Brownsville chamber makes plans for Light-up Night
BROWNSVILLE – Paper or plastic? That’s the question before the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce as it prepares for its annual Light-up Night. The chamber has always used plastic gallon milk jugs for the luminarias, but it needs 3,000 to line the streets as planned and so far, it has about 1,000, according to chamber President Frank Ricco.
Ricco said that if enough plastic jugs aren’t received, the chamber will resort to using luminarias made from paper bags, using plastic in some neighborhoods and paper in others to maintain a consistent look in any one area.
Anyone wishing to donate clean plastic gallon milk jugs can drop them off at the Brownsville Bus Line garage on National Pike East.
In other matters, chamber director Bill Johnson reported that the Brownsville Rotary Club has begun its Reading Around the World literacy program, with about 25 children attending the first session. The program will be held the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. on the second floor of the Thompson House. Each month will feature stories from a different country. Italy will be featured in November.
The Brownsville Rotary Club is sponsoring three foreign exchange students. Johnson said two students from the Brownsville area are in Venezuela and Russia, while a student from Japan is living with a family in the Brownsville Area School District. Johnson said the Japanese exchange student will be speaking to the chamber at a future meeting, once she has gotten acclimated to the area.
Johnson also reported that the Brownsville Free Public Library will be mailing out letters for its annual fund drive this month.
“This is an important time for us, because our state money is starting to run out and we won’t get any more state funds until January or February,” Johnson said.
Harold Richardson reported that preparations for the Monongahela River, Rail and Transportation Museum are continuing to move forward with $10,000 in grant money received from state Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, for building improvements. The museum board has also submitted an application for $100,000 through the Hometown Streets program. Richardson said that money, if received, would go toward landscaping, paving, lighting and interior improvements.
Norma Ryan reported that the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. will be holding its annual wine tasting and Italian buffet this Saturday at the Sons of Italy Lodge. In addition, a ceramics art show will be opening at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum.
Ryan also reported that a Renters Investment Association is being formed by some Brownsville property owners to help raise awareness of rental spaces available in the borough.
Ray Koffler reported that the Brownsville chapter of the Izaak Walton League conservation organization has 22 members and is in the process of a membership drive. Koffler said a number of younger members have joined recently and are actively pursuing projects, including rehabilitation of the lake at Patsy Hillman Park and attracting more new members. Koffler said that while the group had been meeting quarterly, it might switch to meeting every other month instead. The next meeting of the Izaak Walton League will be Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Hiller Volunteer Fire Hall, with plans for those in attendance to then go to Patsy Hillman Park to see the newly renovated Hillman Pavilion. The Izaak Walton League is in the process of working out an agreement with the park board to establish office and meeting space there and to work on conservation projects with the park board.