Commerce director: Uniontown ‘jewel of Fayette County’
Muriel Nuttall believes that downtown Uniontown should be a shining example of business prosperity in Fayette County. As executive director of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, Nuttall said a Uniontown filled with thriving shops and offices would help attract businesses to other parts of the county.
“Uniontown is the jewel of Fayette County,” Nuttall said. “It’s the county seat. This should be the premier star of the county.”
Others who applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) share her opinion. The money will be spent on cleaning windows and displays at vacant downtown storefronts, starting an “adaptive reuse study” and recruiting new or expanding businesses.
“It’s in all of our best interests to work toward the revitalization of downtown,” Nuttall said. “It’s an exciting project.”
Representatives from the Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority (DBDA), National Road Heritage Park of Pennsylvania (NRHPP), Uniontown Redevelopment Authority, Fayette County Redevelopment Authority and the Chamber – called the “ReVITALize Downtown Uniontown” design team – recently attended a two-day economic workshop and returned with the grant.
The commission and the DCED hosted the workshop, called the “Appalachian Community Learning Project,” and referred to the grant as an investment in the city’s prime retail area.
While the cleaning and study will take several months to complete, Nuttall said business people are interested in moving into Uniontown.
“I’m optimistic. Enough people have shown interest,” she said. “I truly think it’s an attainable goal.”
“There is interest,” said Bill Long, executive director of the Uniontown Redevelopment Authority. “So, it’s exciting.
He said the goal of the adaptive reuse study is to identify and target the types of businesses that could function and flourish downtown.
“Uniontown is a cornerstone of the National Road heritage corridor,” said Donna Holdorf, NHRPP executive director. “The further revitalization of this historic city is key to the NRHPP’s continued development and most importantly to the economic development climate countywide.”
Long said the collective effort of all five entities was crucial in obtaining the $5,000 grant and will be for future grants.
The grant check will be formally presented to the design team Friday at noon during the Storey Square Lunch Series. Neil Fowler, manager of the DCED Center for Entrepreneurial Assistance’s Small Business Center, will present the check.
“We’re excited to have Neil with us at one of our summer concerts,” said Leigh Anne Sperry, DBDA executive director. “This project really exemplifies a strong commitment to enhancing the atmosphere of the central business district. The team will also be partnering with other volunteer groups on the aesthetics of the business district. Projects to improve the look of downtown are planned.”
“A positive image of Uniontown improves the economic development climate countywide,” Raymond Polaski, Fayette County Redevelopment Authority executive director, added.