There are problems in downtown Bradford that are keeping people
away, and maybe a cop walking the beat on the streets will help, a
downtown business owner told Bradford City Council on Tuesday.

Theresa Bond, owner of Gigi’s, said when she first moved into
her business seven years ago, “just about every store front was
occupied.”

“I know the parking meters are one of the problems,” she said.
“People will be in the store and feel they need to rush out because
the meter is calling them.

“I know when we do have free parking people take advantage of
that,” she added. Bond suggested changes with the meters, such as
taking the meters out and having the parking enforcement officer
enforce time limits for vehicles in those spaces.

But parking really doesn’t seem like the only problem, Bond
said.

“It seems like people just don’t want to come downtown,” she
said. “We had a bench in front of the store. Some of the wrong
kinds of people were sitting on it, scaring people away.”

The bench was removed, she added.

“There used to be a policeman up and down Main Street on foot,”
she said. “How about taking that policeman from the school and
putting him out there?

“Things are happening in the Square that are chasing people
away,” Bond added.

Helen Burfield also addressed council regarding the problems in
Veterans Square and on Main Street in general.

“You do need a lot more police,” Burfield said. “I have watched
these crazy people at night. (The police) need a little bit more
somebody to come in and help them.

“If I had a badge on, I would help clean out these goofies,” she
said, referring to the men accused recently of hitting or attacking
police officers.

She also suggested having the fire department help the police
out after 11 p.m. “with that big red fire engine.”

Main Street resident David Newman suggested again to council
that it’s time to implement a neighborhood watch.

Councilman Bob Onuffer referred to Bond’s suggestion about the
foot patrol officer, saying he remembered Johnny Colosimo walking
the beat when he was a child.

“Children start out having a good feeling about the police
department,” Onuffer said. “Anything we can do to improve the
downtown we should do. Visibility is what makes the
difference.”

Mayor Michele Corignani said that council would hold a work
session regarding possible changes to parking in the downtown. Main
Street Manager Diane DeWalt volunteered her involvement, saying she
could put together information on what other Main Street
communities do regarding parking, as well as information from a
study done in the year 2000 on parking in the downtown.

“Get a packet together and get it to council and we’ll
coordinate a work session,” Corignani told her.

In other business, council passed on first reading amendments to
application procedures for the Historic Architectural Review Board.
If approved on second reading, the regulations will require a free
permit to be issued for any work done on the exterior of a building
in the Historic District.

Council also approved the first leases for office space in Old
City Hall. The first renters will be Stephen P. Grillo and Adam
Jack, representatives of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.

“When would they be able to move in?” asked Councilman Tom
Riel.

Sara Andrews, executive director of the Office of Economic and
Community Development, said, “We’re hoping to finish this
fall.”

The historic building has been undergoing a multi-million-dollar
restoration project for the past several years, and now the
interior is being completed in the last phase of the project.