The idea of turning land with a history of industrial pollution into a public park can seem unfeasible. But all over the US, these “brownfields”, a name for former industrial sites with contamination issues, are finding second life as park facilities. In fact, both governmental agencies and private organizations provide funding as incentives for towns to do just that: turn blighted land into areas that foster healthy lifestyles and outdoor recreation opportunities. Pennsylvania, and Pottstown specifically, is no stranger to these kinds of environmental remediation projects.
One Pottstown park that has been in the spotlight over the last few years as an ongoing brownfield remediation effort is Pollock Park. Unlike other brownfield remediation projects, Pollock Park was in the unique position of having already been a public park when the pollution was discovered. To have a community asset suddenly taken away for health and environmental concerns can be jarring to a neighborhood, and leave many wondering, “Now what?”
To answer your question, we’ve created a comprehensive timeline of Pollock Park’s journey from industrial site back to public park. This timeline walks you through the history of Pollock Park and the steps it takes to turn a brownfield safely into a public park, including where funding comes from and what it is used for. Following the timeline is a list of next steps that will lay out what still needs to happen to bring the new (and improved!) Pollock Park back to life.
