On October 24, 2019, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA) announced $750,000 to support revitalization projects in Erie, Pennsylvania as part of their 2019 Mission Main Street Grant Program.
“ECGRA’s Mission Main Street Grants have, for years, made a lasting impact on the City of Erie. Through these grants, our downtown has become a more vibrant, more welcoming, and a better place to live, visit, and do business,” said Erie’s Mayor Joe Schember.
Mayor Schember was joined by Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper, along with other city, county, and ECGRA officials to celebrate the ongoing reinvestment in the region.
“Once thriving commercial districts, many of the areas of focus for today’s grant recipients, have suffered from disinvestment and neglect in recent decades,” said Perry Wood, Executive Director, ECGRA. “Each area retains anchor businesses, manufacturers, and tourist destinations. They are hubs of economic activity that will continue to grow with these new Mission Main Street Grants.”
During the event, ECGRA presented the three recipients with $250,000 each.
- The Erie Downtown Partnership will be proceeding with a project that focuses on strengthening the appearance and appeal of downtown Erie’s core by strategically aligning and allocating programs that address placemaking, the built environment, streetscaping, safety, and business attraction.
- Our West Bayfront‘s project will accelerate a comeback of the West 8th Street Commercial Corridor in the City of Erie’s West Bayfront by implementing a simultaneous set of neighborhood interventions including property repairs, vacant lot enhancements, and traffic and security improvements.
- Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network will be focusing their revitalization efforts on improving gateway anchors and two significant buisness corridors: Erie’s historic Federal Hill area and South Parade Street.
“Projects across Erie County being funded through Mission Main Street Grants further the purpose of revitalizing Erie’s main streets as an economic and community development strategy that creates jobs, promotes tourism, and impacts the region’s economy,” said Dahlkemper.
Photo of park in Erie by Sean O’Hara (@solo201412) via Unsplash.