City Council awards more than $4.8 million to 21 Reading nonprofits

Sep. 14—City Council voted to allocate more than $4.8 million in American Recovery Plan Act funds to 21 Reading nonprofits.

Action was taken at a special meeting Tuesday on a series of ordinances that will distribute the funds to support community needs.

Council voted on each of the nonprofits individually, rather than as a group, to allow those with real or perceived conflicts of interest to abstain.

Before the voting got underway, Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz thanked all who worked on the grant process.

Council agreed in March on the mayor's recommendation to reserve $5 million for grants to nonprofit agencies.

Goodman-Hinnershitz served on the special committee created to review applications for the funding.

"It was a new experience for the city," she said, "and it was an opportunity to bring together and strengthen community partners."

The councilwoman asked grant recipients to work together for the good of the community, particularly on youth services and violence prevention initiatives.

"As the mayor often says 'it's the synergy that's really going to make this happen,'" she said. "There's going to be a lot of opportunity for synergy."

The decision-making process was painful at times, Goodman-Hinnershitz said, noting one applicant likened the review to the business reality TV show "Shark Tank."

Some council members earlier had expressed concerns about the fairness of the process, after discovering at least two applications, including that of Opportunity House, were lost in the shuffle.

"I certainly won't be willing to act on anything until I have absolute assurance every nonprofit in the city had the ability (to apply) and was contacted individually to submit applications," Councilwoman Donna Reed said at the time.

Council learned later that the North Second Street shelter's application and at least one other had been sent to the wrong email address.

There was little discussion and few comments Tuesday as council moved quickly through the agenda.

However, Reed took a moment to thank Michael H. Reese, president of the Million Youth Chess Club, for his and the organization's work with young people.

"This is the one I'm proudest to vote on," she said. "It would be hard for me to say enough praises for him and what he's done."

Before voting on the Berks Latino Chamber of Commerce, Councilman Christopher Daubert thanked two clients of the chamber, who shared testimonies during the public comment period.

Although he already knew how he would vote, Daubert said, their stories could be extremely motivational to others in the community.

"Your voices and your stories," he said, "that's power. They have power, and I encourage you to just continue sharing."

Daubert cast the sole nay vote of the meeting, voting against funding for the Hope Rescue Mission.

During discussions at earlier meetings, the councilman had expressed reservations due to the mandatory religious services clients of the mission are required to attend.

There were several abstentions due to conflicts of interests between council members and some nonprofits.

Daubert and Council President Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz abstained from voting on funding of $200,000 for I-LEAD Charter School due to unspecified conflicts of interest.

The Reading School Board in 2016 revoked the charter for the school, opened in 2011, leading to a series of legal battles.

The school's former building at 401 Penn St. is now owned by Alvernia University and is known as the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne.

After learning Olivet Boys & Girls Club was awarded $404,500, Christopher Winters, president and CEO of the club, issued a statement thanking the Moran administration and council.

"These funds will be reinvested in our sites and operations to provide much-needed safety and security and quality opportunities and resources for the young people of our community," Winters said in the statement. "We thank Mayor Moran, Council President Cepeda-Freytiz and the entire City Council for their unwavering support of our passionate and dedicated efforts to provide safe and secure facilities and programming for our youth."

Additional allocations are anticipated in the coming weeks, Reed said.

Reading received $61 million from the plan passed by Congress last year and signed by President Joe Biden.

The city has until the end of 2024 to allocate the funds and until the end of 2026 to spend the funds.

Allocations approved Tuesday by City Council include:

—Berks Community Health Center, $400,000

—Berks History Center, $20,000

—Berks Latino Chamber of Commerce, $200,000

—CARE Inc., $200,000

—Daniel Torres Hispanic Center, $500,000

—Goggleworks Center for the Arts, $500,000

—Habitat for Humanity of Berks County, $500,000

—Hope Rescue Mission, $500,000

—I-LEAD Charter School, $200,000

—Olivet Boys and Girls Club, $404,500

—Neighborhood Housing Service, $200,000

—New Journey Community Outreach, $125,000

—Million Youth Chess Club, $5,820

—Prospectus Berco, $200,000

—Reading Pride Celebration, $50,000

—Reading Symphony Orchestra, $100,000

—The Real Deal, 610, $50,000

—Salvation Army, $100,000

—Star City Boxing Co., $215,963

—The Village of Reading, $143,600

—YMCA of Reading and Berks County, $200,000

Total, $4,814,883.