Collegeville Connects: News From Main Street

Collegeville Connects:

News from Main Street

May 2009

Preserve Funding for Main Street
Your Action is Needed!

It is imperative that all businesses owners, community leaders, residents and those who support the revitalization of the Main Street immediately contact State Senator Rafferty, by fax or phone, in his Harrisburg office. On May 5th, SB 850 was approved by the Senate. By passing the bill, the current Pennsylvania Senate version of the 2009 - 2010 budget was voted out of the appropriations committee. The current version proposes to zero out (i.e. CEASE FUNDING) the Main Street program. Be sure to tell Senator Rafferty of the importance of this program in Collegeville, particularly for job creation, investment and business development, and neighborhood improvements.

We implore you to take action now! Ask Senator Rafferty to advocate for funding the New Communities programs (through which Main Street is funded).

You should also contact Representative Verab and ask him to do the same. An excellent opportunity to do this will be Wednesday, May 18, when he is visiting Ursinus College.

To find contact information for your senator, visit the link below and use the box in the top, right hand corner of the screen, once you arrive at this URL:
http://www.pasen.gov/index.cfm

If you prefer to write to Senator Rafferty and Representative Verab, a sample letter has been included at the bottom of this newsletter.

Use this link to review Senate Bill 850, which includes the proposed elimination of New Communities funding:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2009&sessInd=0&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=0850&pn=0953

Vereb to Host 'Here to Help' Expo

Residents of the 150th Legislative District are invited to attend Rep. Mike Vereb's (R-Montgomery) "Here to Help" Expo on Wednesday, May 20, at Ursinus College. The event is being co-hosted with Pennsylvania's CareerLink.

"People across the state have tightened their household budgets and changed their spending habits just to make ends meet," Vereb said. "The 'Here to Help' Expo is an opportunity for residents to come to one location and gather information from all levels of government on cost-saving programs available to them. This is a great way to find out how to improve your family's budget. I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss these programs with my constituents."

Organizations from the state, county and local level will be on hand to provide guests with information on programs to help residents during this time of economic instability. Special guests include: CVS' One Minute Clinic, Independence Blue Cross & Highmark Blue Shield Caring Foundation, Montgomery County Department of Public Welfare, SEPTA, Job Corps, New Choices New Options, Assets Montco, Child Care Information Services, Pennsylvania Treasury's Unclaimed Property Bureau, a Spanish language interpreter and many more.

There is no admission charge and there will be free Philadelphia Soft Pretzels and other giveaways for those who attend.

The event will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ursinus College. Ursinus College is located at 601 East Main Street in Collegeville.

Collegeville Main Street Urges Residents to Spend Their Stimulus Dollars Downtown

Collegeville Main Street encourages Collegeville residents who are receiving the Making Work Pay provision from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to spend those few extra dollars per week at locally-owned, independent businesses. During 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be seen in the form of a refundable tax credit averaging up to $400 for individuals, and up to $800 for married taxpayers filing jointly, according to statistics released by the IRS. The Making Work Pay provision translates to an average increase of $13 per week in take-home pay, per household.

Linda Flederbach, Main Street Manager said "many people do not realize how positively and significantly spending $13 per week at businesses other than big-box, national chains will affect local economies across the commonwealth." Collegeville Main Street estimates that an average central business district has about 5,000 households in its trade area receiving the Making Work Pay tax credit. Therefore, if each household spends just $13 per week at locally-owned, independent businesses, this equates to $65,000 per week in additional sales for the local economy. Over a 52-week period, that dollar amount will grow to more than $3 million dollars.

According to Collegeville Main Street, the true impact of spending $13 per week locally would be seen in the multiplier effect of local businesses investing their increased revenues back into the community. "There are many statistics out there regarding the ways communities benefit from buying locally," said Flederbach, "but one constant is that independent businesses are more likely to buy their own goods and services locally. So, if 60 percent is a middle of the road figure for revenue remaining in the community through secondary purchases, then the $3 million figure increases to $5 million over the same one-year period." At a truly local level, Collegeville's trade area is estimated at 1450 households. Using the same numbers figures, this would annually translate to $980,200 worth of sales for local businesses.

The Collegeville Main Street is a program administered by the Collegeville Economic Development Corporation, whose mission is to provide direction and an overarching framework for advancement and promotion of economic and commercial development, economic revitalization, business, tourism, education and beautification within the Borough of Collegeville.

Collegeville Main Street Program Design Committee Awards First Golden Brush Award

The Collegeville Main Street Program Design Committee will honor Marie Altieri of the Irish Shop with the first Golden Brush award on Tuesday, June 16th at their monthly Board of Director's meeting. This award presumably signifies the start of what will become a regular occurrence as Main Street property owners begin improving their facades.

The award was developed by the Design Committee to acknowledge those who have done an exceptional job in maintaining, renovating, or updating their Main Street Property. Says Cindy Whitby, co-chair of the Design Committee, "The building was dull and boring before. Marie made all those improvements and now it looks wonderful. She went ahead and did it all on her own."

Marie was chosen by the Collegeville Main Street Program Design Committee because she took the initiative to improve her property by painting, installing an awning, displaying appealing signage, as well as creating attractive window merchandising.

Recipients of the Golden Brush Award receive a gold brush to be displayed prominently for others to see. A removable sign will also be placed in front of their property announcing that they are winners of the award. The sign will undoubtedly encourage folks to stop in and inquire about the award as well as extend their congratulations.

The Design Committee hopes to begin awarding grants to property owners within the identified Main Street district once approval and funding are received from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. This grant money will spur interest in improving properties and assist in the costs associated with enhancements.

Main Street Happenings