Properties of Merit

Hi everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to talk about a great program for Main Street communities, Properties of Merit. PoM is based on the philosophy that well-kept properties will help encourage more well-kept properties. To summarize it briefly, Properties of Merit engages neighbors and volunteers to award properties that are kept in outstanding condition. The theory here is that it will encourage other properties to be well-kept as well - its basically the "broken window" theory in reverse. Awards are given by volunteers and ultimately given at a banquet reception.

This is a great program that is expanding by the month. It started in Allentown and has since grown to numerous localities across the Lehigh Valley and the entire Commonwealth. Other local communities involved include Bethlehem, Coplay and Northern Lehigh. It also just expanded into Catasauqua and Macungie, two BBRP communities.

We need as much help as possible to encourage communities to keep their properties in outstanding physical condition. Properties of Merit does just that, and I think that any community interested in pursuing this worthy goal should check out this program.