Allegheny Together
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Allegheny
Together endeavors to encourage well-planned, well-designed and
geographically-focused investment in the established, urban commercial
districts of Allegheny County while respecting the unique history,
character, and built environment of each. The program aims to help
organize and empower each community to fulfill its collective vision.
Allegheny Together is a program of:
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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Please Forward this E-Newsletter!
Spread the word about the great things happening in YOUR downtown by clicking on "Forward Email" located at the bottom of this column. Thank you!
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DOWNTOWN BRIDGEVILLE RECOGNITION AWARD
Jason Sarasnick & Sarasnick's Hardware
The Bridgeville Business District Advisory Committee has chosen Jason Sarasnick and Sarasnick's Hardware as the Downtown Recognition recipient for the second quarter of 2010. This is a fourth generation business, opening in 1937 with Joseph Sarasnick, Sr. and his two sons Frank and Charles as the original owners. For the past 73 years, Bridgeville customers have been visiting this store for all of their hardware needs. "If you can't find it at Sarasnick's, you won't find it anywhere" is the local saying. They carry Stihl power equipment, fasteners, screens, windows and anything else you can think of.
Jason is the current owner and great nephew of the founder. Besides devoting his time to this long-time business, Jason is also a member of Bridgeville Council and serves as the Parks and Recreation liaison.
The BDAC congratulates Jason and the Sarasnick family for their dedication and commitment to Bridgeville. We also extend a special thank you to Jason for his community service. For more information, please call 412-221-5711 or stop by the store at 512 Washington Avenue.
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POSITIVE PROGRESS IN DOWNTOWN BRIDGEVILLE!
Good things are happening in Bridgeville's downtown. The Bridgeville Business District Advisory Committee (BDAC) continues to work hard toward the goals outlined in their Annual Strategic Action Plan created with the committee by Town Center Associates and The Allegheny Together Program. The BDAC is focused on building upon the positive aspects of downtown Bridgeville and working towards necessary improvements.
The Architecture and Design Initiative of the BDAC has been hard at work focusing their efforts on the upcoming streetscape project. A request for proposals was recently responded to by an impressive eleven consulting firms. The proposals were reviewed and short-listed by the municipality with recommendations from the BDAC. Four firms were invited to make a presentation to the Bridgeville Borough Streetscape Steering Committee after an analysis of multiple submissions. The issues considered included design concepts, lighting, landscaping, furnishings, artwork, sidewalks, etc. Ultimately, one firm was chosen by the steering committee and for recommendation to Borough Council. Watch for more updates on the progress of the streetscape design and engineering as well as plans for implementation.
In the past several months, the BDAC Community Life Initiative has been working towards assembling a Farmer's Market, which would be a great asset to the community! Progress has been made in retaining participants for the Farmer's Market. To date, Simmons Farm, Bednars Nursery, Hostetler Bakery, and Little Athens among others have committed to participating in the market. The Farmer's Market began June 15th and be held every Tuesday from 4 to 7 PM. It will be located in the parking lot behind Northwest Savings Bank.
Additionally, as part of the BDAC's Business Development Initiative, the committee recently hosted a Merchant Breakfast to update the local merchants as well as community members about the committee's efforts. The Merchant Breakfast was also a forum for the introduction of two new business development programs, Downtown First and Downtown Properties, which are being offered to Bridgeville's businesses and property owners by Town Center Associates (TCA). These innovative new programs are focused on supporting and retaining Bridgeville's current businesses, as well as recruiting new businesses to the community. To learn more, please see the specific articles about these programs in this e-newsletter.
As you can see many positive things are happening through Bridgeville's participation in the Allegheny Together Program and through the persistent efforts of the Township, the BDAC Committee, and the Bridgeville's invaluable volunteers!
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YOUR WORK AND YOUR HEALTH
Health and wellness are receiving a lot more attention today than they have in the past for good reason: increasing healthcare costs are a burden and more and more people are looking for ways to take control of their health and feel better. Workplace wellness is the term for any activities and policies that a business adopts to support employees making healthy lifestyle choices. Focusing on workplace wellness makes sense because a worker spends more waking hours at work than at home or anywhere else.
Often very simple changes can improve employee wellness and morale. A well-designed wellness program can help businesses see positive results in their bottom line. The Allegheny County Health Department is offering to help businesses start their own workplace wellness programs and will provide resources and technical assistance to interested businesses. Even if you own a small business there are opportunities to partner with neighboring businesses to develop wellness programs. If you would like more information please contact Darija Wiswell at the Allegheny County Health Department 412-247-7815.
