City Council has authorized applying for a state grant that would help stabilize and expand Reading\u2019s Police Youth Academy and another grant for improvements along Tulpehocken Creek.<\/p>\n
Council members unanimously approved submission of an application for $900,000 to the Commission on Crime and Delinquency.<\/p>\n
That grant would support the academy, a long-running program aimed at engaging city youth through public safety education and community service.<\/p>\n
The grant would not require a local match, officials said, noting additional details about the proposed use of the funds will be released if the grant is awarded.<\/p>\n
The academy has grown, City Manager Jack Gombach said, but lacks a permanent, centralized location.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve had a lot of success,\u201d he told council. \u201cHowever, they are a little transient right now. Sometimes you\u2019ll see them doing work in City Hall, working out in different locations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gombach said the city has applied for and received funding through the commission in the past and expressed confidence in the current application.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have gone after this grant in the past and have been successful, so we\u2019re feeling very confident about this application,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Council members praised the program\u2019s impact on youth and its evolution since its early years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a really good program,\u201d Council President Donna Reed said. \u201cI remember when we got it started and it\u2019s really grown since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reed described the academy as a way for students to gain a broader understanding of law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really good for the kids to understand what law enforcement can be and all the different facets of it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Gombach said the program benefits participants even if they do not chose to follow careers in law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt provides a positive structure for our youth,\u201d he said. \u201cIt provides a way for them to engage with the city overall, and begins exposure to what it means to be a good resident of our community. So we want to see this program expanded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Funded by the city\u2019s police department, the program serves students from eighth through 12th grades who attend school in the city, according to the Youth Academy handbook. Cadets participate in weekly meetings, classroom instruction, physical training and community service activities.<\/p>\n
The curriculum is modeled after elements of the Reading Police Academy and introduces participants to careers in law enforcement and criminal justice, while emphasizing leadership, discipline and teamwork, the handbook says.<\/p>\n
Gombach said the program, which historically partnered with the Olivet Boys & Girls Club, recently underwent restructuring and program changes. It is now rebuilding and formalizing relationships with the Reading School District, he said, and classes are held at a middle school location.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we get this grant,\u201d he said, \u201cwe can really start to formalize a lot of those agreements and expand that pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creek improvements<\/p>\n
Council also approved applying to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for a $78,425 grant for safety and habitat improvements along Tulpehocken Creek at Confluence Point Park.<\/p>\n
Matching funds would be provided from the Reading Conservation Corps.<\/p>\n
The corps mission is to steward the city\u2019s natural and built environment in partnership with the Reading Public Works Department and community partners.<\/p>\n
Managed by the Student Conservation Association and supported by Connections Work, the corps engages Reading residents ages 18 through 24 in hands-on conservation projects, such as invasive plant removal, tree planting, community garden maintenance, trail upkeep and litter abatement.<\/p>\n
Participants also receive professional development opportunities to prepare them for future careers in environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n
Applications are being accepted for the Reading Conservation Corps spring program.<\/p>\n
The seasonal positions are full time, and corps members are paid for their work.<\/p>\n
Participants also are eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award, which can be used to pay for educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs.<\/p>\n
For more information, email d.manning@thesca.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"City Council has authorized applying for a state grant that would help stabilize and expand Reading\u2019s Police Youth…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9070,"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":{"0":"post-93776","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reading","8":"tag-berks-county","9":"tag-essential-reading","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-reading","14":"tag-reading-city","15":"tag-reading-city-headlines","16":"tag-reading-city-news","17":"tag-top-stories-reg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93776","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=93776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}