Jane Keyes, second from left, owner of the Tex Mex Connection in North Wales, stopped by a fifth grade classroom at North Wales Elementary School to present a $2,500 donation to the school’s DARE program in January 2015. At left is North Wales police patrol and DARE officer Terry Hammerstone, and at right is then-police chief Alex Levy. In the background are then-principal Joseph T. Covone III, standing next to fifth grade teacher Melissa Deets and students in Deets’ class. (Credit: MediaNewsGroup)
Police preview ‘Shop with a Cop’ in December
Work is continuing behind the scenes on what will soon be the newest destination in North Wales.
Council members heard an update recently on work on the town’s planned arts and cultural center at 125 N. Main St.
“We’re hoping to make the December 31st deadline,” said borough Manager Christine Hart.
The former church and adjacent office building at 125 N. Main St. have been discussed since late 2016 when the council bought both as the church faced declining membership and growing maintenance costs. In the years since, the office space has been rented for art classes and use by local nonprofits, and the church area hosted several public concerts after the St. Luke’s United Church of Christ congregation held their final services there in April 2022.
A pedestrian walks past the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Main Street in the borough in 2021. (Dan Sokil – MediaNews Group)
Contractors work inside the former church and office building at 125 N. Main Street in North Wales. (Photo courtesy of North Wales Borough)That month, the council began talks on a project to renovate and update both buildings, including upgraded HVAC systems, accessibility upgrades, natural gas heat instead of oil, and conversion into flexible space for shared use by local nonprofits or agencies to provide services in a local setting during emergencies like the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grants were secured in July and October 2022, and that September the town hired an outside consultant to oversee and detail the energy efficiency portions of the project. In June 2023 council awarded a $2.7 million contract for that firm to oversee the renovations and energy upgrades for a project expected to run through 2024; last fall council discussed who would manage that center and plan and oversee those who use it, and in April council applied for a grant to cover the cost of interior furnishings.
In August council approved a lease agreement with the Partnership TMA of Montgomery County for part of the classroom space, and a contract with AAC Event Catering, a Bustard Road-based company that caters events across the region, to run events at the banquet hall.
During council’s Oct. 8 meeting, resident Jocelyn Tenney asked for an update on the project, and Hart said work is on track to be done around the end of the year.
“We had a little bit of a standstill, with a PECO delay in getting the gas line run. That was about a six-week delay, back in April and May, but we’re pretty much back on track,” she said.
PTMA would be a fulltime tenant in part of the nonprofit space, and other space would be available for additional user or users, the manager told council, while the caterer would be the exclusive user of the banquet area, and council is still discussing who would run or manage the entertainment area.
“We’ll be able to utilize it for smaller events the borough may run, and/or rent out the space for private events, but as far as ticket sales, which would be the ultimate goal, we’re hoping to shoot for 2025 or ’26,” Hart said.
Tenney then asked if the center is earning any revenue yet, and Hart said the work underway now was largely covered by grant funds, while the “very minimal” utility bills are being covered by the borough. Council President Sal Amato added that assistant manager Alex Turock, and councilwomen Brittany Kohler and Wendy McClure, are “working on the oversight structure” that would run the performance space.
“We need to figure out exactly what functions we have in front of us, and how we’re going to do the management. We’re still at a very early stage,” Amato said.
Donation from Tex Mex accepted
Council also voted unanimously in October to accept a donation from Jane Keyes, owner of the Tex Mex Connection restaurant, to the North Wales Police Department.
“We do have a check in hand for $2,500, that went to the chief of police, for him to utilize however he sees fit for the borough police department,” Hart said.
In prior years Keyes has donated to the borough and department to support various outreach and educational programs and/or for green-related purposes, and in 2023 council voted to shift the donation to the police department’s community policing budget to allow more flexibility in how those funds are spent. After a vote to accept the funds, council President Sal Amato asked the manager to pass on thanks from all of council, and in a letter to that group Keyes said she was happy to do so, thanking borough staff and police for supporting Tex Mex races and other town events.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize how amazing this little borough is, and how fortunate we are to have had, and continue to have, stakeholders in the borough that make these events and others like them happen,” Keyes said.
Keyes added special thanks to longtime volunteers Liz Anne and John Iacovetti for being “longtime supporters of everything North Wales,” and to Hart for her tireless work: “Her involvement and commitment go beyond anything I have ever encountered, and we are very lucky. Many of the wonderful events in the borough would not be possible without her.”
Path upgrades nearly complete
Hart also gave an update on a grant-funded project to pave and upgrade a walking path through Ninth Street Park.
“There is a small punch list we received today. The engineer, along with the site supervisor, were onsite with the contractor today,” Hart said.
A newly-paved path runs through Ninth Street Park in North Wales in early Oct. 2024. (Dan Sokil – MediaNews Group)In August work began on the project, after council awarded a $102,000 contract in July to widen and pave a path running through the park, as the first step in a series of upgrades that could help the town meet state and federal mandates for pollution reduction over the next several years. As of mid-September the manager said work was on track to finish soon, and in early October the manager asked council to approve a roughly $85,000 payment on that project.
A newly-paved path runs through Ninth Street Park in North Wales in early Oct. 2024. (Dan Sokil – MediaNews Group)Remaining work to do, according to the manager, includes maintenance of a mini-meadow along the path, and removing barriers installed during the paving, with a letter now in hand from the state to allow the borough to expend the grant funds.
“Some of the retainage, because of the seasonal plantings, will last until January, so the bulk of this is being paid out in the next bill (cycle), and then the retainage will probably be released in early 2025,” Hart said; council then voted unanimously to approve the payment.
Shop with a Cop
Police Chief Dave Erenius gave council an early preview of a ‘Shop with a Cop’ event being planned by the North Penn Police Athletic League.
“If you know anybody who you think may need assistance for Christmas, I would direct you to the application,” Erenius said.
The North Penn PAL is a regional grouping of police departments that band together for community events, fundraisers and gatherings, with info available on the group’s Facebook page. Scheduled for Dec. 14, the ‘Shop with a Cop’ event will bring a limited number of kids ages 4 through 13, who apply beforehand, to shop for holiday gifts at the Target store in Montgomery Township. Those who apply must attend a school or live in the North Penn Area and submit a confidential application to one of the participating departments
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