Since 2006, Lehigh County has run a grant program that gives grants to municipalities. These grants cover streetscape amenities and planning.
I am pleased to say that Northampton County has launched its own grant programs. There are two. First, there is a streetscape amenities grant that will fund up to 50% (up to $5,000) of a streetscape project. Second, there is a planning grant that will go towards the creation of a downtown or master plan. This time, Northampton will fund up to 75% of a planning project.
I am more than happy to provide anyone with additional information.
~Mike
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Two Helpful Links
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to pass on two links that might be good resources for you all. Obviously, we are not the only Main Street program in Pennsylvania, or even the country for that matter. These two links should be helpful as they provide information on the Main Street program as well as links to other very valuable resources for anyone involved in a Main Street effort.
First, there's the website for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. They are the group that is contracted by the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) to administer the Main Street Program.
Second, there is the National Trust Main Street Center. This is the nation-wide version of the PDC and they have a lot of information on Main Street programs throughout America.
Enjoy!
Just wanted to pass on two links that might be good resources for you all. Obviously, we are not the only Main Street program in Pennsylvania, or even the country for that matter. These two links should be helpful as they provide information on the Main Street program as well as links to other very valuable resources for anyone involved in a Main Street effort.
First, there's the website for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. They are the group that is contracted by the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) to administer the Main Street Program.
Second, there is the National Trust Main Street Center. This is the nation-wide version of the PDC and they have a lot of information on Main Street programs throughout America.
Enjoy!
Friday, September 7, 2007
So What Do You Want To Know?
So, I pose a question to all of our dedicated volunteers out there - what are you looking to learn about Main Street? Here's why I ask. One of our goals this year is to conduct at least four trainings - two from the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and two others taught by us. But, here is the question: What areas do you want to know about? In what areas can we help you and your committee grow as a volunteer? Below are some suggestions.
1) Economic Restructuring: This is an area where I many people have said that are confused by. Economic Restructuring - the process by which businesses are maintained, improved upon and recruited - is arguably the most important area of the Main Street program. But it's also one of the least understood
2) Volunteer Recruitment: Some committees have said that they have problems in terms of recruiting volunteers into the program and ensuring that volunteers along Main Street or in Borough government are engaged in the program. This may be an area worth exploring, since an active volunteer base is vital to the continued existence of a Main Street committee.
3) Governance: Of course, one of the goals for our Main Street committees is the continued health and existence of the committee. Accordingly, we want to ensure that our committee can govern itself, meaning possibly hold elections, manage its own money, and/or apply and achieve its own 501c3 status.
4) Fundraising: Any Main Street community needs money to be able to pay for projects! With this sort of training, we can give tips on how to hold successful fundraisers and maximize the amount of money that you can raise.
5) Anything else you want! We are obviously open to suggestions and want to hear your thoughts. Please comment below or E-mail me at MikeS@lehighvalleychamber.org. Hope to hear from you soon!
1) Economic Restructuring: This is an area where I many people have said that are confused by. Economic Restructuring - the process by which businesses are maintained, improved upon and recruited - is arguably the most important area of the Main Street program. But it's also one of the least understood
2) Volunteer Recruitment: Some committees have said that they have problems in terms of recruiting volunteers into the program and ensuring that volunteers along Main Street or in Borough government are engaged in the program. This may be an area worth exploring, since an active volunteer base is vital to the continued existence of a Main Street committee.
3) Governance: Of course, one of the goals for our Main Street committees is the continued health and existence of the committee. Accordingly, we want to ensure that our committee can govern itself, meaning possibly hold elections, manage its own money, and/or apply and achieve its own 501c3 status.
4) Fundraising: Any Main Street community needs money to be able to pay for projects! With this sort of training, we can give tips on how to hold successful fundraisers and maximize the amount of money that you can raise.
5) Anything else you want! We are obviously open to suggestions and want to hear your thoughts. Please comment below or E-mail me at MikeS@lehighvalleychamber.org. Hope to hear from you soon!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Op-Ed on Lehigh Valley Downtowns
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to share an Op-Ed regarding the importance of downtown's in today's Morning Call. The Op-Ed can be accessed here. I'm ATTEMPTING to be modest here, but I wrote it. If you can't access the link, the story is below. My only regret is that I couldn't write about more of our Boroughs!
Enjoy!
-----------------------
Valley's boroughs offer more than one-stop malls
By Michael Schlossberg
August 30, 2007
The Lehigh Valley is exploding with new people and businesses, gaining an average of 25 new residents a day. The result has been an explosion of jobs and economic activity. Once known for Bethlehem Steel and other manufacturing companies, the Lehigh Valley is rapidly transforming into a professional and service haven for the entire mid-Atlantic region.
