Representatives from community organizations met during a
Thursday morning meeting at the Seneca Building to discuss issues
concerning downtown Bradford, agreeing the public needs better
educated on projects in the downtown area with a proposed master
plan in the works for the Tuna Valley.

Invited to attend by the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corp.,
were representatives of the City of Bradford, City Council, the
Office of Economic and Community Development, Historical
Architectural Review Board, Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce,
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Main Street Manager, Downtown
Bradford Business District Authority, Bradford Area Alliance,
Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau and Bradford Area
Business Group.

The reason for the meeting was due to concerns raised in city
council meetings and by a poll of downtown business owners
conducted by City Councilman Tom Riel that was printed in the June
10 edition of The Era.

Mike Glesk, executive director of the Bradford Area Alliance,
talked about working up a master plan, including not only the city,
but also Bradford and Foster townships.

Glesk hoped the organizations could form a partnership for the
master plan, which will begin with a study for long-term economic
development. He said from the study an economic development plan
will be worked up looking out 15 or 20 years. He said the project
may take 1 1/2 years.

“I estimate that we’re probably going to have 100 to 150 people
throughout the community participate in the process so the plan
comes not from these outside experts who come in, do a study, write
a plan, make a presentation and leave,” Glesk said. “That’s called
the seagull approach. They fly over and sh- on you and leave and
you pay them.”

Sara Andrews, executive director of the OECD, agreed that
partnerships between the organizations was important. She said the
Impact Bradford master plan formed a partnership with the city,
Zippo Manufacturing Co., Pitt-Bradford and Bradford Regional
Medical Center to present Gov. Ed Rendell a financing package to
improve a number of facilities in the area.

“Bradford actually wasn’t in line to get funding,” Andrews said.
“But Bradford because of the way they formed their partnerships …
and having being prepared, and having projects that were actually
going to work, and the actual togetherness that was shown to the
governor, actually won him over. And that’s why we received our
funding instead of another community, a bigger community than
ours.”

Glen Washington, president of the Bradford Area Chamber of
Commerce, also of BRMC, said funding for improvements at BRMC would
not have been possible without the partnership.

Rick Esch of Pitt-Bradford and president of the Tuna Valley
Trail Association, said the association got to where it wanted to
go because of its own master plan.

Esch was speaking on behalf of Pitt-Bradford since the Seneca
Building was recently purchased by the university, making it part
of downtown.

Main Street Manager Diane DeWalt commented on the success of the
Main Street Mercantile, hosting 52 businesses. She said the
mercantile is a “business incubator,” hoping that some of the
businesses will move into vacant Main Street buildings.

“There’s so much good going on, and you need to get it out
there,” DeWalt said, noting three vacant storefronts with “business
coming soon” signs in the windows and six businesses that opened
this year in the Historic District.

Andrews also said the OECD is working on developing a
low-interest loan program to help businesses move into the Main
Street buildings.

HARB Chair Brian MacNamara said identifying major issues and
everyone’s views are important, even those of people disillusioned
or feeling excluded. He suggested issues could be identified in a
“think tank.”

Some of the representatives wondered if business owners would
come forward and talk about concerns. Riel said when he conducted
his poll, he visited the owners at their business. He also said he
noticed very few people would be willing to come and stand in front
of a group to discuss their concerns, noting a need for a change in
approach and educating people in a way that representatives don’t
talk over their heads.

“There’s less than one percent of the community represented
here,” Riel said. “And the (newspaper) articles go over their
heads.”

The group plans to meet again on an evening during the first
week of August to focus on issues with the downtown, but not jump
to solutions since only a small part of the community is
represented in the group.

Also at the meeting, DBRC Chairman Chris Hauser gave a history
of the Main Street program and management. Representatives also
gave background on their organizations, the roles they play in
downtown and current projects they are working on since the other
community organizations may not have been aware of the
projects.