Pennsylvania Downtown Center

11/29/2021

Wolf Administration Releases First-Ever Litter Action Plan, Calls for Action Statewide

SACA/Tec Centro was proud to host Governor Wolf on Monday, Nov. 22 as he announced the action to combat PA's litter-problem at all levels statewide. On display was the Tiny Cans initiative, the brainchild of SACA's Elm Street program manager, Jack Howell, and his wife Ellen. Noted Representative Sturla, "Lancaster will continue to be a shining example of a city that respects and nourishes its environment.”

The Wolf Administration released the state’s first-ever Litter Action Plan (PDF)–which reflects the work of more than 100 stakeholders from state and local government, businesses, the legislature, and more–and includes both current initiatives and recommendations to clean up the more than 500 million pieces of litter scattered throughout the commonwealth.

Watch the video and learn more: https://pacast.com/m?p=20290

Governor Tom Wolf, the state secretaries for the departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection, Representative Mike Sturla and City of Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace joined other administration and community stakeholders today to highlight innovative local anti-littering measures and cal...

11/19/2021

As part of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's efforts to broaden the diversity of first-time applicants for grant funding, they are offering a live webinar, "DEP Grants 101," on Thursday, 12/2 at 11:00 am. Drawing on the feedback from their grants outreach survey, "DEP Grants 101" will cover topics helpful to those who've never applied for a DEP grant and may not know that DEP offers funding to help them improve the environment in their community or at their school or place of business. The webinar may also be useful for organizations that have applied for grants but would like a refresher on the basics of grants at DEP.

Register: https://dep.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=dep&service=6&rnd=0.24162060077922864&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdep.webex.com%2Fec3300%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b00000005100cf724619f67ce903ee564e88a66585f30945f4bc9dffa45678166a4a777b9%26siteurl%3Ddep%26confViewID%3D206913433094894893%26encryptTicket%3DSDJTSwAAAAVCNYTplvCwr3Qbvp5pka-qQwSbsrMTLCCy-Oq6l5egZQ2%26

As part of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's efforts to broaden the diversity of first-time applicants for grant funding, they are offering a live webinar, "DEP Grants 101," on Thursday, 12/2 at 11:00 am. Drawing on the feedback from their grants outreach survey, "DEP Grants 101" will cover topics helpful to those who've never applied for a DEP grant and may not know that DEP offers funding to help them improve the environment in their community or at their school or place of business. The webinar may also be useful for organizations that have applied for grants but would like a refresher on the basics of grants at DEP.

Register: https://dep.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=dep&service=6&rnd=0.24162060077922864&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdep.webex.com%2Fec3300%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b00000005100cf724619f67ce903ee564e88a66585f30945f4bc9dffa45678166a4a777b9%26siteurl%3Ddep%26confViewID%3D206913433094894893%26encryptTicket%3DSDJTSwAAAAVCNYTplvCwr3Qbvp5pka-qQwSbsrMTLCCy-Oq6l5egZQ2%26

11/16/2021

PaCEO

Join PaCEO and WHYY for a thoughtful and informative virtual program on Succession Planning and Employee Ownership on Wednesday, 11/17, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The program is specially designed for those who are looking to learn about unique options for transitioning their business, preserving their legacy, and caring for the future of family and employees.

Register: https://us.e-activist.com/page/34883/event/1
Learn more: https://ownershippennsylvania.org/

Grow your business. Preserve your legacy. Employee Ownership is good for you your business your employees Pennsylvania Find out how Welcome Employee ownership is a business model in which employees own shares of the businesses stock. Employee ownership serves many different goals: Increasing busines...

11/07/2021

Don’t miss the chance to rally your communities around the small businesses that help make your downtown thrive! Encourage your community to #ShopSmall on Small Business Saturday®, Nov. 27 and throughout the holidays by applying to be an American Express Neighborhood Champion.

As a Neighborhood Champion, you’ll get access to complimentary marketing materials, planning guides, Shop Small® merchandise, and more to rally your community to support small businesses. Applications close Nov. 9. Learn more and apply at shopsmall.com/rally. Eligibility Restrictions/Terms apply.

Don’t miss the chance to rally your communities around the small businesses that help make your downtown thrive! Encourage your community to #ShopSmall on Small Business Saturday®, Nov. 27 and throughout the holidays by applying to be an American Express Neighborhood Champion.

As a Neighborhood Champion, you’ll get access to complimentary marketing materials, planning guides, Shop Small® merchandise, and more to rally your community to support small businesses. Applications close Nov. 9. Learn more and apply at shopsmall.com/rally. Eligibility Restrictions/Terms apply.

