Real Wyomissing Boro

09/03/2026

SEPTEMBER COUNCIL MEETING RESCHEDULED
The September Council meeting has been moved from Tuesday, September 8, to Wednesday, September 16, at 7:00 p.m.

We’ll share the meeting documents when they are made public.

09/02/2026

🚨 GOVERNMENT BY CONTRACT: $823,708 IN SEVEN MONTHS

From January through July, Wyomissing’s check registers show $823,708 paid to outside consultants and outsourced-government providers.

Nearly half a million dollars went to just three firms:

👉 Kraft Municipal Group — $201,501
👉 McCarthy Engineering — $181,690
👉 Transcend Finance — $115,995

Together, those three received more than 60% of the total shown.

*(These are gross check-register payments; reimbursements have not been deducted.)*

⚠️ IMPORTANT CONTEXT: THIS RELIANCE PREDATES THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.

It is a long-running operating model that the Borough now has an opportunity to change. Inherited does not mean untouchable.

Kraft handles code enforcement, property maintenance and residential zoning—including grass and w**d violations. McCarthy handles engineering, developer review and commercial zoning. Transcend provides interim finance and management.

‼️ These are core municipal functions commonly performed by public employees.

Consultants can serve a legitimate purpose when their work is specialized, focused and temporary, or when they are rebuilding systems and staff capacity. But every engagement should have a clear mandate, measurable results and an exit plan.

Residents deserve a monthly outside-services ledger showing each firm’s purpose, rate, contract term, deliverables, reimbursements, milestones, anticipated end date and cost comparison with qualified in-house staff.

🔴 THE BOTTOM LINE:

Temporary expertise? Yes. ✅

PERMANENT GOVERNMENT FOR PRIVATE PROFIT? NO. ❌

Consultants should solve a defined problem, build public capacity and leave—not become the permanent workforce for routine municipal government.

09/01/2026

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING CANCELLED
STATE HILL REMAINS PENDING

The Borough says the August 31 Planning Commission meeting was cancelled because of “a lack of member availability” and the inability to establish a quorum. No new date has been confirmed.

Because no meeting occurred, the overlay rewrite did not advance and the proposed development at 1714 State Hill Road was not heard.

The Borough’s cancellation announcement explains the overlay process at length—but does not mention State Hill Road.

Many residents had already gathered at Borough Hall specifically for that proposal. Yet Monday’s packet contained no State Hill application, plans, traffic study or other supporting materials.

Before residents are asked to return, the Borough should publish the documents the Planning Commission will be reviewing.

Real Wyomissing Boro will share the new date and packet when they are released.

08/30/2026

READING TO NEW YORK ON THE SAME TRAIN
What SRPRA’s Latest Update Says

SRPRA Executive Director Tom Frawley confirmed to Real Wyomissing Boro on August 26 that the Phase 1 plan calls for three daily Reading–Philadelphia round trips to continue to New York as true “one-seat rides.”

Passengers would not have to change trains in Philadelphia, and the New York service is intended to begin with Phase 1.

Frawley also shared a new SRPRA fact sheet dated August 25. It says the initial service could include up to seven daily Reading–Philadelphia round trips, three of which would continue to New York.

OTHER DETAILS FROM THE UPDATE

👉 Current plans include stops in Reading, Pottstown and Phoenixville. Norristown may be added, depending on the route selected between King of Prussia and Philadelphia.
👉 Fares have not been determined, but SRPRA is assuming prices comparable to Amtrak’s Keystone Service.
👉 Phase 2 could add more service between Reading, Philadelphia and New York. Longer-term possibilities include extensions toward Harrisburg and Allentown.
👉 In June 2026, SRPRA and Amtrak signed a memorandum of understanding identifying Amtrak as the proposed operator of the service.

WHERE DOES THE PROJECT ACTUALLY STAND?

SRPRA has completed Step 1 of the federal Corridor Identification and Development Program and says it is awaiting formal obligation of funds for its Step 2 grant. While waiting, SRPRA and Amtrak have already begun selected Step 2 work.

SRPRA’s website currently targets the start of service by 2030. That is a planning target—not a scheduled or guaranteed opening date. The final route, required infrastructure, capital cost, construction funding and operating agreements remain to be developed.

The August 25 SRPRA fact sheet is attached in the pinned comment.

Would a no-transfer train from Reading to New York make you more likely to use passenger rail?

08/30/2026

RED CARPET FOR ABRAMS?
THE RESEMBLANCE IS THE STORY

On Monday at 3:30 p.m., the Wyomissing Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to recommend a sweeping rewrite of the existing Commercial/Industrial Redevelopment Overlay.

👉 If a zoning rewrite walks like the Abrams concept, quacks like Abrams’s financing needs and arrives immediately before the publicly reported September closing window, residents are entitled to ask:

‼️ Is Wyomissing creating a general redevelopment framework—or rolling out a red carpet for one prospective buyer?

The Commission is not voting on an Abrams plan. It is voting on a framework that any qualifying owner could later use. But that does not explain why this particular framework so closely resembles Abrams’s publicly described concept.

Consider the public sequence:

👉 In January, Mayor Fred Levering reported that the Berkshire Mall redevelopment might require a zoning overlay.
👉 Later that month, Peter Abrams described demolishing most of the mall and adding large retail anchors, fuel sales, grocery and fulfillment operations, medical and fitness uses, and multiple standalone buildings. The official minutes said more detailed drawings would be prepared for zoning review and “for the lender.”
👉 In June, Levering said he had been verbally told that closing was expected in September. He also said Abrams needed financing supported by a sufficient roster of tenants.

