Shenandoah has a plan
BY STEPHEN J. PYTAK STAFF WRITER
- REPUBLICAN & Herald
04/02/2006
SHENANDOAH - William J. Webb wants to refinish the facade on the first
floor of his real-estate business at 28 S. Main St.
Betty Ann Bugden, owner of Total Image Design salon
next door, wants to do the same.
Their dreams might come true with a little help from
the Pennsylvania Main Street Program, an initiative in which Downtown
Shenandoah Inc. is now officially enrolled.
"If they can get together and get some of these
buildings straightened up, that would be great," Bugden said.
"Appearance says a lot for the town."
In 2007, the Main Street Program will offer Shenandoah
approximately $30,000 in "Design Assistance" funding, said
Diana J. Kerr, Main Street Program coordinator for the state Department
of Community and Economic Development.
This funding is in addition to the $180,000 in start-up
administrative funding the DCED will give to the borough for acceptance
in the program, and the potential $100,000 Downtown Shenandoah Inc.
is raising for community revitalization to match it.
The Main Street Program has done wonders for Tamaqua,
said Linda J. Yulanavage, the Main Street Program Downtown manager
there.
"We've done over 40 facade projects in the past
six or seven years," Yulanavage said, "which, in turn, leads
to people wanting to invest in the community. And in Shenandoah, that
can have a real positive effect."
Borough Manager Joseph L. Palubinsky hopes there are
other business and building owners in town who want to learn more
about it.
"For this to succeed, you cannot rely on the borough-elected
officials to do this," Palubinsky said. "You need merchants,
property owners and interested citizens to step forth and pick up
the ball and run with this."
"It's the best vehicle available in order to get
on track," said William S. Krash, a DSI member from Turkey Run.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation developed
the Main Street Program in 1980. This comprehensive, community-based
revitalization plan aims to improve business district design, promotion,
organization and economy.
Today, it's administered by the Pennsylvania Downtown
Center, Harrisburg, and financed by the state through the DCED.
Since 1980, about 140 communities in the state have
been accepted, including Pottsville, Tamaqua and Upper Schuylkill
Downtowns in Schuylkill County, said Gregory G. Morgan, DCED spokesperson.
"The governor had decided to increase funding recently,"
Morgan said. "The Main Street Program focuses on creating partnerships
with core communities, and through the initiative we're looking to
redevelop downtowns throughout the commonwealth."
One of its first success stories was Jim Thorpe in Carbon
County, a historic town that now attracts thousands of visitors every
year.
Shenandoah can possibly be one, too.
When the borough was established in 1866, its economy
was fueled by the anthracite coal industry.
The boom fueled the local economy in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, and it made the population swell to 30,000 in
1930. Main Street was bustling with stores like F.W. Woolworth Company,
Aggon & Demalis Clothiers, Berson's Jewelers and L.J. Davidson
Furniture. There were even two movie theaters, The Capitol and The
Strand.
"When I was in high school, we never dreamed of
going to shop in Pottsville or Hazleton," said Eileen F. Dombrosky,
a senior citizen from the borough. "Everything was here."
When coal markets dropped off, the borough suffered.
Collieries closed, the population declined and storefronts started
to empty.
Shenandoah was accepted into the Main Street Program
in 1983, but withdrew in 1985, Kerr said.
"That was before the borough got into some financial
problems," Kerr said. "It was too much for people to concentrate
on and raise that match money we require."
Shenandoah was on the verge of municipal bankruptcy
in the late 1980s. But it was saved by a fund-raising campaign started
by Councilman Joseph S. Valento. Called the "I Love Shenandoah"
fund, it raised more than $76,000.
The community again proved it could work together with
the development of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Miners Memorial. Dedicated
in 1996, the committee raised more than $350,000 through donations
and the sale of memorial bricks.
Today, the borough's population is about 6,100 and the
business district's staples include Rite Aid, Bargain Anney and eateries
like Francesco's Restaurant & Pizzeria.
A few years ago, a downtown revitalization committee
formed out of the Greater Shenandoah Area Chamber of Commerce. In
2003, the nonprofit group called itself Downtown Shenandoah Inc. and
set its sights on bringing the Main Street Program back.
So far, DSI hasn't had a problem raising funds to match
the $180,000 administrative grant from DCED for the five-year program.
The goal is to raise $100,000, and, since February 2005, DSI has received
$86,150 in donations and pledges through its "Return to Prominence"
Campaign.
DSI meets at 5:30 p.m. every third Tuesday at borough
hall. The public is invited and encouraged to attend, and membership
is free.
Everyone involved with downtown revitalization in Shenandoah
has similar hopes for the future and views on how the Main Street
Program will contribute to it.
"My goal is to restructure the economy," said
DSI President Eric M. Mika. "I think not only Shenandoah but
all of northern Schuylkill County has not been promoted since the
end of the coal mining days, when that was the No. 1 industry in Schuylkill
County. The bottom line is we have not worked in restructuring that
economy, taking demand and matching it up with supply."
"I hope that they will re-establish their downtown
as a viable entity, and hopefully it will bring some new businesses
in," Kerr said.
"I'm hoping we can fill the Main Street with retail
shops," said DSI Secretary Valerie E. Macdonald.
This year, the Main Street Program will help the revitalization
group take a step in that direction with a comprehensive market study.
"This year, Shenandoah will be working on something
we call a 'market assessment,' which is trying to figure out what
their market is or what it can be or how it's changed over the years,"
Kerr said.
Macdonald and John E. Guers, who chairs the DSI Economic
Restructuring Committee, are looking forward to getting this kind
of help.
The Pennsylvania Downtown Center will offer technical
assistance with the surveys of businesses and demographics.
"Then they'll be able to figure out what kind of
businesses they should attract and how things have changed,"
Kerr added.
"And I want to go out and recruit the businesses.
That's our main function, I think," Macdonald said.
"One of the biggest challenges in this is finding
a niche. What is the product?" Mika said.
In May 2005, one PDC evaluation suggested food was one
of the borough's biggest selling points because of its many restaurants.
It's also home to Ateeco Inc., the maker of Mrs. T's Pierogies.
"Retail is going to have to be the second one,"
Mika added.
Progress won't necessarily happen overnight, said Patrice
K. "Patty" Rader, executive director of Upper Schuylkill
Downtowns, Mahanoy City, which represents six Northern Schuylkill
Communities, including Shenandoah.
"This is not a quick fix. It took years and years
for downtowns to be in the conditions they're in now. Blight, empty
storefronts, lack of business. It's going to take patience and small
steps before you see real success," Rader said. "Their work
is just starting."
This year, DSI intends to hire a full-time downtown
manager and to secure office space on Main Street.
"I would like to see Shenandoah get back as close
as it can to its mid-century era of prominence. Now it's struggling
to survive, but it will never give up," Krash said, "because
that's the way we are."
© The REPUBLICAN & Herald
2007
< Back to News
