“The downtown area should be sacred ground and it’s not,” Jay
Petterio told Bradford City Council at Tuesday’s meeting.
Several city residents were at the meeting to talk about a
perceived increase in vandalism and misbehavior in the downtown
area, and Mayor Michele Corignani reminded residents not to take
the law into their own hands in an attempt to address it.
Petterio told council that he lives on Main Street and
constantly sees “kids screaming down the sidewalks on their
bikes.”
“We need to put the bicycling on the sidewalk signs back up,” he
said. In the city, bicycles are not permitted on the sidewalks.
Petterio called for a stricter enforcement of that regulation as
well.
“The Historic District does not look good,” he added, explaining
he had a guest here from out of the area and was “appalled at the
behavior and language” she witnessed on Main Street and in Veterans
Square.
“That doesn’t reflect well on the business district,” he said.
“There’s a bunch of sociopaths in the downtown. People are afraid
to come downtown.”
He called for a citizens’ committee to look at the problems and
help come up with solutions.
“Like a block parent community,” suggested Brian MacNamara,
chairman of the Historic Architectural Review Board.
“I think that would be a very good idea,” Corignani said.
“We can’t take it upon ourselves to be officer, judge and jury,”
she said, adding that she has had complaints about citizens taking
matters too far.
“We have a very good police force,” she said, telling citizens
to call the police if there is a problem or concern. “It’s not up
to a private citizen to enter a building and do the job police
officers are paid to do.”
The problems like are being seen on Main Street begin at home,
one resident said, adding that police cannot replace the role of a
parent. Tom MacNamara said that there was a time when people were
“proud to be Americans and relayed manners to their kids.”
“I’ve been telling people, it’s one family, one house, one
street at a time to see this town turned around,” said Bob Onuffer,
councilman.
Improvements are taking place in the city, but they don’t happen
overnight, said City Clerk John Peterson. He referred to the late
Connie Cavallaro, former mayor, having the vision to call for the
renovation of Old City Hall years ago.
“The harvest of the work we’re doing now will come in the
future,” said MacNamara.
Several people made reference to a survey that Councilman Tom
Riel had done at businesses in the downtown, saying it was full of
negativity. Corignani said she felt people surveyed may not have
understood some important facts about the downtown.
“We’re looking at a $7.3 million investment in this community
because of this district,” she said, referring to multiple grants
and programs that the city has taken part in because of the
designation.
Riel said the survey was done to find out what the feelings were
of the business owners, and that he was not looking for negativity,
he was simply asking people’s opinions.
“Obviously it’s a public relations problem,” he said.
“It’s good to find out,” MacNamara said, adding, “It shows us
where we have to go.”
Two representatives of the Main Street Mercantile said they were
never surveyed, but their businesses are booming and they are
pleased with Main Street Manager Diane DeWalt’s leadership.
“It takes a lot to get people to come downtown to shop,” said
Amber Kalac of the Mercantile. And publicizing negativity will not
help, she said.
“If everybody rolls up their sleeves for a common goal … it will
happen,” Kalac said.
“There is a lot of support in the downtown,” said Sara Andrews,
executive director of the Office of Economic and Community
Development. “We’ve provided a number of low interest loans to
assist businesses in the downtown. There are businesses that are
benefiting and maybe they think they don’t.”
“People need to know I am available,” DeWalt said, explaining
her office is in the Mercantile. “We’re open seven days a
week.”
