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Mount Carmel downtown plan speaks to a bettter future
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If history indeed repeats itself, wouldn’t it be great if our downtowns would transition back into the bustling, community institutions they once were?
Rather than leave history to chance with wishful thinking, community diehards in Mount Carmel have taken up the cause themselves.
A grand opening is scheduled Friday for Mount Carmel Downtown Inc., a grassroots organization based on the well-known Main Street approach. Each of the nine members of Mount Carmel Downtown’s board of directors is said to bring a specialty to the group that will help jump-start the plan to revitalize the downtown.
The mission of the group is to create a bridge between private businesses, local government and the citizens in making the downtown the center of attraction it once was.
The Main Street approach builds on a community’s inherent assets (including small businesses, a connection with the past and a sense of place) to develop its potential.
The borough has certainly demonstrated an attitude of late that bodes well for this new group’s future. In particular, borough council has led an aggressive charge toward cleaning up the many blighted properties in town. It’s a never ending fight, so it will require tenacity and fortitude.
Having a downtown organization (something Shamokin is also pursuing) has helped Ashland considerably, and Mount Carmel has certainly taken note. It’s not a cure-all for the tall list of problems our communities face, but imagine if nothing were being done?
Maybe downtowns can’t be entirely what they once were, but if more businesses can survive and thrive, that brings more money into the community, expanding the tax base and lessening the demand on each individual taxpayer. From there, little by little, conditions begin to improve.
Word of the new downtown group comes during a week in which Mount Carmel will get some extra attention through the visit today by WNEP-TV’s Joe Snedeker, and the three-day Picnic in the Park celebration this Thursday through Saturday. It’s a fine, fun week to live in Mount Carmel.
Here’s an early congratulations to Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. Good luck with your grand opening Friday, and with the long-term goal of a revived downtown.
Rather than leave history to chance with wishful thinking, community diehards in Mount Carmel have taken up the cause themselves.
A grand opening is scheduled Friday for Mount Carmel Downtown Inc., a grassroots organization based on the well-known Main Street approach. Each of the nine members of Mount Carmel Downtown’s board of directors is said to bring a specialty to the group that will help jump-start the plan to revitalize the downtown.
The mission of the group is to create a bridge between private businesses, local government and the citizens in making the downtown the center of attraction it once was.
The Main Street approach builds on a community’s inherent assets (including small businesses, a connection with the past and a sense of place) to develop its potential.
The borough has certainly demonstrated an attitude of late that bodes well for this new group’s future. In particular, borough council has led an aggressive charge toward cleaning up the many blighted properties in town. It’s a never ending fight, so it will require tenacity and fortitude.
Having a downtown organization (something Shamokin is also pursuing) has helped Ashland considerably, and Mount Carmel has certainly taken note. It’s not a cure-all for the tall list of problems our communities face, but imagine if nothing were being done?
Maybe downtowns can’t be entirely what they once were, but if more businesses can survive and thrive, that brings more money into the community, expanding the tax base and lessening the demand on each individual taxpayer. From there, little by little, conditions begin to improve.
Word of the new downtown group comes during a week in which Mount Carmel will get some extra attention through the visit today by WNEP-TV’s Joe Snedeker, and the three-day Picnic in the Park celebration this Thursday through Saturday. It’s a fine, fun week to live in Mount Carmel.
Here’s an early congratulations to Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. Good luck with your grand opening Friday, and with the long-term goal of a revived downtown.
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