Your Action is Needed!

It is imperative that all members, communities, businesses, volunteers, and residents
immediately contact their state senator, by fax or phone, in his/her Harrisburg office. The
current Pennsylvania Senate version of the 2009 - 2010 budget has been voted out of
the appropriations committee. The current version proposes to zero out (i.e. CEASE
FUNDING) the Main Street and Elm Street programs.

Be sure to tell your senator of the importance of these programs in your respective community, particularly for job creation,investment and business development, and neighborhood improvements.Check out the statistics on the PDC website as a means of illustrating the improvements your program has made to the community.

PDC will continue to contact Members of the Senate and serve as an unwavering advocate
on behalf of Main Street and Elm Street. Updates will be sent to you as we get additional
information.

We implore you to take action now! Ask your senator to advocate on behalf of the
following:
1. Support funding of New Communities programs (through which Main Street
and Elm Street are funded).
· Again, be prepared to tell the story of how Main Street and Elm Street
have helped your specific community.

2. Forward Pam Coleman  your communication with our state senators, so that she can keep PDC abreast with which senators need additional follow up.

3. And again, ask to preserve funding for Main Street and Elm Street.

To obtain contact information for your senator, visit this link and use the box in the
top, right hand corner of the screen.

To review Senate Bill 850, which includes the proposed elimination of New Communities funding, visit this site and use the 'Find Legislation By' box in the top, right hand corner of the screen. Click the 'Bill #' button and type in 'SB850.'

Souderton-Telford Main Streets has a $500,000 Anchor Building Grant pending that will most likely be pushed to 2009/2010 budget. This grant will be awarded to the Broad Theater project as a bridge loan. As it is paid back, it becomes a local revolving loan fund for future projects. This cut in funds would probably eliminate any chance of getting this already delayed funding.

The TCDI planning grant for DVRPC will open in September of 2010. We were anticipating applying for another $100,000 for Telford. We would have requested funds from the Main Streets Reinvestment program for the match.

The Souderton Train Station will be the next big project that we planned to find funding. The Main Street Reinvestment fund was one of the first places we would have pursued for funds.

Souderton-Telford Main Streets was planning to apply for Elm Street planning grant in the next fiscal year to start the process of identifying which neighborhoods would benefit from this program and where to start.

That is four programs or projects that will be short circuited if this funding is not restored.

Fortunately, we do have the administrative and Design Challenge Grant funding under contract for next year. Those funds were allocated from the 2008/2009 budget.