Now comes a rewrite that permits:

• Warehouse clubs, superstores, groceries and fuel stations
• Drive-throughs, medical offices and fitness uses
• Multiple buildings and separately owned pads
• “Financial subdivision” expressly for financing and separate ownership
• Shared roads, parking, utilities and stormwater
• A mandatory owners association to manage those shared facilities

These are legitimate redevelopment tools.

🚨 They also closely match the uses and ownership structure Abrams publicly described—and the financing needs later reported for his project.

None of this proves a secret agreement or improper promise.

But the fact that the ordinance would be available to any qualifying owner does not answer the central questions:

1. What independent planning analysis produced this particular redevelopment model?
2. Which provisions, if any, were requested by Abrams or his representatives?
3. Has Abrams—or a prospective lender—indicated that financing or closing depends upon favorable zoning?

Monday, August 31
3:30 p.m.
Wyomissing Borough Hall

The Planning Commission’s vote is advisory. Final action belongs to Borough Council.

08/23/2026

ABRAMS AFFILIATE SEEKS DAMAGES
THE EXTON WARNING FOR WYOMISSING

ARD Exton Square, an Abrams affiliate, is asking the court to approve its 718-unit redevelopment Master Plan.

But the complaint asks for something else, too:

‼️ “COUNT II: DAMAGES”

ARD claims that each day of delay adds “significant carrying costs and other expenses” and seeks damages in addition to approval.

Important context:

👉 The complaint states no dollar amount.
👉 No damages have been awarded.
👉 These are ARD’s claims—not findings by the judge.

For Wyomissing, it is another reason the redevelopment rules should be clear before a formal application arrives. A land-use dispute can become a fight over both approval and money.

We are placing the relevant complaint page in the comments.

08/22/2026

EXTON MALL LAWSUIT: NO RULING ON WHO WINS—AND A LESSON FOR WYOMISSING

Real Wyomissing paid $188.25 to obtain the Chester County court filings in the Exton Square Mall case filed by ARD Exton Square, an Abrams affiliate.

The first important clarification is simple:

‼️ Judge Sarah B. Black has not yet ruled on who wins.

The dispute, in plain English:

👉 West Whiteland’s supervisors denied ARD’s 718-unit mixed-use master plan. ARD says the plan complied with the zoning rules in effect when it was filed.
👉 The Township says it could still deny the plan based on density, traffic, sewer capacity and demands on public services.
👉 Even if ARD wins, detailed engineering and construction approvals would still have to follow.

Exton demonstrates why timing matters:

👉 Wyomissing officials said on August 11 that no official Berkshire Mall redevelopment plan had been filed.
👉 At the same time, the Borough is considering the zoning rules that would govern redevelopment.
👉 Once a formal application is filed, the rules already in place may shape what Council can require later.

🚨 For Wyomissing, the lesson is simple: set clear rules before an application arrives.

We will continue reporting on the Exton case in understandable pieces and will make key public court filings available for readers who want to examine the source documents themselves.

08/21/2026

🚨 West Nile Virus Warning 👇

The Berks County Conservation District has notified the Borough that a mosquito sample collected in Wyomissing has tested positive for West Nile Virus.

At this time, the risk of transmission remains fairly low. The County’s mosquito control team will be conducting additional larval and adult mosquito surveillance in the area to help reduce the potential spread of the virus. If continued virus activity is detected, an adult mosquito control treatment may become necessary.

Residents can help by taking a few simple precautions:
• Limit time outdoors between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are especially active.
• Wear long sleeves, long pants and closed-toe shoes when possible.
• Use an EPA-registered insect repellent and follow the product directions.
• Check your property for standing water and empty it regularly—including birdbaths, buckets, wheelbarrows, children’s toys, flowerpots and other containers where water can collect.

Even small amounts of standing water can provide a place for mosquitoes to breed, so taking a few minutes to walk around your property can make a difference.

The Borough will continue to share additional information from the Berks County Conservation District as it becomes available.

For more information about mosquito control and West Nile Virus prevention, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Mosquito-borne Disease Control Program.

Stay Informed. Stay Involved. Stay Connected.

08/19/2026

DEVELOPING: DROWNING UNDER INVESTIGATION IN WYOMISSING

The Wyomissing Police Department and Berks County District Attorney’s Office are jointly investigating a drowning at a residence in the 1400 block of Cleveland Avenue.

According to the official release, officers responded at approximately 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 18, after a neighbor reported finding an individual floating in the property’s swimming pool.

No identity or further circumstances have been released. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Wyomissing Police at 610-375-6102.

‼️ Out of respect for those involved, please avoid identifying residents or speculating in the comments.

The complete official release is attached. A link to the original Wyomissing Police/DA release is in the comments.

08/16/2026

REALWYO RECORDS | A $1.35 MILLION CHECK WITHOUT AN INVOICE?

Wyomissing’s 2025 audited financial statements show $1.35 million transferred into the General Fund:

• $400,000 from Water
• $750,000 from Sewer
• $200,000 from Refuse

These were described as overhead transfers. In plain English, the equivalent of an invoice would be a cost-allocation calculation showing what expenses actually belonged to each utility—and how each amount was determined.

‼️ The current financial team says it has not located the calculation supporting the $1.7 million budgeted for 2026.

That does not prove the 2025 calculation never existed. It makes its production essential: if the $1.35 million was documented, publish that work and show how it became $1.7 million.

👉 Both the 2025 transfer and the 2026 increase predate Interim Borough Manager Eden Ratliff. He and the current financial team inherited this issue.

The question remains:

⁉️ What supporting work did the auditor inspect regarding the $1.35 million transfer?

Show the calculation.

Sources: Borough of Wyomissing 2025 audited financial statements and public meeting recordings from April 9, June 4 and August 11, 2026.