City Council weighs future of historic preservation in Reading<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cIt suggests our concerns are being taken seriously,\u201d he said, \u201cbut a consultant cannot replace consistent oversight, qualified city staff and a functioning historic preservation process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wright urged officials to make preservation procedures clearer and more accessible without sacrificing protections that encourage homeowners to invest in historic properties.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistoric preservation isn\u2019t only about buildings,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the people who care and choose to make these neighborhoods whole, and the stories these neighborhoods tell about our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carolyn Bazik, another Centre Park resident, said preservation staffing is more than a budget consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistoric preservation is not simply a budget decision; it\u2019s a legal responsibility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bazik cited Chapter 295 of the City Code, which establishes the preservation officer\u2019s responsibilities, and urged council to obtain a legal opinion before making changes that could affect compliance with the ordinance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the preservation program needs improvement, then improve it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Andrew Boyd, also a Centre Park resident, said the proposed budget would reduce the preservation office from three full-time employees to one. He urged council to restore the endangered positions while updating the ordinance to comply with Pennsylvania\u2019s Historic District Act.<\/p>\n
Alexa Freyman, a local historian and president of the Foundation for the Reading Pagoda, said preserving the city\u2019s architectural character is essential to its economic future.<\/p>\n
\u201cReading will become an affordable, attractive destination for commuters from larger metropolitan areas, and affordability will bring them,\u201d Freyman said, noting the prospect of restored passenger rail service. \u201cBut Reading\u2019s uniqueness and charm will keep them here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council members acknowledged the concerns and expressed support for preservation.<\/p>\n
Councilman O. Christopher Miller said the speakers\u2019 comments demonstrated that historic districts contribute to more than architectural character.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we have strong neighborhoods and communities, we have a stronger city,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, the historic districts are a part of that puzzle of making the neighborhood stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Managing Director Jack Gombach said the administration was willing to involve preservation advocates in discussions about changes to the program, possibly through a joint city-community working group.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvocacy matters. Advocacy is important,\u201d Gombach said. \u201cI think we\u2019re all on the same page of what we want. We understand the benefit. It\u2019s just how we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gombach said job descriptions throughout City Hall are under review, along with the support provided to municipal boards and commissions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to discuss and involve the historic preservation community in our decision making as we go through this process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Council President Donna Reed also voiced strong support for protecting the city\u2019s historic neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see it thrive. I want it to continue for centuries to come,\u201d she said of Centre Park.<\/p>\n
Reed encouraged residents and the administration to work together on solutions.<\/p>\n
Council\u2019s grant approval authorizes the city to seek state funding but does not settle the staffing questions. Those decisions remain subject to the city\u2019s ongoing 2027 budget deliberations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"City Council voted Monday to pursue a $25,000 state grant to help improve Reading\u2019s historic preservation program. Council…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315530,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,857,182,139,28,736,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-315529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-essential-reading","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}