Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The City of Bradford’s Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD) is pleased to announce the hiring of Chelsea Kahle as the Main Street Manager. Ms. Kahle is Bradford native and a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Community and Economic Development with a specialization in Historic Architecture Preservation and Restoration. Sara Andrews, OECD Executive Director, commented “The OECD is pleased to have Chelsea come on board as the new Main Street Manager. Chelsea’s education and enthusiasm for historic preservation and community development will be an asset as we continue to focus on the growth and revitalization of our historic downtown core." Chelsea will be starting in her new position on June 1, 2015 and will be working closely with the former Main Street Manager, Anita Dolan, the staff of the OECD and other partner organizations such as the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corporation, the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce and the Do...

Four new houses will be built in Bradford’s Second Ward Neighborhood Revitalization Project area that could raise the tax base significantly. City council on Tuesday approved on first reading a $250,000 general obligation bond that will go toward building the homes on Elm and Congress streets. OEDC Executive Director Sara Andrews explained that loan will be repaid from the sale of the homes, the same way it was with the homes on Pearl and School streets. She says construction on the first home should start next month. Two others should start later in the summer. The fourth may not be built until next year. “It’s great to see some new construction going up in the city – that people can come in and buy a new home,” said Councilman Fred Proper. Andrews added that a study done concerning the homes on Pearl and School streets showed that the taxes collected from the new homes is 217 percent higher than the taxes collected from the old homes that were there. She added that the homes al...

Harrisburg–Governor Tom Corbett today announced that the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) recently awarded $450,000 in Keystone Communities grants to support public improvements efforts for downtown redevelopment projects and infrastructure reconstruction in the City of Bradford. “We are continuing to invest in our local communities by supporting public improvement initiatives,” Gov. Corbett said. “These projects will bring new life and preserve the historic treasures within the Bradford community, in addition to providing opportunities for renewed economic growth.” The Keystone Communities program will provide funding for two public improvement grants for the City of Bradford. The Keystone Communities grant award for $400,000 will provide funding to undertake the construction of new housing units and make façade and streetscape improvements in the Elm Street neighborhood, a Second Ward Keystone Community Designated area. Specific project activities incl...

If you think Downtown Bradford looks good now, keep watching. It’ll be looking even nicer. Bradford City Council on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to more than a dozen improvement projects planned by private property owners. Mayor Tom Riel and OECD Director Sara Andrews said this shows that people do really care about the city’s revitalization efforts. Riel said in the nine years he’s been on council he has never seen anywhere near that many certificates of appropriateness approved in one meeting. “I think that speaks volumes to … the funds (OECD) has been able to secure for downtown, and just the overall sense of revitalization in the downtown.” “It’s been a fantastic summer,” Andrews said. She noted that this represents thousands of dollars’ worth of private investment in the historic district. St. Bernard’s Church, Man’s World, Whimsical Studios, Moments to Remember, Chosen Acres, Kabob’s, as well as buildings owned by Todd Hennard, John Kohler, James Colligan, Dwayne Zimmerman and...

Bienvenido de nuevo, la comida Mexicana. Bradford City Council on Tuesday authorized a lease agreement that will bring Mexican food back to Main Street. Mauricio Feria-Espana plans to rent 109 Main Street for one year and bring in a new Mexican restaurant. OECD Executive Director Sara Andrews said Feria-Espana owns a Mexican restaurant in Olean, New York, that, she says, is “bright, cheery clean.” She says the food was good and service was excellent when she went to the Olean restaurant recently. “We’ve done our due diligence … and we’re looking forward to having them come into our community and bring back a Mexican restaurant,” Andrews said. Also Tuesday, council accepted a quote of $7,972 from IA Construction for the paving of the access road to the Callahan Park ice rink and the side lot next to the rink. The money will come from the General Obligation Bond Fund. Council also authorized the execution of a grant contract for $50,000 in Keystone Communities Program grant mon...

Former Tuna Valley Trail Association president Mike Glesk, Bradford Mayor Tom Riel, state Department of Community and Economic Development deputy secretary Clyde "Champ" Holman and Bradford Office of Economic and Community Development executive director Sara Andrews get ready to cut the ribbon on the Pine Street Bridge this afternoon. Not pictured is Julie Marasco, a president of Northwest Saving Bank, which was instrumental in completing the project. WESB photo To see more photos, go to our Facebook page, Facebook.com/1490wesb . To hear the remarks made during the ceremony, click here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Housing rehabilitation in the Congress Street area, more revitalization efforts on Pine Street and continued work on Downtown Bradford Gateway improvements are among the projects Bradford would like to take on with $300,000 in grant money. Office of Community and Economic Development Executive Director Sara Andrews on Tuesday held the second of two public hearings on proposed activities for 2013 Community Development Block Grant money. $40,000 would be used with HOME funds to rehabilitate single family homes in the Congress Street area. Andrews said about 20 property owners are on the waiting list. $100,000 would go toward street renovation, curbs, sidewalks and street lighting on Pine Street. Andrews said she is pleased with the project so far. "It's a great-looking improvement," she said. $40,000 would go toward the gateway improvements on Forman, Elm and Main streets. This includes engineering costs. She said directional signs that include 10 businesses shoul...

