Bradford Office of Economic and Community Development officials
have managed to secure more than $2.3 million for the Elm Street
neighborhood revitalization project.

New Elm Street Manager Lisa Campogiani and OECD Executive
Director Sara Andrews gave a brief presentation Thursday night at
the Grace Lutheran Church on Mechanic Street, addressing the plan
of attack for the project.

Andrews started off by telling the audience the city had success
is securing grants it had applied for relative to the project and
had already sent Campogiani to Harrisburg for training sessions
since her appointment in January.

The tentative budget for the project includes a HOME grant of
more than $200,000; an Elm Street grant for $400,000; a CORE
Community grant for $250,000; a County Growing Green Grant for
$100,000; a $1 million commitment from the City of Bradford;
$40,000 from the OECD; $166,750 in Community Development Block
Grant funds; a $22,000 Lead Hazard grant; and a Keystone R and R
grant for $100,000 – a total of $2,308,500.

Campogiani gave a PowerPoint presentation covering a five-point
approach to the project. The points – design; sustainable
organizations; neighbors and economy; image and identity; and safe,
clean and green – will each be explored and implemented by a
committee of 10 or 12 people yet to be appointed.

The sustainable organizations facet will drive the project,
Campogiani said.

The main goals of the committees, once they are formed, will be
to improve the appearance of the buildings in the Elm Street
neighborhood, establish sustainable organizations and prepare and
implement the neighborhood revitalization strategy.

Concepts employed to reach those goals include the integration
of downtown with the Elm Street neighborhood, the increase of Elm
Street neighborhood house ownership, and the improvement of
neighborhood identity/appearance through facade and infrastructure
programs.

The Elm Street neighborhood, as defined by the project, is
comprised of Elm Street West with a perimeter of Barbour, Bennett,
Mechanic and School streets and part of Pleasant Street. The other
side is the Elm Street North, which includes Bishop, Kennedy,
Miller, Amm, Forman, Boylston and Davis streets.

The west neighborhood will be addressed first, starting with
McClelland and Cole avenues.

To start, the design committee will consider ideas like urban
design, neighborhood character, historical versus infill, planning
and zoning and code enforcement, Campogiani said.

The sustainable organizations committee will come up with a
development strategy; coordinate staff, volunteers and projects;
connect people with resources and projects with deals; attract
resources; and communicate within and outside of the
neighborhood.

The clean, safe and green committee will investigate issues
related to streets and alleys, like lights, trash and traffic, she
said, as well as the promotion of parks and community gardens.

The image and identity committee will focus on neighborhood
events, awards and communication, which could include the
development of a Web site or publication of a newsletter, for
example.

The neighbors and economy committee will deal with partnerships
with organizations like schools, churches and city hall.

Andrews told the audience the OECD has already started to move
forward with the project this year with the purchase of a property
at the corner of State and North Center streets at a tax sale. The
structures at that location will be demolished, she said, and the
property may eventually be used as the site for housing
development.

She also said the OECD would be looking for an office location
for Campogiani in the Elm Street neighborhood as early as this
spring.

Campogiani said after her presentation the area in the project
falls under a “mixed use designation” of residential and commercial
properties. She added it’s not an aim of the projects to increase
commercial properties; it is, instead, a goal to strengthen the
properties as they exist now – both in the commercial corridor and
the residential areas in coordination with the four-point Main
Street plan.