By late 2013, the vintage decorative awning attached to the front of Bohorad's clothing store at 6 N. Centre St., Pottsville, had seen better days.
"It was an old-fashioned crank awning system. We've been here since 1923, but I think it was installed in the 1950s. And it just wore out," Lee Bohorad, store owner, said Friday.
He's planning to install a new "canopy-style awning" in the near future, and he's hoping a new facade grant program being offered by the state through the Pottsville Area Development Corp. will help.
On Friday, city and state officials publicly announced the state Department of Community & Economic Development has given the City of Pottsville $50,000 to fund the matching grant program.
"On behalf of the City of Pottsville, I'd like to thank DCED for its continued support of the community and economic development initiatives in the city. The $50,000 designated for this project will go a long way in providing a beneficial impact for the upkeep of our central business district," Mayor James T. Muldowney said.
Property owners in the district can apply for up to $5,000 matching grants through the program, said PADCO Executive Director Amy S. Burkhart, who served as emcee at the press conference held Friday outside the office of state Sen. David Argall, R-29, at 100 N. Centre St.
Those present included Clyde C. "Champ" Holman, deputy secretary of the DCED Office of Community Affairs and Development.
"It's a great day for Pottsville. It's these kind of programs that help communities raise the bar to instill pride in their downtowns. We have active community leaders, local and state, who really work hard and are in constant communication with DCED to bring the tax dollars back to this community. And Amy perseveres to make things happen. It takes a lot of perseverance, a lot of hard work and a lot of cheerleading," Holman said.
The last time the city and PADCO offered such a program was in 2005, Burkhart said previously.
In February 2012, city officials applied for the $50,000 state grant in an effort to revive the program.
"All I can say to you and all of your volunteers is keep it up. I understand how this program works. You need a plan. You need a lot of people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work with you," Argall said to Burkhart and city officials.
Other dignitaries present included state Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, and City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar.
The Facade Improvement Matching Grant provides a maximum of $5,000 per parcel grant, and it must be matched by the applicant or property owner, according to the application.
Copies of the application are available at the PADCO headquarters on the second floor of 1 S. Second St., and at the mayor's office on the second floor of City Hall
To be eligible, properties must be located in the Central Business District, defined as Centre Street from Mauch Chunk Street to Laurel Boulevard and Market Street from Centre to Fourth streets, according to the application.
Eligible projects include:
- The repair, cleaning, refinishing, painting, restoration, repointing or replacement of exterior woodwork and architectural metals.
- Masonry repairs, including restoration, repointing, repainting or low-pressure water or steam cleaning.
- The repair, replacement, installation, repainting or restoration of display, ornamental, upper-story and storm windows and exterior doors.
- The installation or repair of cornices, parapets or roofs, if the roof is a visible part of the facade.
- Maintenance, repair, removal and replacement or existing signage or the installation of new signs or retractable cloth awnings or canopies.
- The installation or replacement of exterior light fixtures on the building facade.