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...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Property taxes in the City of Bradford will not go up next year. Mayor Tom Riel thanked the city’s department heads and City Clerk John Peterson “who did a tremendous job with the budget this year, resulting in no tax increase two years in a row in a time when most communities in Pennsylvania are seeing double digit tax increases.” “I think that speaks volumes …” Riel added. “I think we’ve turned the city’s finances around. Contrary to what some people think, I think we’re headed in the right direction.” “We’re not there yet,” Riel said, “but this is my seventh year on council and I think this is the most comfortable budget I’ve ever been involved in, and I think John (Peterson) can attest to the same.” Peterson said this was his 13th budget and it was a “refreshing process to be able to go through.” “Our department heads this year have done a tremendous job … not coming in with inflated budgetary figures for council to review,” Peterso...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The City of Bradford has come up with a new battle plan in its fight against blight. Instead of demolishing only a handful of properties this year, they’re going to go after many more by, as OECD director Sara Andrews said, getting more bang for their buck. She explained that every year $30,000 of Community Development Block Grant money is set aside for demolition. But this year, they are going take out a loan for $150,000 and pay back the loan with the CDBG money. Andrews said she checked with the state Department of Community and Economic Development and they said using the money that way would be fine. City Council on Tuesday authorized OECD to send letters to lending institutions in an effort to secure the loan. She said Councilman Rhett Kennedy has complied of list of 56 properties that need to be demolished, and that list is growing. She added that they are in the process of getting the “legal end of things” tied up so they can secure the ...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Main Street businesses should look as if they want to be part of Main Street. OECD Executive Director Sara Andrews said that’s the attitude she and Main Street Manager Colette Roessler are going to try to encourage business owners to have. Andrews and Roessler talked about the downtown business district prior to Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting when they discussed applying for a Keystone Communities Main Street Façade Grant. If they get the $50,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, they would continue the façade improvement program, which has already led to $600,000 worth of improvements downtown. More than half of that came from private investments by property owners. During the council meeting, members authorized the filing of the grant application. As for the new attitude on Main Street Andrews said, “If you want to be on Main Street, let’s have some pride and look like you want to be on Main Street...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Delta Development Group is recommending something many people in Bradford have been suggesting for years: Taking code enforcement out of the fire department. That was one of the many recommendations the consultants made during a presentation Wednesday night concerning their work with the city in the Early Intervention Program for financially troubled cities in the state. “(Code enforcement) does not belong in the fire department,” said Deborah Grass of Delta. “We don’t think it makes a whole lot of sense for trained firefighters to be looking for high grass and weeds and garbage and junk cars and those kinds of things.” Grass made it clear that Delta was not doing performance reviews of personnel or departments; they were concentrating on the financial aspects of all city departments. Before the presentation Mayor Tom Riel stressed that while some recommendations in Delta’s report have already been implemented, not every one will be. “Just becau...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Sometimes it’s hard to see the impact grant money has on the City of Bradford, but Sara Andrews is trying to open people’s eyes to that impact. During a hearing prior to Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting the executive director of the Office of Economic and Community Development said the city has received more than $5.3 million in federal HOME Program grants since 1992. The projects the money helped fund has realized $5.6 million in new assessed property values for the city. Specifically, $633,000 in HOME investment leveraged the construction of 30 new homes in Colonial Heights, which added more than $2.1 million in new assessed property. On Onofrio Street, $500,000 leveraged the construction of 13 new homes. Add that to the complete renovation of 15 homes and that’s $3.5 million in new property values. “What an impact that had in that area,” she said. Over the last 19 years the city has rehabilitated 134 homes. “If we hadn’t rehabilitated ...

