan (Ambler) questioned whether multi-million-dollar trail expenditures and a roughly $400,000 dark-fiber IT entry fit affordability priorities given recent tax increases; he noted one trail line has an 80% federal match but urged caution about the county’s share.
Meals on Wheels: Denise Pottinger urged the board to preserve the in‑home, volunteer contact element of Meals on Wheels as the county moves to an RFP. Pottinger, who said she formerly worked in senior services, warned that delivery-only models can increase isolation and that some seniors need volunteers to enter homes to check on well-being.
Child care proposal: Arianna Rumley, founder of ARICares Child Care Center, proposed a 24‑hour, workforce‑aligned child-care model and said Pennsylvania loses about $6 billion annually because of childcare shortages; she asked for county connections to funding and support for a pilot in Pottstown.
Data-center water concerns and other claims: Public commenters also raised questions about data-center water use and resilience planning. One commenter provided illustrative figures for data-center water consumption and suggested the county study closed-loop cooling and planning measures. Another commenter raised several claims about pharmaceuticals and treatments; those were comments and not board findings.
Board response and process: Commissioners acknowledged the concerns, noted that the Meals on Wheels RFP will seek multiple vendors to preserve choice, and offered to connect ARICares’ founder with staff in early childhood and commerce. The board emphasized that some land-use and utility regulation falls to the state; county role is largely education and coordination when authority is limited.
Next steps: Staff will proceed with the RFP for Meals on Wheels and county teams offered follow-up contacts for child-care and data-center inquiries.
