close

Business district authority seeks city approval for changes

By Christine Haines chaines@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

The Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority is looking to the city to take action on board appointments and bylaws changes.

Among the changes to the bylaws is a switch from monthly to quarterly board meetings. The UDBDA board members would like to hold business meetings in January, April, July and October, with work sessions or special meetings held as needed in between. The bylaw changes, under the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Act, require the approval of council.

Also requiring council action is the appointment of board members. There are currently two members whose terms expired over the past several years and one whose term is expiring at the end of this year. Under the Municipal Authorities Act, members whose terms have expired may continue to serve until a replacement is appointed.

Although the Municipal Authorities Act permits board members to succeed themselves, the UDBDA bylaws call for board members to remain off the board for three years between terms unless an exception is granted.

It was also noted at the December meeting that the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, which oversees the Main Street Street program for the state, will be in Uniontown in January to evaluate the local program to determine if its grant should be extended. The Main Street grant is set to expire June 30, 2015. The board is expected to meet in a work session prior to the evaluation to develop a work plan for the coming year.

“In the work plan we need to address what (programs) we want to continue and we need to make sure we have the capacity to do them,” UDBDA chairwoman Donna Holdorf said.

The authority also discussed future funding options, with no decision made at the December meeting. Holdorf noted that as a Business Improvement District under state law the UDBDA could assess a fee on the businesses within the district to be used for various improvements. the authority may also solicit donations to support various programs, such as the Storey Square concert series and other community events.

Main Street/Elm Street manager Rebecca Hilton reported that a regional meeting for Main and Elm Street programs is set to be held in Uniontown March 10 and 11, 2015.

“It will be a time for us to shine and show off what we’ve been doing for the past five years,” Hilton said.

A downtown businesswoman, Tina Allen, approached the UDBDA board about accepting donations for new lighted Christmas decorations for the downtown. Holdorf said there have been problems with the electrical system for the lights over the past several years and the board postponed a decision about the decorations until January, when it plans to prioritize programs and projects for the coming year.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today