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Upcoming Events
Jul
24
July 2411:30 am – 01:00 pm
Community Forum Program | Reading’s Sustainability Strategy
The City of Reading envisions a community that is clean, healthy and prosperous, a place where all people can live, learn, work and play. The city’s Sustainability plan is built on six pillars: clean energy, mobility, reducing waste, clean reliable water, supporting public health and fostering community development. This effort has fostered a more walkable city and enhanced greenways and public spaces. It supported the installation of a number of electric vehicle stations. Most recently, the Sustainability division is working on an $18M project to install energy saving LED lighting at operational and public facilities around the city, eliminating heating oil and natural gas for heating at five facilities by switching to high-efficiency heat pumps, and installing several solar canopies on city buildings to provide solar energy. Reading is also working with Green Building Alliance (GBA), an organization based in Pittsburgh, that assists property owners and developers to assess their buildings as they plan to develop or rehabilitate their facilities, making them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The City of Reading and GBA have partnered to kick off the Resilient Reading project, with support from the Met-Ed Sustainable Energy Fund of Berks County Community Foundation and Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund of Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Resilient Reading will offer toolkits, educational roundtables, and technical assistance from GBA to area professionals in commercial and community property development, as well as members of neighborhood development groups. Join us to learn about this work.
via Zoom
Jun
5
June 509:00 am – 10:30 am
Community Forum Program | Spotlight Pa
Spotlight PA is non-partisan source of investigative journalism and a collaborative resource for newsrooms across the Commonwealth. It is journalism that gets results. At a time when news sources are disappearing or shrinking, Spotlight PA offers a way to get the important news that you need. Spotlight PA launched their first regional bureau in State College, providing important news about the North Central region of the state. They are now launching a regional office in Berks County which will focus on important issues and concerns in our region. Join us for this important in-person Community Forum and learn more from Chris Baxter, CEO and President of Spotlight PA, and Lisa Scheid, Berks County Managing Editor. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; the program will begin at 9:00 a.m.
John R. Post Center at Reading College Towne
401 Penn Street, Reading PA 19601
May
22
May 2211:30 am – 01:00 pm
Crime In Berks County: Addressing Gun Violence
In 2023, there were 20 homicides in Berks County, 17 of which occurred in the City of Reading. In 2022, there were 23 homicides in Berks, 15 of which occurred in Reading. Gun violence and these shootings contributed to a negative image of our region. In 2024, the incidence of homicides dropped by 40%. Berks District Attorney John Adams attributed this decline in part to the creation of task forces focused on gun violence. The City of Reading Neighborhood Gun Violence Detail, the County Office of Probation and Parole Firearms Suppression Unit, and the District Attorney’s Gun Crime Unit collaborated to focus on reducing gun violence. Other community organizations are supporting these efforts to reduce gun violence. Reading Hospital, with support from the state government, has created a Trauma Violence Recovery Program. There is more work to be done. Join us to learn more about what is being done to combat gun violence from District Attorney John Adams, Dan Heydt, the head of Berks Probation and Parole, and Elias Vazquez, Reading Police Chief. .
Via Zoom
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