Shoemakersville Borough

Shoemakersville Borough is the municipal government serving a small riverside community in northern Berks County, Pennsylvania. The Borough Office sits at 846 Main Street in Shoemakersville, PA 19555, and can be reached at 610-562-8030. As a local government office, the borough handles the day to day administration of a municipality that covers roughly 0.58 square miles along the east bank of the Schuylkill River, with a 2020 census population of 1,360 residents.

The borough's responsibilities span utility billing, permits, street maintenance, stormwater management, drinking water production and wastewater treatment. For residents and property owners, the Main Street office is the point of contact for nearly every municipal transaction, from paying a quarterly water bill to asking a question about a building project or a snow removal schedule.

History and Setting

The settlement that became Shoemakersville was founded in 1765 by Charles and Henry Shoemaker, and the community carried the family name forward as it grew along the river corridor. The borough was formally incorporated in 1921, giving it more than a century of independent municipal government. That long history is still visible in the town's compact street grid, its older housing stock and infrastructure such as the 1939 water tower that remains part of the local water system.

Geographically, Shoemakersville is positioned along PA Route 61, which runs directly through town and serves as the main north to south artery for the region. Reading lies about 12 miles to the south, and Interstate 78 at Hamburg is roughly 4 miles to the north. That placement gives the borough highway access in both directions while keeping it a small, walkable community rather than a commercial hub. The Schuylkill River forms the western edge of the borough and shapes much of its stormwater and floodplain planning.

Borough Office Services

The Borough Office at 846 Main Street functions as the administrative center for the municipality. Staff handle a range of routine services that residents, landlords, contractors and new homeowners regularly need:

• Utility billing for water, sewer and trash service
• An online payment portal for residents who prefer to pay electronically
• Permit applications and related paperwork for construction, alterations and other regulated work
• General resident services, records requests and questions about borough ordinances
• Posting of council agendas, meeting minutes and public notices

Because Shoemakersville is a small borough, the office tends to function as a direct line to the people who actually manage the systems involved. Questions that might be routed through several departments in a larger city are often answered in a single conversation here.

Water Treatment Plant

Shoemakersville operates its own public water supply rather than purchasing water from a regional authority. The system draws from five wells and is anchored by a treatment plant built in 2001, along with the historic 1939 water tower that provides storage and system pressure. Together, these facilities produce approximately 100,000 gallons of drinking water per day.

Service is not limited to the borough boundaries. The water system also supplies portions of neighboring Perry Township, making the plant a shared regional asset. Routine operations include treatment, testing, monitoring of well production, maintenance of distribution mains and hydrants, and compliance reporting required of public water suppliers in Pennsylvania.

Sewage Treatment Plant

The borough's wastewater treatment plant was originally constructed in 1967 and has been upgraded several times since, with major improvements in 1976, 2013 and 2022. The facility is permitted to treat up to 0.75 million gallons per day, well above typical daily flows for a community of this size, which gives the system capacity to absorb wet weather events and future connections.

The repeated rounds of modernization reflect the regulatory environment surrounding discharges into the Schuylkill River watershed, which feeds drinking water supplies downstream. Sewer customers direct questions about billing, service connections and system issues to the Borough Office.

Public Works and the Borough Garage

The Borough Garage houses the public works crew responsible for the physical infrastructure that residents encounter every day. Their duties include:

• Street maintenance, paving coordination and pothole repair
• Stormwater systems, inlets and drainage management
• Installation and upkeep of street signs and traffic control devices
• Snow removal and winter road treatment
• Maintenance of borough owned public buildings and grounds

In a borough of less than a square mile, the same small crew typically handles all of these functions, which means seasonal priorities shift significantly between summer street work and winter storm response.

Government Structure

Shoemakersville operates under Pennsylvania's borough form of government, with an elected Mayor and a seven-member Borough Council. David Kisha serves as Mayor, and the council holds legislative authority over ordinances, budgets, utility rates and municipal policy. Paul Gruber serves in the combined role of Borough Manager, Secretary and Treasurer, overseeing daily administration, financial recordkeeping and implementation of council decisions.

Council meetings and workshop sessions take place at the Borough Office on Main Street. Agendas and minutes are posted publicly, and meetings provide the standard opportunity for residents to raise concerns, comment on proposed actions and follow budget discussions. Residents who want to track ordinance changes, utility rate adjustments or capital projects will find the meeting schedule and documents the most reliable source.

Public Safety and Emergency Services

Like many small Pennsylvania boroughs, Shoemakersville does not maintain its own police department. Law enforcement coverage is provided by the Pennsylvania State Police out of the Hamburg Barracks. Fire protection is handled by the Shoemakersville Fire Company, a locally based organization serving the borough and surrounding area. Ambulance and emergency medical response come from Northern Berks EMS. Residents should call 911 for all emergencies rather than the Borough Office, which handles administrative matters during business hours.

Practical Information

The Borough Office is located at 846 Main Street, directly accessible from PA Route 61 through town. Phone inquiries can be directed to 610-562-8030. New residents setting up water, sewer and trash service, property owners pulling permits and anyone with questions about borough ordinances or infrastructure will find the Main Street office to be the appropriate starting point.