May 14, 2008 By Steve Ferris 3 min read

Uniontown Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday hired an experienced Main Street manager whose job will be revitalizing the city’s central business district. Authority board members unanimously voted to hire Connie S. Burd of Waynesburg as the Main Street manager. Her starting annual salary will be $40,000.

“I’m just very happy to be here. I thank you for the opportunity,” Burd said to the board after she was hired.

She said she formerly worked as the Main Street manager in Waynesburg for five years.

Though the redevelopment authority hired her, she will work for the Downtown Business District Authority.

The DBDA and the redevelopment authority have a cooperation agreement for some administrative work. Because the DBDA does not have its own payroll system, the redevelopment authority will pay Burd with grant money, but she will be under the direction of the DBDA.

Last year, the DBDA received a four-year $160,000 state grant to hire a Main Street manager.

The manager’s job involves recruiting new businesses, retaining existing businesses and obtaining grants to improve the central business district, which encompasses 242 buildings and about 180 buildings.

“The board of the DBDA has been working toward this day for a long time,” DBDA board Chairman Mark Rafail said. “It’s great to know that Connie is on board and that Main Street Uniontown is moving forward. I hope that the merchants in the city will greet her warmly and work in partnership with the organization to bring about great progress in the city.”

When she starts June 2, Burd said she would investigate a multi-use facility financing initiative that is administered through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

The initiative provides funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to convert the second, third or fourth floors of commercial buildings into apartments, she said.

Burd said she would also work with businesses to learn about their concerns with the business district.

The grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development to hire a manager provides different amounts of money in each year of the grant and the DBDA had to provide a $90,000 match.

Last year, the DBDA received $50,000, which required a $15,000 match. This year, the grant provided $45,000 and the local match is $20,000.

Next year, the grant would be $40,000 and the match would be $25,000. In 2010, the grant drops to $25,000 and the match would be $30,000.

The match came from public and private sources.

Uniontown City Council and DBDA each agreed to contribute $30,000 over four years. First Federal Savings and Loan of Greene County agreed to provide $20,000 over four years, National City Bank agreed to provide $10,000 over two years and First National Bank of Pennsylvania agreed to provide $4,000 over four years.

Neubauer’s Flowers of Uniontown agreed to give $2,500 over four years and the Titlow Tavern of Uniontown gave $1,000 over four years. The matching funds total $96,500.

In addition to the Main Street grant, the DBDA also received a $30,000 grant last year to establish a business fa?ade improvement loan fund.

Last year, 13 people applied for the manager’s job and four were interviewed, but none were hired. Officials involve with the interview process said the applicants lacked good ideas about how to raise money to keep the Main Street Program running after the grant expires and those that fit the job description were accustomed to higher pay that the amount afforded through the grant-funded program.

This year, Burd was chosen from six people who applied for the job.

The Main Street Program was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980 and is managed by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.

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