The growth that comes with this development does not come without its challenges. Population in our cities and boroughs has remained relatively stagnant while the population of our townships has exploded. In 1960, the population of Allentown was about 108,000, while the population of Lower Macungie was about 4,000. Today, Allentown's population is an estimated 106,000 (a decrease of about 2 percent) while Lower Macungie's is estimated to be 26,000 (an increase of about 550 percent, making it the fastest growing municipality in Pennsylvania). Meanwhile, since the 1970s, Pennsylvania has lost an amount of open space that is roughly the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
Malls and big-box stores like Walmart have seen their business explode, while downtown businesses have withered away. Office and professional services have moved from the urban core to massive and faceless industrial parks, isolated from their communities.
Despite these trends, downtowns remain of the utmost importance to the health of the Lehigh Valley. Nationwide, downtown businesses still provide 30 percent of all jobs and 40 percent of tax revenue for government. They also represent a type of business that nation-wide chains can never replicate: local businesses that know your community inside and out. These stores have a local flavor; their products and shops will be different from any store you will ever be in again.
On average, downtown merchants and restaurants pay their employees better than their nationwide counterparts. Accordingly, every time you shop locally, you are helping contribute to a thriving local economy.
It is important to remember that the urban sections of the Lehigh Valley are more than just Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. Indeed, there are 28 boroughs that over 97,000 of Lehigh Valley residents call home. These boroughs range in size from 300 to 11,000, but all contain their own distinct character, business district and events. A walk through Emmaus (recently named Money Magazine's 87th best place to live in America) will yield a rich array of homes, public parks, historical properties and over 100 different restaurants and businesses. Macungie boasts a thriving Main Street filled with unique shops, two yearly festivals (Das Awkscht Fescht and the Wheels of Time), Macungie Memorial Park and a weekly farmers market that is in its first year. A visit to the Hellertown guarantees good eating, with 35 restaurants and eateries located within 1.5 square miles.
Across the country, it looks as if the tides of business and consumer preference are turning back toward Main Street. According to revitalization statistics, more than $41.6 billion have been reinvested in improving Main Street properties in 2006 alone. During the same year, over 75,000 new businesses were created, with nearly 350,000 new jobs. Locally, through the Main Street and Elm Street programs run by Pennsylvania, all three cities and 10 boroughs are receiving state funding to cover expenses related to urban revitalization.
Private and public partnerships have emerged, and these partnerships are critical to the success of any downtown area. Lehigh and Northampton counties, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation have combined efforts to form the Borough Business Revitalization Program, a regional pilot Main Street program that has resulted in nine boroughs sharing two Main Street coordinators. This program has also administered a façade grant program, whereby state money is used as an incentive for exterior improvements. Utilizing state money, as well as other public and private funds, more than $130,000 will be infused into Lehigh and Northampton properties.
Also, Lehigh County's Department of Community and Economic Development created two grant programs for Main Street Initiatives and has awarded $134,712 to seven municipalities for streetscape beautification efforts. Northampton County will be following suit.
People across the Valley (and really, across the country) are starting to realize that downtowns just offer more than any mall or massive one-stop shopping center can ever deliver.
Michael Schlossberg is the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce borough business revitalization coordinator for Alburtis, Coopersburg, Hellertown & Macungie.
I just wanted to share an Op-Ed regarding the importance of downtown's in today's Morning Call. The Op-Ed can be accessed here. I'm ATTEMPTING to be modest here, but I wrote it. If you can't access the link, the story is below. My only regret is that I couldn't write about more of our Boroughs!
Enjoy!
-----------------------
Valley's boroughs offer more than one-stop malls
By Michael Schlossberg
August 30, 2007
The Lehigh Valley is exploding with new people and businesses, gaining an average of 25 new residents a day. The result has been an explosion of jobs and economic activity. Once known for Bethlehem Steel and other manufacturing companies, the Lehigh Valley is rapidly transforming into a professional and service haven for the entire mid-Atlantic region.
The growth that comes with this development does not come without its challenges. Population in our cities and boroughs has remained relatively stagnant while the population of our townships has exploded. In 1960, the population of Allentown was about 108,000, while the population of Lower Macungie was about 4,000. Today, Allentown's population is an estimated 106,000 (a decrease of about 2 percent) while Lower Macungie's is estimated to be 26,000 (an increase of about 550 percent, making it the fastest growing municipality in Pennsylvania). Meanwhile, since the 1970s, Pennsylvania has lost an amount of open space that is roughly the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
Malls and big-box stores like Walmart have seen their business explode, while downtown businesses have withered away. Office and professional services have moved from the urban core to massive and faceless industrial parks, isolated from their communities.