11/02/2021

Welcome Pennsylvania Downtown Center Members – Downtown Development Center

Did you know that PDC members are offered a special discount for Downtown Idea Exchange?

Members may receive a 25% discount on 12 monthly issues of the Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter featuring nationwide news, information, and examples of successful downtown revitalization! Additionally, those who subscribe will receive full access to the issue archive for a deeper drive into specific topics of interest. To learn more, visit https://ddc.downtowndevelopment.com/welcome-pdc/.

To complement the Pennsylvania Downtown Center‘s state-specific news and advocacy, members also receive a 25% discount on Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter. It will be your source for nationwide news, information, and examples of how downtowns of all sizes are reopening, repositioning, and moving ...

10/27/2021

Take action now! As you're seeing in the national news, Congress is poised to move forward on infrastructure legislation, including a vehicle that could carry Historic Tax Credit (HTC) provisions, as early as next week.

Great news? Possibly not! The $3.5 trillion bill recently passed by the House Ways & Means Committee is expected to be significantly reduced in size and scope. It's critically important that your member of Congress hear from you that the HTC provisions included in the Ways & Means reconciliation package remain in the next version of the package.

Please call Senator Bob Casey and ask for HTC enhancement provisions to be included in the final infrastructure legislation ASAP. Phone calls are most effective.

Call Bob Casey’s Office - (202) 224-6324

OR, To call the Capitol Switchboard to connect with your House Member and Senators: 202-224-3121

Take action now! As you're seeing in the national news, Congress is poised to move forward on infrastructure legislation, including a vehicle that could carry Historic Tax Credit (HTC) provisions, as early as next week.

Great news? Possibly not! The $3.5 trillion bill recently passed by the House Ways & Means Committee is expected to be significantly reduced in size and scope. It's critically important that your member of Congress hear from you that the HTC provisions included in the Ways & Means reconciliation package remain in the next version of the package.

Please call Senator Bob Casey and ask for HTC enhancement provisions to be included in the final infrastructure legislation ASAP. Phone calls are most effective.

Call Bob Casey’s Office - (202) 224-6324

OR, To call the Capitol Switchboard to connect with your House Member and Senators: 202-224-3121

10/25/2021

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania will hold the 2021 Rural Policy Summit: Local Services and Collaborative Efforts (the fourth summit in the series) on 11/10 at 9:00am.

The 2021 Rural Policy Summit is a virtual series that brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, nonprofit leaders, academic researchers, industry professionals, and others interested in rural conditions and trends, to learn about and discuss major policy issues that will affect rural Pennsylvania over the next 5 to 10 years.

Learn more and register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xIP3t2aVTGOsaSMeKAoPSg

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania will hold the 2021 Rural Policy Summit: Local Services and Collaborative Efforts (the fourth summit in the series) on 11/10 at 9:00am.

The 2021 Rural Policy Summit is a virtual series that brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, nonprofit leaders, academic researchers, industry professionals, and others interested in rural conditions and trends, to learn about and discuss major policy issues that will affect rural Pennsylvania over the next 5 to 10 years.

Learn more and register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xIP3t2aVTGOsaSMeKAoPSg

10/14/2021

PA WalkWorks, a program of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, has awarded 10 communities in the commonwealth with grants totaling $160,000 to assist with the development of active transportation plans and policies to increase physical activity options by connecting everyday destinations in their locales. With this funding, the grant recipients will be working over the next year with professional transportation and community planners to collect data, assess current conditions and aspirations, and incorporate public input in order to craft locally pertinent Active Transportation Plans. These plans will chart a course to new and improved pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks. This year’s grant recipients are:

Allegheny County – Forest Hills Borough: $5,000; Verona Borough: $18,000

Berks County – City of Reading: $20,000

Indiana County – Indiana Borough: $20,000; Indiana County: $16,500; White Township: $5,000

Lancaster County – Akron Borough: $20,000; Quarryville: $18,000

Montgomery County – Royersford Borough: $18,000

Susquehanna County – Susquehanna Depot Borough: $19,500

To learn more about WalkWorks, visit PAwalkworks.com.