Leadership McKean is first recipient of Directors’ Award The Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the recipients of their 2011 Awards along with the nominees to be honored in each category. Leadership McKean has been selected by the BACC Board of Directors as the first recipient of the Directors’ Award, designed to be chosen by vote among the Board of Directors and awarded to an individual or organization which has earned special recognition. John Sullivan, President of the BACC Board of Directors, stated, “Leadership McKean has had a tremendous impact in our community over the last five years, and we have certainly felt that positive influence at the Chamber. In fact, nearly half of our board members are Leadership McKean alumni, or are current students in the program. That participation is testimony to the success of the program. As a member of the second Leadership McKean class in 2008, I know how much it inspired me to get more involved in the community. Deve...

One of Bradford's biggest and most visible eyesores is getting new life as a sports bar. The Bradford Hotel is being renovated and will soon be Rookies Sports Bar. On Tuesday, Bradford City Council approved a $25,000 loan to the owners from the city's Economic Development Loan Program, and also approved the transfer of a liquor license from Bradford Township to Rookies. Listen to last night's council meeting here .

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Luminte officials have made their decision about moving their company -- and they're coming to McKean County. Luminite has been working out of the former St. Patrick's School in Salamanca since the May 2010 fire at the former Fancher Furniture plant destroyed the company offices on Rochester Street. They had been considering a move to either Cattaraugus County or McKean County. Bradford Office of Economic and Community Development Executive Director Sara Andrews confirmed Tuesday evening that the company will be relocating to the Lafferty Hollow Industrial Park. "We're absolutely thrilled to have them come to our community," Andrews said. They will be building a 45,000 square foot facility within the next few months. Kessel Construction of Bradford will be the general contractor. When the company is up and running at the Lafferty Hollow site, they will be bringing 60 new employees to McKean County. Andrews said she believes...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director During a meeting that lasted about six minutes, Bradford City Council approved sales of two properties currently in the McKean County Tax Claim Repository. Council approved the sale of 31 South Kendall Avenue to Russell and Wendy Persing, and the sale of 437 South Avenue to Marvin Race. Also Tuesday, Council accepted a bid from Stryker EMS Equipment for ambulance equipment. Stryker’s bid was $42,069.97. The other bid was from Boundtree Medical LLC at $58,276.25. The money comes from an Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency, and will go toward the purchase of three cots and one stair chair. Council also accepted a bid of $19,167 from CILS Incorporated to buy a washer and dryer for firefighter turn out gear. This money is also from a federal grant. Council rejected all bids received for ventilator/respirators because the bid packets they received did not have the required docu...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director A local contractor has concerns about the way the Office of Community and Economic Development conducts business regarding home rehabilitation projects, and he brought those concerns to Bradford City Council Tuesday night. Bob Baker of Baker General Contracting had questions about why he wasn’t getting bid announcements for projects, and also about how the projects are advertised and awarded. The questions led to heated exchanges between Baker and OECD Executive Director Sara Andrews, and even prompted Mayor Tom Riel to bang his gavel and ask for order, and Councilman Rick Benton to scold people about being polite. Andrews and City Solicitor Mark Hollenbeck explained that OECD is simply a conduit between the homeowners and the contractors and, therefore, the same rules that apply to bids for city-related projects do not apply to the home rehabilitation projects. Eventually, Andrews said she would make sure bid announcements are sent to Baker, an...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director A Bradford businesswoman is “aggressively” expanding her business, and creating jobs in the process. Carolyn Boser Newhouse of Super User Technologies will start providing video surveillance and access control services, and asked for a $100,000 Enterprise Zone loan to help with the startup costs. Bradford City Council approved the loan during its meeting Tuesday. The loan has an interest rate of 3 percent for a term of up to 15 years. She told council that many people think her company is an information technology business but it’s actually wired and wireless communications infrastructure. “We put the wire in the wall and the waves in the air,” she said. She said she wants to add a complementary scope of service – a new division for surveillance and access control “which is supposed to be somewhat recession proof.” Newhouse said she expects to create seven new jobs to start with. The second year plan would be to offer monitoring and hosting serv...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director One city official says if the code enforcement department is complaint driven, perhaps more people should make formal complaints. “If it has to be complaint driven then I guess a bunch of us have to walk up and down Main Street and write a complaint out,” said OECD Executive Director Sara Andrews. “I think it has to go beyond being complaint driven and at this point in time – if we see something we need to address it,” she said. Andrews made her comments during Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting in a discussion on who is responsible for enforcing codes in commercial buildings. Businessman John Kohler brought up the issue, and gave the IAS building on Marilyn Horne Way as an example, saying wires are hanging off of it, electric boxes are hanging loose, there’s broken glass and piles of pigeon droppings. “Who’s responsible to make sure that kind of stuff is cleaned up and taken care of?” Kohler asked. “Somebody could walk by there and get hur...