Despite these trends, downtowns remain of the utmost importance to the health of the Lehigh Valley. Nationwide, downtown businesses still provide 30 percent of all jobs and 40 percent of tax revenue for government. They also represent a type of business that nation-wide chains can never replicate: local businesses that know your community inside and out. These stores have a local flavor; their products and shops will be different from any store you will ever be in again.
On average, downtown merchants and restaurants pay their employees better than their nationwide counterparts. Accordingly, every time you shop locally, you are helping contribute to a thriving local economy.
It is important to remember that the urban sections of the Lehigh Valley are more than just Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. Indeed, there are 28 boroughs that over 97,000 of Lehigh Valley residents call home. These boroughs range in size from 300 to 11,000, but all contain their own distinct character, business district and events. A walk through Emmaus (recently named Money Magazine's 87th best place to live in America) will yield a rich array of homes, public parks, historical properties and over 100 different restaurants and businesses. Macungie boasts a thriving Main Street filled with unique shops, two yearly festivals (Das Awkscht Fescht and the Wheels of Time), Macungie Memorial Park and a weekly farmers market that is in its first year. A visit to the Hellertown guarantees good eating, with 35 restaurants and eateries located within 1.5 square miles.
Across the country, it looks as if the tides of business and consumer preference are turning back toward Main Street. According to revitalization statistics, more than $41.6 billion have been reinvested in improving Main Street properties in 2006 alone. During the same year, over 75,000 new businesses were created, with nearly 350,000 new jobs. Locally, through the Main Street and Elm Street programs run by Pennsylvania, all three cities and 10 boroughs are receiving state funding to cover expenses related to urban revitalization.
Private and public partnerships have emerged, and these partnerships are critical to the success of any downtown area. Lehigh and Northampton counties, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation have combined efforts to form the Borough Business Revitalization Program, a regional pilot Main Street program that has resulted in nine boroughs sharing two Main Street coordinators. This program has also administered a façade grant program, whereby state money is used as an incentive for exterior improvements. Utilizing state money, as well as other public and private funds, more than $130,000 will be infused into Lehigh and Northampton properties.
Also, Lehigh County's Department of Community and Economic Development created two grant programs for Main Street Initiatives and has awarded $134,712 to seven municipalities for streetscape beautification efforts. Northampton County will be following suit.
People across the Valley (and really, across the country) are starting to realize that downtowns just offer more than any mall or massive one-stop shopping center can ever deliver.
Michael Schlossberg is the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce borough business revitalization coordinator for Alburtis, Coopersburg, Hellertown & Macungie.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Express Times covers Saucon Valley Restaurant Guide
Hi everyone,
Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township have partnered to publish the Saucon Valley Restaurant Guide, publication of which is expected in November. The guide is self-explanatory - it will have a listing of the 48 restaurants in the Saucon Valley area, as well as contact information, descriptions and coupons. The Express-Times did a story on the guide yesterday, the text of which is below.
------------------------------------
Restaurant guide in works
Hellertown project will highlight 48 restaurants in borough and Lower Saucon.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
By KRISTEN ZIEGLERThe Express-Times
The festival-like atmosphere of Community Day and the fresh produce available at the farmers market have already exposed some people to Hellertown, but officials hope to capitalize even more on its small-town appeal by introducing a restaurant guide.
"The borough is blessed with a lot of different restaurants. You look up the block and there is the Hungarian restaurant and the Braveheart Pub with the Scottish flavor to it," said borough Manager Charles Luthar.
The guide will spotlight the borough's 35 restaurants along with 13 more in Lower Saucon Township, said Mike Schlossberg, Hellertown manager of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce's Business Revitalization Program.
Each restaurant listing will identify the variety of food served, smoke-free facilities and those that offer Internet access. It will also note the restaurant's cost range, whether it serves alcohol and if it has a children's menu, Schlossberg said.
The $2,100 project will yield 6,000 guides to be distributed to area residents and placed in local hotels and tourist attractions. The guides are expected to be distributed before the end of the year, Schlossberg said.
"We are trying to bring more business into the borough restaurants (because they) are key to any downtown revitalization project," Schlossberg said.
Luthar envisioned Bethlehem tourists or Lehigh University visitors using the guide to locate restaurants outside the city, but Schlossberg said those visitors might also be enticed by the shops on Main Street.
Any effort to draw people downtown is appreciated by local restaurants, said Kenneth McLaughlin, manager of the Braveheart Highland Pub and Restaurant, 430 Main St. "It's free advertising," he said.
The restaurant already sees a steady stream of customers from a local hotel's guide. This project will just provide additional exposure, he said.
From there, the pub can rest on its merits: it's smoke-free and the only authentic Scottish bar in the Lehigh Valley, McLaughlin boasted.
"Anyone who walks in the door will come back," he said.
Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township have partnered to publish the Saucon Valley Restaurant Guide, publication of which is expected in November. The guide is self-explanatory - it will have a listing of the 48 restaurants in the Saucon Valley area, as well as contact information, descriptions and coupons. The Express-Times did a story on the guide yesterday, the text of which is below.
------------------------------------
Restaurant guide in works
Hellertown project will highlight 48 restaurants in borough and Lower Saucon.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
By KRISTEN ZIEGLERThe Express-Times
The festival-like atmosphere of Community Day and the fresh produce available at the farmers market have already exposed some people to Hellertown, but officials hope to capitalize even more on its small-town appeal by introducing a restaurant guide.
"The borough is blessed with a lot of different restaurants. You look up the block and there is the Hungarian restaurant and the Braveheart Pub with the Scottish flavor to it," said borough Manager Charles Luthar.
The guide will spotlight the borough's 35 restaurants along with 13 more in Lower Saucon Township, said Mike Schlossberg, Hellertown manager of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce's Business Revitalization Program.
Each restaurant listing will identify the variety of food served, smoke-free facilities and those that offer Internet access. It will also note the restaurant's cost range, whether it serves alcohol and if it has a children's menu, Schlossberg said.
The $2,100 project will yield 6,000 guides to be distributed to area residents and placed in local hotels and tourist attractions. The guides are expected to be distributed before the end of the year, Schlossberg said.
"We are trying to bring more business into the borough restaurants (because they) are key to any downtown revitalization project," Schlossberg said.
Luthar envisioned Bethlehem tourists or Lehigh University visitors using the guide to locate restaurants outside the city, but Schlossberg said those visitors might also be enticed by the shops on Main Street.
Any effort to draw people downtown is appreciated by local restaurants, said Kenneth McLaughlin, manager of the Braveheart Highland Pub and Restaurant, 430 Main St. "It's free advertising," he said.
The restaurant already sees a steady stream of customers from a local hotel's guide. This project will just provide additional exposure, he said.
From there, the pub can rest on its merits: it's smoke-free and the only authentic Scottish bar in the Lehigh Valley, McLaughlin boasted.
"Anyone who walks in the door will come back," he said.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Lehigh and Northampton Counties taking care of Main Street
Okay, I'll start this post by admiting I am incredibly biased.
I've always felt that the role of county government should be two-fold: First, they should serve as a safety net for residents who need assistance. Second, they should attempt to coordinate regional efforts in areas where our boroughs, cities and townships need assistance. I am pleased to say that both counties have made remarkable strides in the past couple of years towards fulfilling these goals, and in particular, in caring for the urban cores of the Lehigh Valley.
This year, Lehigh County has greatly expanded their Main Street program. In addition to having a full-time staffer dedicated to Main Streets and downtowns (Virginia Savage, Director of Main Streets Initatives), they have given out over $130,000 in grants towards Main Street communities.
I've always felt that the role of county government should be two-fold: First, they should serve as a safety net for residents who need assistance. Second, they should attempt to coordinate regional efforts in areas where our boroughs, cities and townships need assistance. I am pleased to say that both counties have made remarkable strides in the past couple of years towards fulfilling these goals, and in particular, in caring for the urban cores of the Lehigh Valley.
This year, Lehigh County has greatly expanded their Main Street program. In addition to having a full-time staffer dedicated to Main Streets and downtowns (Virginia Savage, Director of Main Streets Initatives), they have given out over $130,000 in grants towards Main Street communities.
- $24,000 for a Downtown Master Plan in Catasauqua
- $24,000 for a Streetscape plan in Macungie
- $11,212 for a Streetscape plan in Alburtis
- $8,000 for Streetscape amenities in Slatington
- $37,500 for an Urban Core Strategic Plan in Allentown (which will focus on housing)
- $30,000 for a Bethlehem Streetscape plan
Meanwhile, Northampton County is quickly moving towards implimenting a similar grant program, as they are in the process of confirming a funding source to enact similar planning and streetscape grants.
Good to see that both counties care about Main Street.
Saucon Valley Farmer's Market
Hi everyone, Just wanted to give you all a quick update on the Saucon Valley Farmers' Market, one of our many local Markets here in the Valley. Shelley from Hellertown asked me to post these pictures from Hawaiian Day at the Farmers' Market:
From left to right: Bud Prosser, Hellertown Mayor Richard Fluck, Shelley Goldberg, Stanley Wohlbach, Betty Tarquin
Lorraine Torella, Stanley WohlbachThe Saucon Farmers' Market also has a special event coming up. On September 9, Harry Rinker of WAEB's "Watcha Got?" will be doing his show live from the Market (parking lot of KNBT, 741 Main Street in Hellertown) from 8:00 to 10:00, followed by appraials from 10:00 - 2:00. Tickets are $10. For more information, please contact Shelley Goldberg at sgold1111@aol.com.
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