FEBRUARY 15, 2026

So I was going to write about what I'm learning about the sober houses in town, but some recent things have come up that I think are important for people to understand.

Last week at the Borough Council meeting, Council did NOT support the variances Mr. Lingo wanted to present to the Zoning Board on February 25, 2026. The variances requested by the owner of the church property would allow the construction of townhomes at the corner of Chestnut & N Hanover St. Here is the Mercury's link to the article about the proposed townhomes.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/2026/02/11/pottstown-council-opposes-variances-for-housing-at-church-fire-site/

Since I live right next door to these proposed townhomes (or did before my house was destroyed by the church fire), I believe I would be most invested in speaking out about whether townhouses would be a good fit for this corner.

FACT: Mr. Lingo, the owner of the property, had reached out to us and asked what our thoughts were. We reviewed the plans, asked several questions, and with some possible tweaking, we are happy to support these townhomes.

1) If you don't live on my block, then please learn about what it is like with the ` homeless and drugs' we have been dealing with for the last couple of years before you become a FB warrior and tell us what is best!.

2) Understand that my FB posts the week of the fire are proof that not only were we reporting these problems to the police, but we were also reporting them to Mr. Lingo, who in turn sent out his crew to board up (again & again) what the homeless had kicked in.

3) Past concerns we reported to Mr. Lingo were also taken care of in a timely manner.

a) A dumpster in our back alley was overflowing with items that were not from the church - we asked Mr. Lingo if he was dumping things, and learned he was not. We also informed him of sightings of people climbing onto the dumpster to reach the church's second floor. The next day, the dumpster was removed.

4) After quite a bit of rain, we asked Mr. Lingo to please come and cut back the church's lawn that was becoming overgrown (not nearly as high as we have dealt with from our other neighbors at the sober house!) - the next day Mr. Lingo sent his maintenance guy out only to discover that the lawn care tools they had stored at the church were stolen. Due to the rainy days that followed, it took a few more days for the lawn to be cut back, but it was cut back, and we were told to stay in touch.

FACT: Mr. Lingo was told from the moment he bought the church that parking was our biggest concern. Not that we minded parking somewhere other than the front of our house, but the fact that our daughters feared walking a block or two home at night after work was our concern.

*One daughter found a switchblade on top of her car that was used in a domestic violence situation a couple of blocks away - we are so glad she was not at her car when it was thrown there

*Often, our girls would call dad to come walk them home because they feared the men hanging around where they found parking.

FACT: The townhomes will have their own parking

FACT: Mr. Lingo has heard our questions and concerns about the proposed projects, and as things develop, we intend to keep the lines of communication open and ensure that what he says is what he does.

FACT: We've visited some of Mr. Lingo's rentals, spoken to people who rent them, and here is what we were told:

1) That Mr. Lingo is basically a good landlord.

2) He and his crew respond most times in an efficient way and will complete any projects as they need to be done

3) His rentals in Hanover Square (from people who live/lived there) say they are the best looking rentals in the development

4) As I drove down Laurel Street, from what I could see with the snow covering, things

looked pretty good there, a neighborhood that, from my understanding, prior to Mr. Lingo, was not the best of neighborhoods.

5) It is obvious that the improvements made to Laurel St helped the community with a tax base and better-looking homes, and people who appeared to be hard-working and good neighbors. Rents are above 2k monthly.

FACT: The townhomes that are being proposed will bring tax money into our community.

1) A park will not only lose that tax base, but it will also become a mini Kensington. Drugs, theft, and other criminal activity have been issues in the back alley - it will spread to this proposed park for sure.

2) Again, when I speak out against the homeless situation here in town, I am NOT hoping the homeless get a train ticket to another town. I am hoping to find real solutions that work and help people get out of their current situation. That said, for all who say we should make this space a homeless shelter, maybe you should buy my house and live next door. Many are dealing with addiction. Many have mental health issues. Many have criminal backgrounds. So, no, we do NOT need this added to the already numerous opportunities for the drug addicts, criminals, and homeless.

3) Unless you live here, please do not think you have a better idea than what those of us who actually do live here have!

FACT: Ward 2's councilwoman (ours), Ms. Vanni, asked at the December Council Meeting, "Who owns the church, and who will be responsible for cleaning it up?!"

1) Ms. Vanni, maybe you should come outside and walk your ward, because if you did, you would know that the building was secured MANY times in hopes of keeping the vandals out.

2) IF you were a responsible councilwoman, you would know who owns the property.

3) If you were responsible, you would have listened to us when we first told you these sober homes would become an issue.

4) If you want to hide behind the ADA laws that protect the 90+ sober homes in town, then how do you explain 9-12 guys living next door to me and not even so much as a fire escape is there?

I can only assume that in recent months, Ms. Vanni has not liked the possibility that some unwelcome renters have encroached on her neighborhood, and now she's angry! Our own Borough Manager has a rental property in Ms. Vanni's development that she says was supposed to be owner-occupied only (which isn't really a fact; owner-occupied for the first year is what the HOA states).

I spoke more than a year ago about the 30 days between council meetings where we dealt with a number of ambulance calls to our neighbor's, the time a guy across the street had a rifle and was threatening the neighbors, the many times at 2 am we witnessed guys being kicked out of the sober house next door and had nowhere to go, sober house residents stealing from our neighbor, the homeless begging at our restaurant, the free food constantly being given out across from our restaurant, etc. And her response - she said, "I hear you, and went on to tell me that she has been dealing with a dumpster that wasn't emptied in her development!" As if that compares in any way to the issues I stated!

It is time for us to hold our elected officials accountable. To stop allowing them to enforce personal vendettas and force them to work for the betterment of the community as a whole. As a member of the council, your decisions should be made ONLY after you have had the opportunity to talk to the people who will be directly affected by them. And when you do, maybe you should listen to them, otherwise don't waste my time (you know who you are that messaged me before you voted!)

Maybe some tweaking could create a more historic look for the proposed townhomes, but this plan overall should NOT be denied.

Is it my favorite plan? Well, in my experience lately, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. What will the next option be if Mr. Lingo gives up and walks away? A park that will welcome trash and drugs? A storage unit? or maybe just nothing. Nothing will NOT create a tax base, nothing will NOT take some of the church facade and create something that may help people remember their role in the church they grew up in, were baptized in, and married in. Nothing does nothing for the community...

George says it very clearly...