Tuesday, May 3, 2016- The First Meeting
The Pagoda Foundation, in collaboration with the City of Reading and the County of Berks held an Open House and Forum at the Stokesay Castle Ballroom to seek community input, engagement and support to discuss the future of the Pagoda as well as other features on the mountain. This is affectionately being called, “Mount Penn Preserve”. This is not a new idea as a study was done in the 1960’s to explore a similar concept.
The forum, hosted by Pagoda Foundation President Lee Olsen, AIA and Berks County Commissioner Kevin Barnhardt, discussed the potential of Mount Penn becoming a destination with its restaurants, trail, vistas, outdoor activities and events with the possibility of additional recreation venues. Discussions also included ways to raise funds for matching grants that may be available for the Mount Penn Preserve. Attendees also had the opportunity to share their support with the forum and discussed future community meetings to be held in support of the Mount Penn Preserve.
Click Here to view the very first meeting minutes.
January 17, 2017- Creating a Master Plan
The start of what is now known as the MP3 COG Board Meetings began in 2017. Discussions at this time were focused on the key points from the May 2016 meeting- The creation of a Master Plan for the Mount Penn Preserve. The MP3 COG Board determined the first priority was to hire a consultant to assist with the creation of an implementable Master Plan to help guide the organization with new projects and priorities for the Mount Penn Preserve.
The MP3 COG Board also determined a set date for future board meetings to begin building the structure for the organization.
April 10, 2017
The Mount Penn Preserve Master Plan was adopted by the MP3 Executive Committee made up of representatives of the four municipalities where the Mount Penn Preserve resides as well as representatives from Berks County.
April 20, 2017
The Master Plan was presented to the community and stakeholders at the Stokesay Castle Ballroom. The community met the consultants in charge of the project and representatives from the MP3 Executive Committee explained the next steps and how the plan would be utilized.
November 9, 2017
Progress continued to be made with the hiring of a consultant for the Mount Penn Preserve Master Plan.
At this meeting, the MP3 Executive Committee discussed that the organization should also include five separate committees to begin working on the Mount Penn Preserve issues:
- Marketing and Promotions
- Finance and Capital
- Governance
- Public Safety
- Environmental
Chairs for each committee were also determined at this time. The MP3 Executive Committee and the five other committees continued to meet on almost a monthly basis through 2017 and into 2018.
May 31, 2018
The Mount Penn Partnership celebrated two years as a group at the Stokesay Castle Ballroom. The evening began with a few words from Executive Committee Co-Chairs Commissioner Kevin Barnhardt and Lee C. Olsen, AIA about the successes and challenges the group has faced the last two years. The five committee chairs gave their annual report to attendees and the evening ended with a discussion about the what the future holds for the Mount Penn Preserve.
July 25, 2018- MP3 COG Officially Established
The Mount Penn Preserve Partnership Council of Governments (MP3 COG) was officially established on July 25, 2018 when all FIVE governments signed the documents. A HUGE THANK YOU for all of the support from the community and local businesses as well as Alsace Township, Lower Alsace Township, Mount Penn Borough, the City of Reading, and Berks County for working together to make the Mount Penn Preserve a destination for all to enjoy!
WFMZ Video: Officials create Mount Penn Preserve Council of Governments
2019 – Present
The MP3 COG Board continues to meet on a bimonthly basis. To view all of the meeting minutes from this point forward, please click here to visit the MP3 COG Meeting Minutes page.