DBDA plans series of ‘charting’ sessions on downtown area
The Downtown Uniontown Business District Authority (DBDA) has mailed invitations for a series of five meetings to develop ideas for improving the city’s central business district to 350 business owners, elected officials, churches and organizations. Five “charting” meetings have been scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 5 and from 5:15 to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 19, Feb. 26, March 19 and April 2.
Lucinda Baron Robbins, of the Penn State Cooperative Extension, who is leading the DBDA through a “Charting the Future of Our Community” program, told the board Tuesday that the first session is a pre-charting meeting that will be held in City Hall.
At that session, she will review the charting process with those who respond to the invitations and possibly sign them up for next four meetings.
DBDA chairman Mark Rafail said officials of four restaurants in the central business district have agreed to host the four charting meetings.
He said the Feb. 19 session will be at the Titlow Tavern and Grille, the Feb. 26 meeting will be at Meloni’s Restaurant and the South Street Grille will host the March 19 session.
A fourth restaurant has tentatively agreed to host the April 2 meeting, but it has not yet been confirmed.
“We’re really on track,” Robbins said. “I’m feeling really positive about this.”
Those who volunteer for the charting meetings will be divided into work groups, Robbins said.
She will then organize the ideas and plans generated by the groups and submit a report on them at the DBDA’s regular meeting at 7:45 a.m. April 15 meeting in City Hall.
Rafail said Fay-Penn Economic Development Council asked to meet with him in private before the charting meetings started.
He said other DBDA board members will attend the meeting because he didn’t think it was proper to meet with Fay-Penn alone.
DBDA board member Steve Neubauer, who also sits on the Fay-Penn board, said Fay-Penn can act on a proposal faster than the DBDA, and that the DBDA should listen to what the group has to say.
The DBDA should take advantage of all available resources, Neubauer said.
Rafail said he wanted to have the meeting after the April 15 meeting when Robbins will make her report because the DBDA would have some plans or ideas to discuss.
Meeting with Fay-Penn after April 15 would allow the DBDA to say, “This is what we would like help with from you,” Rafail said.
He said the goal of the DBDA is to do what’s best for Uniontown, not for any group.
In other business, Rafail said Uniontown Redevelopment Authority executive director William Long is helping the DBDA revive a revolving-loan program for businesses in the central business district.
The program, which was funded by the state, has been dormant for several years, but the state allowed the authority to keep about $90,000 that was left over from past years to restart the program, Rafail said.
He said businesses that borrow from the DBDA must come up with matching funds, and the authority will ask local banks to offer low-interest loans that would be used as matching funds.