Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Another downtown Bradford building may be getting a facelift. The Loyal Order of Moose building at 14 Pine Street is currently in the county repository, but the Bradford School Board during its meeting tonight is expected to give its consent to the Tax Claim Bureau to sell the property to the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corporation for $500. Lee Minter has also made an offer -- $1,000 – and says he has two prospective tenants. Minter bought the former Archer’s building at the corner of Main and Congress streets two years ago. The item on the school board’s agenda says the DBRC is making the offer because it is “concerned with the preservation of one of our most significant buildings in the city’s historic district.” The DBRC plans to restore the building using grant money and/or by working with private investors who having a building restoration plan and resources to implement it. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Bradford City Council on Tuesday honored Judge Chris Hauser, who is leaving his position as chairman of the Downtown Bradford Redevelopment Corporation. Under his leadership, the DBRC established the Main Street Mercantile, renovated the Main Street Movie House and other key buildings in the Downtown Historic District, and returned them to private ownership. Hauser had been chairman of the DBRC since its inception. He stepped down after being elected judge in the McKean County Court of Common Pleas. Also Tuesday, council approved a change order for the new fire truck for the city fire department. Councilman Rhett Kennedy explained that the truck is necessary because the one it’s replacing is more than 30 years old. The next “newest” truck is 16 years old, he said, adding that the normal life of a fire truck is 10 years. Mayor Tom Riel added that without up-to-date equipment the department may not be eligible for grant money. The total coast of the truck and equipment is “not to ...

Residents in Bradford's Second Ward Area will soon have an opportunity to help guide Neighborhood Revitalization efforts through a “Community Needs Assessment Survey.” The Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corporation recently received approval of a state Neighborhood Partnership Program (NPP) tax credit application that will provide funding to undertake improvements to the Second Ward Neighborhood annually for a five-year period. The DBRC will partner with the City’s Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD), which will be the administering agent for improvement activities in the selected neighborhood. To help guide efforts a questionnaire covering important aspects neighborhood revitalization including planning, physical environment, economic development and community services will be reaching Second Ward NPP area homes and businesses in the next couple of days. “The primary purpose for conducting this survey is to find out where efforts are doing well and where effo...

Bradford City Council hopes to appoint a new council member at its next meeting on July 10. The new member would serve out the term of Rick Benton, who died June 16. Council will be accepting applications until 3 p.m. Friday. As Tuesday's council meeting starated, Mayor Tom Riel asked for a moment of silence in honor of Benton but, before that, he talked about Benton coming to him about filling the council seat Riel was vacating to become mayor. “I asked him to be able to agree to disagree and move onto the next issue without holding a grudge; and if he had something to say to me to say it to my face and then he could tell the whole world. He honored both of those very well,” Riel said, then added with a chuckle, “And he very often did not agree with me.” “He was a great councilman,” Riel said, adding that Benton would arrive for most council meetings half an hour early in case he had any questions he could ask city clerk John Peterson and get them cleared up. “He was definitely a ...