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 RECOGNITION AWARD
Larry Duvall
The Elizabeth Business District Advisory Committee has chosen Larry Duvall as its Downtown Recognition Award recipient for the second quarter of 2010. Larry is being recognized for his outstanding contributions to our revitalization initiatives and for his dedication to community service.
Although he is the owner of Duvall Heating and Air Conditioning, Larry always makes room in his busy schedule to volunteer for the betterment of Elizabeth. Larry is chairperson of the finance and budget committee in Elizabeth Borough and has just been re-elected to Council for a four year term. He is working diligently to make sure our residents are involved in many borough plans.
Larry is also involved in the Moose and volunteers and supports their causes. As a member of the Firearm Owners Against Crime, better known as the F.O.A.C., he travels to Harrisburg each year to ask our leaders to support our constitutional rights.
As an engaged member of the Business District Advisory Committee (BDAC) and Organization Chair, Larry is very active in the revitalization efforts underway in our business district. Through his participation in the BDAC's Plum Street Project Sub-Committee, Larry is dedicated in ensuring that the business district is a vibrant center of Elizabeth's community life.
Larry always has in mind what is best for our residents and town and continues to work hard so that we may enjoy living in a great borough. The Elizabeth BDAC congratulates Larry on this honor and thanks him for his many years of service.
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DOWNTOWN ELIZABETH CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Elizabeth Borough Senior Center
Weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Borough Building at 6 PM
Community Flea Market
June 26
7 AM to Noon
To find out about fun events happening in other Allegheny Together communities, check out the Allegheny Together Events Calendar. |
SUNFLOWER GARDEN
The Elizabeth BDAC is proud to announce that Elizabeth was selected to participate in a Sunflower Bio-energy Garden Initiative that was offered to all Allegheny Together communities including, Bridgeville , Elizabeth, Stowe, Swissvale, Tarentum, & Verona. The goal of this initiative is to enhance the downtown corridor with a bold statement of beautiful sunflowers while adding beauty to a formerly vacant lot by transforming it into a fresh urban green space, and to hopefully promote future investment and development here in our downtown.
The site, located next to Bouchers was planted last week with the help of a wonderful group of preschoolers! GTECH Strategies was retained by the County to provide start-up materials, as well as technical and educational assistance. The garden will be weeded and maintained throughout the summer and harvested sometime in September or October. The harvested sunflowers will be made into bio-fuel and possibly packaged food for the local Whole Foods market.
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POSITIVE PROGRESS IN DOWNTOWN ELIZABETH!
Good things are happening in Elizabeth's downtown. The Elizabeth Business District Advisory Committee (BDAC) continues to work hard toward the goals outlined in the Annual Strategic Action Plan created by Town Center Associates with the input of the committee and through the Allegheny Together Program. The BDAC is focused on building upon the positive aspects of downtown Elizabeth and working towards necessary improvements.
The BDAC's Community Life Initiative has been working with the Plum Street Sub-Committee on the Plum Street Project. The physical reconstruction of Plum Street is underway and nearing completion. Each Thursday evening throughout the summer, the group plans to make Plum Street a fun place to relax, unwind, and enjoy the summer with your family, friends and neighbors! The goal is to begin the weekly Thursday night event on June 24th and to continue for 16 weeks. Starting at 6 PM each Thursday evening, there will be weekly entertainment, a children's area, and attendees will be encouraged to purchase food from local businesses to eat on site. Fundraising efforts for this project are underway, and have included a Spaghetti Dinner at Rockwell's Red Lion Restaurant. The entertainment for Thursday, June 24th will be The Sapphires.
The Architecture and Design Initiative of the BDAC recently met with Allegheny County Economic Development to discuss making an application for a grant to initiate and implement the appropriate design necessary to consider improvements in the Plum Street area. Other considerations would include improvements within the whole of Elizabeth's business district which would further build upon the ideas identified in the former Mackin study.
Finally, as part of the committee'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 Elizabeth's businesses and property owners by Town Center Associates (TCA). These innovative new programs are focused on supporting and retaining Elizabeth'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 Elizabeth's participation in the Allegheny Together Program and through the persistent efforts of the Township, the BDAC Committee, and Elizabeth'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 ELIZABETH!
If
your business needed a retail storefront or office space in downtown Elizabeth, 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 ELIZABETH
With Our Quarterly E-Newsletter
You are
reading the Elizabeth 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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