Representatives from the PA Route 6 Alliance and its partners joined business owners and community leaders in both Erie and Crawford counties on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 30-31, to celebrate the successful culmination of the PA Route 6 Façade Program in the Great Lakes Region. The Alliance and its partners, which included VisitErie, Visit Crawford, Preservation Erie, Crawford County Planning, and the Oil Region Alliance, gathered to recognize the 26 businesses that received program funding that resulted in over $274,000 in façade improvements throughout the two-county region.

The PA Route 6 Façade Program in the Great Lakes Region was made possible by a $103,000 Keystone Communities Grant from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and support funding from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and is part of a larger Alliance initiative aimed at stimulating economic development by enhancing the attractiveness of the small towns across the 11-county PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor. Erie and Crawford county businesses and organizations were invited to submit applications for individual matching grant awards of up to $5,000 to fund physical improvements of building façades.

Representatives from PA Route 6 Alliance gathered with award recipients, tourism partners, county commissioners, and county planners at one participating business in each county, on May 30^th at the Community Youth Center in Albion and on May 31^st at Voodoo Brewery in Meadville. Businesses in Erie County received a total of $37,804.48 for façade improvements, while businesses in Crawford County received a total of $65,176.43 for facade improvements. This funding, combined with matching funds provided by grant recipients, has resulted in an overall economic impact of over $274,000 in the region.

“The Shapiro Administration believes that main streets matter, and the Governor’s budget proposal calls for a significant increase in the Keystone Communities Program to support main streets likes the ones in the PA Route 6 Alliance,” said Mandy Book, Acting Deputy Secretary of Business Finance & Workforce Development, DCED. “We’re delighted that DCED and the KCP could help fund this PA Route 6 Façade Program. These improvements stimulate economic development and create pride in local communities. We hope to see more of these improvements all across the Commonwealth.”

“It is amazing to see the improvements unfold in these communities,” said Candace Hillyard, Executive Director of PA Route 6 Alliance. “While each grant award may seem small, each improvement project often inspires additional improvements throughout the community outside of the program.”

Also, projects selected by the Alliance’s review committee typically utilize local contractors, suppliers, and resources to complete these improvements. The result is an even greater economic benefit to the community that far outweighs each individual grant award.

“This program gives businesses the ability to help themselves and their communities,” said Vanessa Billings-Seiler, PA Route 6 Façade Program Coordinator. “The program’s review committee worked hard on the selection process. It was truly a community-based program that touched a lot of people now and will in the future.”

The PA Route 6 Façade Program in the Great Lakes is the third such façade program implemented by the Alliance. Previous façade programs in the PA Wilds and Endless Mountains awarded grants to a combined 85 local businesses and organizations. The PA Route 6 Façade Program’s total economic impact in the region exceeds $1 million.

In 2023, the Alliance brought the PA Route 6 Façade Program to Lackawanna County. Those projects are currently in the selection process and businesses will soon be awarded grants to begin façade improvements in Lackawanna County this summer.

For more information about the PA Route 6 Façade Program or to see the complete list of award winners, visit www.paroute6.com/pa-route-6-facade-program or contact the Alliance at info@paroute6.com or call 814-435-7706.

Here are a few examples of other projects from the PA Route 6 Facade Program in the Great Lakes Region:

Click here to view the complete list of the 2022 PA Route 6 Façade Program in the Great Lakes award recipients.

More Information on the Façade Program in the Great Lakes

• Great Lakes Award Recipients
• Great Lakes Façade Program Guidelines
• Great Lakes Façade Program Public Meetings Press Release

PA Route 6 Alliance Façade Program Contacts

Candace Hillyard, Executive Director: 814-435-7706 or candace@paroute6.com
Vanessa Billings-Seiler, Façade Program Coordinator: 812-774-7082 or facade@paroute6.com

Past Façade Improvement Programs:

• PA Route 6 Façade Program in the PA Wilds
• PA Route 6 Façade Program in the Endless Mountains

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