Residents gathered Wednesday at the Tamaqua Arts Center to hear the results of a Cultural Sustainability Assessment study that was completed in the Tamaqua borough.

To complete the report, Jenna Ashton Winton of Cultural Sustainability Consulting, identified the community’s cultural assets, and interviewed residents who served as a Cultural Sustainability Advisory Council. The goal was to identify the strengths of the borough’s cultural aspects - and make recommendations on how to sustain them if needed.

“In this project, instead of focusing on individual cultural expression, this approach looks at what sustains this collective culture,” said Winton, who addressed the group on a videoconference.

And as such, the report details 26 cultural assets, ranging from the Tamaqua Arts Center to the Tamaqua Railroad Station, and from the borough’s four fire companies to the ethnic foods prepared.

“A lot of times, when people hear ‘culture,’ they think of the arts,” Winton said. “But it’s the food you eat, the places you visit, and the places you go on a side street.”

The study found that the Railroad Station and historical society are thriving, but playground associations, block parties and church groups are not.

“We need to figure out what to change for these aspects to be sustainable,” Winton said.

Some recommendations included engaging youths, planning strategic projects and continuing to monitor cultural aspects.

The report and an accompanying video is available at https://www.tacp.info/information_reports.