PA WalkWorks, a program of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, has awarded 10 communities in the commonwealth with grants totaling $160,000 to assist with the development of active transportation plans and policies to increase physical activity options by connecting everyday destinations in their locales. With this funding, the grant recipients will be working over the next year with professional transportation and community planners to collect data, assess current conditions and aspirations, and incorporate public input in order to craft locally pertinent Active Transportation Plans. These plans will chart a course to new and improved pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks. This year’s grant recipients are:

Allegheny County – Forest Hills Borough: $5,000; Verona Borough: $18,000

Berks County – City of Reading: $20,000

Indiana County – Indiana Borough: $20,000; Indiana County: $16,500; White Township: $5,000

Lancaster County – Akron Borough: $20,000; Quarryville: $18,000

Montgomery County – Royersford Borough: $18,000

Susquehanna County – Susquehanna Depot Borough: $19,500

To learn more about WalkWorks, visit PAwalkworks.com.

10/13/2021

Fermin Diaz of Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress -- Why NEPA? | DiscoverNEPA

Congratulations to Fermin Diaz of Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress for being recognized by the president of the Dominican Republic as one of the Outstanding Dominicans in the United States! Fermin leads many local initiatives as the program's Main Street Coordinator. Learn more: https://www.discovernepa.com/articles-and-stories/fermin-diaz-of-downtown-hazleton-alliance-for-progress-why-nepa/

#DiscoverNEPA

We sat down with Fermin Diaz of the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress to ask Why NEPA?

10/07/2021

- Main Street America

The Historic Tax Credit (HTC) is an essential tool for Main Street revitalization. In fact, roughly half of the more than 44,000 rehabilitated buildings that have used the credit are projects with qualified rehabilitation expenses of less than $1 million, and over 40% of projects financed in the last fifteen years are in communities with populations of less than 25,000.

At its current level of 20%, the tax credit can close the gap for developers of building rehabilitation projects on historic properties while ensuring that rehabilitation meets the Secretary of the Interior’s standards. Main Street advocacy helped retain this tool in the 2017 tax reform process. Now, our collective advocacy can help make important changes to the tax credit to attract more investment to Main Street, including the potential to permanently raise the credit to 30% for small projects.

Take action! 1) Review the House section by section breakdown of the bill (HTC Page 3 and 4) and consider how these provisions will help support revitalization in your community. 2) Please contact our PA Senate offices, particularly Senator Casey and ask your him to support the Historic Tax Credit enhancement provisions included in the infrastructure legislation. 3) Share your experience with other HTC advocates and encourage further outreach! View the links and learn more: https://www.mainstreet.org/blogs/national-main-street-center/2021/09/28/main-street-advocacy-alert-opportunity-to-improve

#HistoricTaxCredit

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 40 years. Today it is a network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-base...

10/04/2021

NGLCC | NGLCC & Grubhub Community Impact Grant | nglcc.org

This fall, the NGLCC - The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce – in partnership with Grubhub, a leading U.S. food-ordering and delivery marketplace, and over 30 of NGLCC’s local affiliate chambers – will come to the rescue of many of America’s struggling LGBTQ+ owned restaurants and bars serving food through a first-ever grant program to provide a lifeline for these struggling, resilient small businesses.

The program will generously release nearly $2 million in funds with over $1.5 million directly to LGBTQ-owned and allied restaurants most impacted by the pandemic. The deadline to apply for the Community Impact Grants is 10/12/2021.

Eligibility details may be found online at www.nglcc.org/ghgrant.

After more than two years of turmoil among the restaurant industry, NGLCC and Grubhub have come together to provide vital assistance for LGBTQ+-owned and allied restaurants, cafes, bars serving food, and other eating establishments. The NGLCC & Grubhub Community Impact Grant program provides a finan...

09/30/2021

Environmental Education Grants

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that $750,000 in available grant funding is available for environmental education projects through their Environmental Education Grants Program. A free webinar will take place on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM regarding this grant funding. DEP staff will review the application process, offer tips, and answer questions during the webinar.

Learn more & register: https://www.dep.pa.gov/citizens/environmentaleducation/grants/pages/default.aspx

Each year, Pennsylvania invests in its schools, colleges and universities, county conservation districts, nonprofit organizations and businesses to improve environmental literacy among youth and adults.

09/30/2021

Historic Preservation Tax Credit (HTPC) - PA Dept. of Community & Economic Development

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development FY 2021-2022 PA Historic Preservation Tax Credit (HPTC) application period opens on Friday, October 1, 2021 and closes on October 31, 2021. As a first-come, first-served program, it is highly recommended that you submit your applications on October 1. All projects must include a qualified rehabilitation plan that is approved by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission as being consistent with the standards for rehabilitation of historic buildings as adopted by the United States Secretary of the Interior. Program guidelines are available at
https://dced.pa.gov/programs/historic-preservation-tax-credit-hptc/

#preservationhappensnow

The Historic Preservation Tax Credit (HPTC) is a historic tax credit for the restoration of a qualified historic structure into an-income producing property.