River Roots Redevelopment: It's What Comes Next
- Editor
- Jun 28
- 2 min read
By: Selina Pedi-Smith, Pellere Foundation
The previously claustrophobic hodge-podge of internal dividing walls is gone, and what’s left is one bright, open, and airy blank slate. For the first time in a long time, you can actually see the potential of that space. The light, the height, and the myriad possibilities.
This is a big moment for us. Not because it’s the end of anything, but because it’s the beginning of what comes next. We still have a little clean-up ahead (there’s some wallpaper clinging to a few final feet of drywall, and one last corner of incredibly obstinate old carpeting), but, from here on out, that space is ready to start writing its next chapter.
Of course, summer in northwestern PA doesn’t always feel like a season of fresh momentum and boundless energy. Lately, it’s felt more like herding cats through soup. Thick, humid, 100-degree soup. We’re still working. Still moving. But we’re also taking a much-needed breath or three while we work.
We’re pausing the weekly newspaper articles for the month of July so that we can shift our focus to some of the creative projects that have been waiting in the wings. Namely, finishing our first round of videos, as well as exploring some new, fun ways we can all stay connected and share what is most important to us.
Speaking of which, there’s still time to share a memory of your favorite place(s) in this beautiful corner of the world we call home. Just head over to pellere.org and click on the pop-up. This is also a great opportunity to travel back in Pellere’s timeline a bit. Check out the “Pellere in the News” tab on our home page, and you can check out each and every single article and news clipping we’ve ever had, all the way back to 2019! Yep, pre-Covid times. Feels like ancient history some days, doesn’t it?
So until August: Stay cool. Drink plenty of water. Keep noticing what matters. And if something sparks a memory or a thought - one worth smiling about - maybe jot it down. You never know who else might need that good energy.
We’ll see you soon.
Rachel Brosnahan is the Community Engagement Coordinator for River Roots Redevelopment. She can be reached by email at rachel@riverrootsredevelopment.org
