Hanging baskets a foretaste of future
WAYNESBURG – While most of the early work done to revitalize the downtown area of the Greene County seat has gone on behind the scenes, residents and visitors have at least some visual idea of what a local group is trying to accomplish. Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Inc., an offshoot of the Waynesburg Area Chamber of Commerce, has been working full-tilt for almost a year to prepare for the community’s enrollment in the Pennsylvania Main Street Program.
That program will enable the downtown area to qualify for funding to perform a wide range of improvements to the Main Street area.
The first visible improvements already can be seen, as $5,000 in grant money from the state Department of Community and Economic Development paid for hanging baskets of flowers along several High Street light poles.
According to chamber president Dr. Charles Perrine, the baskets have been well-received and have given the community a sign that more improvements may be on the way.
“It’s a nice little start for us, and the community has been very positive about it,” he said.
Perrine, who also serves as vice president for advancement, alumni and church relations at Waynesburg College, said the organization will soon apply for another $5,000 grant from DCED for start-up costs to finish the planning stages of the revitalization effort. He said most of that work already has been completed, but the funds will be used to set up an office and complete the plan.
More important than the funds will be the DCED designation that comes with the grant that officially enrolls Waynesburg in the Main Street program. That label will then give the organization the opportunity to apply for larger grants that the community will match.
Perrine said the designation and the extra funds will allow the group to hire a Main Street manager and to begin to do some of the larger projects that may be planned. At this point, the committees in place must ensure that the application is completed properly and that every step the organization takes has the backing of the community, he added.
“So far, it has been very positive, and the people have maintained their interest,” he said. “The groundwork is being laid for some very important work ahead.”
Bill Fontana, executive director of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center in Harrisburg, said more than 120 communities either have gone through or are going through the Main Street revitalization process. If Waynesburg is selected, it will be one of more than 30 communities in the midst of a five-year cycle of funding and improvements.
“The first year is really a provisional year to get everything in order, and then when the next grant comes, the work really begins,” he said.
Fontana said the first grant after the provisional year starts at $35,000 and decreases by $5,000 annually over the remaining three years. As the amount of state funding decreases, the amount the community is responsible for increases by that same $5,000 increment.
The borough, if fully enrolled, would have to come up with a total of $90,000 over four years to pay for a portion of its revitalization effort. Fontana said that money could come from municipal or county contributions, foundation dollars, corporate donations or fund-raising.
He pointed out some successful endeavors in Somerset, Indiana, Greensburg and the Beaver Valley. Places like Washington, Bedford, and Pittsburgh’s South Side, Oakland and North Side neighborhoods also are working on revitalization efforts through the program, according to Fontana.
After working with many communities and helping the committee in whichever ways he can, he said Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Inc. has the makings of a successful project, with the active committees and the community support.
“They are certainly making, in my opinion, some very good progress,” Fontana said.
Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Inc. President John Owen said visitors and residents will begin to see more subtle changes in the downtown area, as the banners that were purchased for Rain Day by the borough’s Special Events Commission will be replaced throughout the year with different banners from different groups.
Owen said Waynesburg College will have banners hanging along High Street during its homecoming weekend, and Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Inc. has plans to purchase banners welcoming people to the community. He said other groups may follow suit, depending on the event or season.
“I think they really add a lot to the town. They are more festive and fun,” he said.
While preliminary steps are under way, once the project kicks into high gear, the focus will be on infrastructure. The organization would like to see more retail space on first floors of businesses, with apartments on the second and third floors; however, county government or other agencies take up many of the prime retail spaces.
Additionally, the promotions committee is organizing an oldies car show, featuring antique and classic cars and oldies music, Sept. 7 on High Street. Owen said local merchants are planning to dress in 1950s attire and offer special promotions related to the event.
He also said early plans call for a possible revival of the Wool Festival sometime in the next few years. At one time, Owen said, the festival was the biggest event in the county, and bringing that back could be a huge draw for borough and county residents, as well as tourists.
Owen said the four committees working within Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Inc. – promotions, organization, economic restructuring and design – all have been very active and very focused in their work to improve the downtown. And, he said, the community will reap the fruits of their labor. “I think we are going to see some action here with some long-term benefits for the downtown,” Owen said. “I think it will definitely be a boon to the town.”