On May 5th the County of Berks released a press release announcing their intention to purchase 600 Penn Street in Reading, for the purpose of moving their services to the building. It also outlined their intent to move judicial operations over to the County’s current Services Center, which sits directly east of the 1931-built Courthouse and is connected by a bridge. Yet the entire release left more questions than answers, as it did not address what this move meant for the nearly century-old Courthouse – the tallest and perhaps most iconic structure in the downtown skyline.

Recently an estimate for asbestos remediation and updates to the building’s infrastructure was quoted at upwards of $130 million. The county wants to avoid this by instead spending $60 million to acquire 600 Penn street, renovate it and the services center. This according to them saves the county roughly $70 million in investments to its courthouse. Or does it?

When pressed for an answer on the fate of the courthouse, the Reading Eagle initially reported that, “County officials said there are no plans to sell or demolish the current courthouse, adding that decisions on its fate will be made in the future.” So presumably they would continue to incur the cost of maintaining the massive, uninhabited building. Perhaps what they mean is they don’t have plans to sell it, yet.

During a City of Reading Council Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday May 11th, County Chief Operations Officer Kevin Barnhart and Deputy Larry Medaglia addressed the City’s concerns over the County taking yet another significant commercial building off the tax rolls. Barnhart also mentioned rumors circulating online about the Courthouse’s fate, but what exactly did the County expect to happen after releasing such a half-baked statement? Did you not expect the public to wonder what these plans meant for the landmark? I honestly want to gauge the public’s temperature on this reality – how do we feel about our iconic government monument potentially being used for anything other than government business?

Days before the courthouse bombshell, County Commissioner Michael Rivera announced he would not be seeking reelection in 2027, citing his desire to focus on his family business. That same day, County Commissioners voted 2-1 to allocate $12 million toward improvements to the Colebrookdale Railroad. Berks County purchased the tracks and right-of-way of the railroad for $2 million in 2009 and later handed it over to the Redevelopment Authority in an attempt to prevent its abandonment and manage the freight services that utilize it. In 2014 the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust, a 501(c)(3) began to handle the operations of the tourist passenger line that uses the track.

Back around Christmas I priced out their Santa train and to take my family of four, it would cost between $200-$400 for an hour ride. This left me with fundamental concerns about Berks County taxpayers funding something that many of them would be priced out of enjoying. At prices like these, why has this operation not been able to help fund its own infrastructure, and why have there been no attempts to privatize it to avoid this ethical dilemma?

In a WFMZ article about the funding allocation, Commissioner Christian Leinbach admitted, “The challenge and hindsight are 20/20. If I had it to do over again, I’m not sure I would have bought the railroad. The condition of the tracks and the condition of the bridges are such that if this money isn’t appropriated to the redevelopment authority, the railroad will shut down; it’s that simple.”

What Leinbach is describing is a sunk-cost fallacy; when we continue to pursue an endeavor because we have so much invested, whether that be time, energy, money or all of the above, despite that investment outweighing current benefits. Leinbach mentions that the investment, “is an economic driver for that part of the county and has done a great job in revitalizing Boyertown and surrounding areas“. This is undoubtedly true; sinking tens of millions into that small of a community is going to have a definite effect. Yet, Boyertown’s population encompasses 1% of the total of Berks County’s. $12 million is roughly 20% of the funds they need to renovate the Courthouse in Reading which encompasses roughly 20% of Berks County’s population, so it seems like an appropriate comparison to make.

Is the Colebrookdale Railroad really in enough financial peril that pulling County assistance on the infrastructure would mean the end? I pulled their 2024 Form 990 to get a better idea of their financial situation; according to which they had net assets valued at $28,117,035 at years end. Nearly a quarter of their 2024 revenue came from ticket sales alone. A little over half (56%) came from grants. On paper the Colebrookdale Railroad is doing well, thanks in part to all of us. If you combine their ticket sales ($1.92M) and their passive investment income ($853k), they pull in $2.78 million without collecting a single penny in new donations or grants. Because their total expenses are only $2.25 million, their earned and passive income alone creates a $530,000 annual operational surplus. They do not need government money to run the passenger operation.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they can afford write a check for the $12 million to cover the infrastructure costs, and as it currently stands, it isn’t their job to do so. Their success relies heavily on the County acting as applicant for large scale transportation infrastructure grant opportunities like the one the county is putting this $12 million to be matched. It seems like “free money”, but lets be clear – this is a forever liability. Rail infrastructure will continue to degrade, and cost more in the future. We find ourselves in a fundamental philosophical divide: should public money be used as venture capital for risky economic development?

Another ethical pitfall I stumbled across in my research – CEO and Vice President of the Colebrookdale Railroad Nathaniel Guest also happens to be a large donor toward Commissioner Leinbach’s campaigns. There is nothing illegal about this, it isn’t a bribe. $2000, while one of the largest donations Leinbach received is drops in a bucket when compared to the $12 million dollars the county is putting up to fund the railroad. Yet it does paint a picture of cooperative understanding between them. After all, Leinbach admits he’s been there from the get-go in 2009 and cannot turn his back now, whether or not it really benefits those he is elected to represent.

The County stands at a crossroads. The potential abandonment or sale of the looming stone Art Deco masterpiece at 6th & Court Streets represents something much larger. This is a decades-long failure of proper planning by the County, a distinct lack civic stewardship, and ultimately a loss of identity and heritage. It is particularly striking given it is the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, and perhaps even worse, next year is Berks County’s 275th. It’s hard to stomach that they have been planning and promoting celebrations all while neglecting the very thing that’s been their home for the past century.

If every taxpaying adult in the county were forced to split the cost of the difference of what the County is “saving” by buying 600 Penn Street ($70 mil), it would cost us each $207 to save the Courthouse. Ironically less than what it would cost to take my family on a Santa ride on the Colebrookdale. Find the money, fix the Courthouse. While your at it, light it back up.