A Letter to the Editor and Our Response

A Letter to the Editor and Our Response

by Brian Coll

10/7/2019

It’s that time of year where we have a food drive for the Colonial Neighborhood Council. People ask us all the time, what is the Colonial Neighborhood Council, what is the Well? What’s the CNC? So, they are all under the same roof. The Colonial Neighborhood Council has been helping this community for over 50 years. They do it in a number of ways. There is a food pantry located at 107 East 4th Ave here in Conshohocken. In addition to the food pantry, there is a thrift shop (lots of great deals) If you need a Halloween costume and are creative, make a visit to the Well (the thrift shop in the Colonial Neighborhood Council or CNC for short.) Need a prom dress? The thrift shop there has you covered, need some new work clothes…. you guessed it, visit the Well in the CNC.

I have to tell you, I didn’t expect to write this. I received a letter a couple of months ago, addressed to me, but not signed. I would have loved to have answered this question privately but I had no way to do that. Here is a letter I received and it broke my heart.

Even reading it again it’s breaking my heart. It has been every time I looked at it as it sat on my desk and I wasn’t sure what to say.

The big question, the answer is no, the Well, the Colonial Neighborhood Council, they aren’t going anywhere. The Borough of Conshohocken does not own the building or pay for it. The food at the Colonial Neighborhood Council is all by donation (and the food drive is under way right now to restock the shelves) The clothes on the shelves at the Well, is all by donation and as long as the community, the people in the community keep providing lightly worn garments, there is going to be clothes and small household items at the Well.

To the person who wrote the letter, you’re right. It is a shame that the borough has changed in certain ways. I personally wasn’t in favor of the Fellowship House being taken over by the borough. With Washies, you can tell how long I’ve looked at this letter on my desk before responding…. I’m happy that Washies is back in the volunteer fire companies control again. I hope there is a long term solution there.

As far as feeling at home here, I am sorry you feel that way. I don’t know your age, all I know is that I have gotten older and my friends have slowly moved away I have felt strange myself. I am fortunate enough to be able to meet new people through my store, through my kids school. There is an old saying that you will never have friends like the people you grew up with, and while I agree with that ( I am very lucky to still have a core group of friends from my childhood) The people I have met over the years seem to care for Conshohocken, they are taking pride in home ownership and enjoying what the borough has to offer.

I am not able to tell you what goes on at borough hall, or in the minds of the council members. I feel we have some good people in office, some good people who work at borough hall and if you would like me to speak to anyone about something you think could help your neighborhood please let me know. Do I like everything that is happening in the borough, no…. I was not in favor of how the situation was handled with the Washies Firehouse. There are other things, but for the most part, we keep Conshystuff positive and I would like to keep moving that way right now by asking anyone reading this….. shop for the Colonial Neighborhood Council. Drop food off there (107 east 4th ave) or at Coll’s Custom Framing (324 Fayette Street)

To the person who wrote the letter, if you would like to stop by my shop, I would love to talk more and maybe see what the community can do.

To everyone else, please support the Colonial Neighborhood Council and the Well anyway you can. This community asset is not borough run. We are so lucky to have an amazing director named Sandi Fryer there. She is truly a Conshohocken treasure.