Input sought on future of city
About 100 people attended Wednesday's annual meeting of Butler Downtown, the initiative involving people from local business, education and government and charged with revitalizing Butler's Main Street.
"We are hoping this generates more interest (in Butler Downtown) and we can get some more volunteers," said Becky Smith, Butler's Main Street manager, during the meeting held at Cornerstone Commons.
She said it is up to the community to help Butler Downtown create a vision plan, consisting of what downtown ought to look like, how it should be promoted and how it should be organized.
"We really need input from the community to fully create this plan... As Americans, it is our moral responsibility to adapt these downtown areas for future use," Smith said.
She said the Main Street program, which encompasses downtown Butler from Penn Street to Wayne Street between Washington and McKean streets, should mix a pedestrian friendly commercial center with history and modern amenities.
Butler Mayor Maggie Stock introduced Smith and commended those who have dedicated their time to Butler Downtown.
"That kind of volunteer spirit is what keeps our Butler community going," Stock said. "We are no longer imagining, but we are implementing this program."
Representatives from the Butler Downtown's four committees — design, organization, promotions and economic restructuring — all spoke at the event.
"We're supposed to guide the way this town looks, and we want to bring it back to the way it used to look," said Jonathan Dreher, chair of the design committee."I think it's in all of our best interests to capitalize on the potential we already have here."He said progress has been made with the help of the Shade Tree Commission, such as tree planting and sidewalk improvements, but there is much yet to be done.Dreher said existing building facades can be refurbished for a look of continuity, rather than the disparity between the street and second-level of many buildings along the program's 12 blocks. In addition to creation of a Butler logo, he said the design committee is charged with developing a Main Street master plan."This will include new signage, lighting, street thoroughfares and even a bicycle path through town," Dreher said.
Lisa Guard, the acting chair of Butler Downtown's organizational and executive committees, said recruiting volunteers was very important for the initiative."With more progress will come more activities and events, requiring more volunteers," she said.The organization committee's duties include fundraising — the Main Street program is originally funded by a 5-year grant provided by the state Department of Community and Economic Development — and developing partnership possibilities."It is this organization's goal to be self-sustaining," Guard said.
Cindy Closkey, recently appointed chair of the promotions committee, said Butler is active."There is an awful lot going on downtown already," Closkey said. "We'd like to promote that rather than try to reinvent it."Closkey said she has hopes that 2009 will bring Wi-Fi to Diamond Park and she hopes to attract the Division IICollege World Series to Pullman Park.
In the past year, the economic restructuring committee, chaired by Brian McCafferty, completed both a mercantile tax survey and a downtown business survey, both required as part of the Main Street program."We wanted to determine the strengths and weaknesses of doing business and shopping in downtown Butler, then improve upon it," McCafferty said.Though the committee is still "processing data" from those studies, according to McCafferty, it plans to research tax incentive programs to attract new businesses downtown, as well as retain those already present."I've seen cooperation here like I've never seen before," McCafferty said. "That's what's going to make us successful."Members of key entities like the Butler Area Multi-Municipal Committee (BAMM), the Butler County Community Development Corporation, the Shade Tree Commission, the Historic District Ordinance Committee and Butler's zoning office and redevelopment authority also attended to field questions from city residents.
Perry O'Malley, executive director of both the city redevelopment authority and the county housing authority, assured attendees all is well with the Center City project, despite the economic downturn."There is no reason to believe these plans will not work out," he said.O'Malley said Rite-Aid, whose 14,000 square-foot facility at the corner of East Jefferson and South Main streets is the centerpiece of the Center City project, has gone to a new source of funding due to the volatile market. At worst, he said, closing for the financing may be delayed until late February, rather than December, by the change in financiers, but the construction schedule remains unchanged."We are also working with Cycle Warehouse and the Penn Theater Trust," O'Malley said.He said a conference center is still planned on the same block as Rite-Aid, as well as a hotel.O'Malley also addressed the National City building at the corner of West Jefferson and South Main streets, which could be left vacant by PNC Bank's Buyout of National City."If you are in any business in Butler, that's the best corner to be on. It's a prime location and I've spoken to a few banks that are interested," O'Malley said.Any one interested in volunteering for Butler Downtown, or wanting to ask questions, can visit its Web site at www.butlerdowntown.org.Main Street Manager Smith can be reached at 724-256-5769.