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TAKE THE DOWNTOWN FIRST PLEDGE TODAY!
Join the Movement. Put
Your Money Where Your House Is
"Homes located in communities with a walkable downtown business district are worth 10-20% more than homes in other communities"
The Downtown First Pledge is simple. All you have to do is try to choose businesses in your
downtown first. Before looking elsewhere, try to think about what local
restaurants, shops, or professionals in your community might offer the
service or product you are looking for.
When you take the Downtown First Pledge,
you'll quickly see the difference these simple decisions have on your
quality of life. You'll spend less time in your car, get to know local
business owners, and help ensure that good businesses remain in your
community.
Furthermore, the economic benefits of shopping locally will be felt throughout our region by strengthening our local economies. If
half the employed population spent just $50 each month in locally
owned, independent businesses, it would generate more then $42.6
billion in revenue. How's that for a return on your investment!*
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE DOWNTOWN FIRST PLEDGE TODAY. It only takes a few seconds and demonstrates your support for your community!
DOWNTOWN FIRST PLEDGE:
I
PLEDGE that I will try to choose my downtown businesses FIRST. I will
try to think about what restaurants, shops or professionals in my
community might offer what I am looking for, before looking
elsewhere. By supporting this movement, I am helping to improve the
vibrancy of my community and our region.
Downtown First is a downtown business support and promotion program created by
Town Center Associates.
*According to a study by the US Department of Labor |
FIND AVAILABLE PROPERTIES IN DOWNTOWN BRIDGEVILLE!
If
your business needed a retail storefront or office space in downtown Bridgeville, how would you find a building currently available for sale or
lease?
Town Center Associates has the answer: a new website, www.downtownproperties.net. Think
of it as a multiple listing service just for downtown properties in
select towns in the Pittsburgh area. This site lets you search for
available commercial properties in nearly 30 area downtowns. Each
listing has a recent property photo and contact information, as well as
demographic information on the community, mapping, and other helpful
features.
If you own a downtown property that you would like to
sell, or if you have a storefront you would like to lease, contact Town
Center Associates at 724-728-0500 or 412-577-7447, or email us at tca@towncenter.info. Our
friendly staff will make sure that your property is placed on this
website for all to see. Best of all, your property will be promoted at
NO CHARGE to you! When you call or write, ask about receiving a FREE
poster that will help promote both your property and the site!
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PHLF UPDATE
Great businesses capture foot traffic, maintain their building's historical integrity, and are intensely focused on customer service. PHLF is offering technical assistance to business owners to help them make their businesses the best they can be. As many property owners are aware, Allegheny County's Allegheny Restores program is a way for you to make capital improvements to the façade of your building. However, this is not the only assistance available to you. PHLF is offering the services of an interior designer to you and your business. Our designers can help you draw in more foot traffic through an eye-catching window display, improve the interior layout of your space, and offer suggestions for new paint colors or window treatments. This is a great opportunity for your business to get recommendations from a design professional, free of charge. To set up an appointment, please contact David Farkas at 412-471-5808.As previously mentioned, Allegheny Restores is a great opportunity for property and business owners in the Allegheny Together communities to make improvements to their facades. PHLF will be stepping up its role in this area and assisting property and business owners in bidding the work out to subcontractors, as well as helping to advise about the construction phase. PHLF brings over 40 years of restoration and renovation experience, and we are excited about working with interested business and property owners.
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STAY UP TO DATE ON DOWNTOWN BRIDGEVILLE
With Our Quarterly E-Newsletter
You are
reading the Bridgeville FOCUS: your quarterly downtown e-newsletter. By using
e-newsletters instead of print newsletters, we can send the information about
our downtown revitalization efforts to a greater number of people and save
paper--a win for the community and the environment!
To
receive your copy of the e-newsletter via email, simply send an email to
tca@towncenter.info and indicate your email address, as well as the name of the
town or towns for which you'd like to receive the e-newsletters. You can
also call Town Center Associates to sign up at 412-577-7447.
Please also
take a moment to forward this email along to your friends, colleagues, family
and neighbors, and encourage them to sign up today! This will help to inform
(and involve) more citizens about the revitalization efforts taking place in
our downtown. |
This e-newsletter was created by Town Center Associates for the
Allegheny Together Program of Allegheny County Economic Development.
For more information about the Allegheny Together program, please visit
www.alleghenytogether.com.
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