Introduction and Background

a little bit about how I got here and what this substack is about

I am currently working on a Flood Mitigation project in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Although I attempted to make a difference as a volunteer, I found it hard to gain traction.  This case study relates to breaching a historic dam upstream of Downingtown. 

Life in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is very slow, and things stay mostly the same. Thirty years ago, I went to work in Downingtown as their Main Street revitalization coordinator. I was their second choice and started around 1994.

It was a good six years in Downingtown, and I left after a man running for mayor campaigned on firing me; even though I worked for a nonprofit and he had no absolute control over my job, I left rather than fight with the new Mayor.  I went back to the city to work.

One of my Downingtown projects was to work on the O’Brien Machinery brownfield.  We had turned that around to workforce housing through the great work of Larry Seagal when he worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development (DCED).  When the project was complete, I was asked if I would like to be a community member.  I was going through a divorce and decided to accept the offer to be recruited to the community and live in a townhome in Main Street Village. 

I take special pride in the fact that I live in Downingtown. The best way to describe Downingtown is that if you are in a meeting and vote on an agenda item, you can be sure that the topic will be part of the next agenda item.  People cannot let go.  I said, “This agenda item is settled. We will not be revisiting it.” Five minutes later, people wanted to talk about the last agenda item.

I lived in Downingtown and went on to work in other towns and commercial corridors in Philadelphia, and I had success. I now work for developer Manny DeMutis from Phoenixville, PA, who has told me to “do good works.”

My involvement in the dam removal began when while sitting in my living room eating ice cream and I got a phone call from Downingtown Borough Council President Chippy Gazzero; he said, “Barry, I need your help”….