NORRISTOWN PA – Projects in four western Montgomery County municipalities will receive a combined total of $594,222 in grants presented Thursday (May 21, 2026) under the county’s “MontCo 2040: A Shared Vision” program. Now in its 11th year, the grant awards are aimed at implementing the county’s comprehensive plan.
Overall, the county says, $2.75 million in financial assistance is being distributed to 16 projects chosen from among 35 proposals submitted by 31 government entities. Its intent is to make targeted physical improvements that achieve the plan’s goals and its themes of “connected communities, sustainable places, and vibrant economy.”
This year’s local grant recipients are Pottstown, West Pottsgrove, Schwenksville, and Upper Frederick. Also receiving grants were Abington, Bridgeport, Cheltenham, Franconia, Lansdale, Lower Merion, Narbeth, Rockledge, Springfield, Towamencin, Upper Dublin, and West Conshohocken.
Projects were evaluated in terms of impact, equity, county and local planning consistency, project readiness, and funding attributes, the county reports. Making the decisions were members of a committee that consisted of county Planning Commission board members and county department staffers.
From its inception in 2016 through this year, the program has awarded 173 grants to 58 municipalities totaling more than $22 million.
In Pottstown
Pottstown Borough is receiving $152,505 to rehabilitate or replace sidewalks at 12 locations in the zero and 100 blocks of East High Street where trees have damaged sidewalks. Tree wells will be expanded to allow for tree growth. The area around the wells will be replaced with a permeable pavement that does not crack or break as trees mature.
The grant continues the sidewalk rehabilitation project which also received MontCo 2040 funding in 2024.
In West Pottsgrove
West Pottsgrove Township is getting $103,963 to construct about 270 linear feet of concrete sidewalk. It will extend south, from the existing sidewalk on the east side of Grosstown Road, to the Schuylkill River Trail.
The project will also include new painted sharrows on Grosstown Road, extending from High Street to the trail crossing.
In Schwenksville
Schwenksville Borough won $110,360 to improve accessibility and program space at the Perkiomen Valley Library. The library will install automatic door openers and protective entry overhangs at the front and rear entrances of the library.
It also will improve pedestrian and vehicular circulation. A new outdoor program space, proposed adjacent to the indoor auditorium, will allow for outdoor story times, art programs, therapy dog sessions, and other activities.
In Upper Frederick
With 227,694, Upper Frederick Township will add a basketball court and two pickleball courts at Friendship Park. Solar powered light fixtures will be included, allowing for evening play at the courts. The township will also renovate an existing walking trail to connect the courts.
The trail improvements would create two loops that include paved and unpaved segments. Along the paved portion, the township proposes to install new workout stations to further engage residents in exercise options.
It also intends to create a commemorative plaque for the schoolhouse that conveys the history of the site.
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