Conshy at the Crossroads Event – Panel to Discuss Redevelopment on April 14th

Below are details on an event we are helping to organize and promote. This type of event is something we have long considered doing, but just never got around to it. We were approached by the Conshohocken Revitalization Alliance (yes the organization leading the effort against the proposal for a convenience store and gas pumps at 12th and Fayette) about a similar concept and Conshy at the Crossroads grew out of that. This is not about the Wawa, but about the the overall issue of redevelopment going back decades, what the goals were and where Conshy stands today. 

Our role was to suggest topics, presenters and we invited one of the presenters directly. The Conshohocken Revitalization Alliance is providing funding to pay for the room, etc. We are not being paid for our support or participation. 

 

Three redevelopment experts will examine Conshohocken’s efforts to manage its evolution from an industrial river town into a thriving suburb April 14 at the first “Conshy at the Crossroads” community discussion.

Hosted by the Conshohocken Revitalization Alliance and MoreThanTheCurve.com, “Conshy at the Crossroads” is a public forum for people who live, work and play in the one-square-mile borough. It will be held in the ballroom at the Washington Fire Company No. 1, 36 West Elm Street, Conshohocken, at 7:00 p.m. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m.

Panelists will include Jerry Nugent, executive director of the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority; Michael Tolle, historian and author of What Killed Downtown?; and Ray Weinmann, president of The Weinmann Group, who helped to develop Conshohocken’s 25-acre Urban Renewal Area during the 1980s.

The conversation will be moderated by Naomi Starobin, editor of Keystone Crossroads, a statewide reporting collaborative led by WHYY that focuses on problems and opportunities facing Pennsylvania’s urban areas.

“The Keystone Crossroads team has held its own public forums in several of Pennsylvania’s cities that are emerging from their industrial pasts. People of these communities come together to talk about what they see as their cities struggle with redevelopment, budgets, infrastructure and education funding. There’s a synergy that emerges as people with different interests and perceptions have meaningful conversations about common challenges,” Starobin said. “We’ve seen that kind of ‘magic’ happen time and time again and Conshy at the Crossroads is a perfect place for the community to come together and talk about important issues.”

The panelists will discuss how Conshohocken redevelopment has changed over the past few decades and how it has managed the struggle to balance its growth and history.

“I’m thrilled that the Conshohocken Revitalization Alliance and MoreThanTheCurve.com are teaming up to offer our community a forum to come together to discuss some of the most important issues we face,” said Julian Miraglia, a Conshohocken business owner and long-time resident of the borough. “These two entities are proving to be powerful voices in the Conshohocken community.”

The April event is the first in a year-long series of “Conshy at the Crossroads” events that will focus on specific areas of the community’s evolution.

“The panels will focus on topics of conversation that I hear happening all of the time as I cover the community,” said Kevin Tierney, founder of MoreThanTheCurve.com. “It is a great opportunity for us to gain perspective on Conshohocken’s growth.” 

To RSVP or for more information, email ConshyCrossroads@gmail.com.