Easton Main Street Initiative Takes Home Two Townie Awards at Annual Pennsylvania Downtown Center Conference
Altoona, PA. – Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC) recently presented 12 awards during the organization’s annual statewide Townie Awards gala. The Townie Awards are a festive and venerable tradition designed to recognize the commonwealth’s core communities and individuals for creation and implementation of projects, programs and events that exemplify the goals of PDC’s community revitalization mission. Eligible communities consist of Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s nearly 200 member organizations, which include approximately 70 Main Street and 30 Elm Street programs, making the Townies a competitive award process each year.
Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s executive director, Bill Fontana, said “Each year we look forward to the Townie Awards presentation for its ability to excite and inspire our members to continue their community revitalization efforts. Our member communities work tirelessly to improve their cities and towns, and we love having the opportunity to applaud them for their efforts.”
The Townie Awards are a part of PDC’s annual statewide conference, which is held in a different commonwealth community each year in order to highlight the respective city or town’s accomplishments in community and neighborhood revitalization. This year’s conference, held in Altoona was attended by more than 125 individuals and included borough and municipal officials, experts in community planning and landscape architecture, and dozens of Main Street and Elm Street managers. Highlights of the conference included nationally-recognized speakers, more than two dozen educational sessions, mobile workshops highlighting the region’s natural waterways and hiking trails and a visit to downtown Hollidaysburg.
Founded in 1987, the mission of Pennsylvania Downtown Center is to advance the sense of place, quality of life and economic vitality of Pennsylvania’s downtowns, traditional neighborhood business districts and nearby residential areas. For information about the Townie Awards and this year’s recipients, contact Ashlee Shelton at (717) 233-4675, or ashleeshelton@padowntown.org.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Following are the 12 Townie Award winners for 2014
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE:
Organizational Development
Bucks County Preservationists, Lofts at Stationview
Penn State Altoona & Steve and Nancy Sheetz, Connecting Campus to Community
PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS & DESIGN AWARDS
Individual Storefront
United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, Jerry and Carol Smurl 305 Prospect Avenue
Public Space Improvement
Butler Downtown, W. New Castle St. Plaza
PROMOTIONS & MARKETING AWARDS
Special or Neighborhood Events
Venture Lititz, America’s Coolest Small Town Events Calendar
Retail Promotions
Easton Main Street Initiative, Downtown Easton Gift Card
ASSET ENHANCEMENT AWARD
Ardmore Initiative, Business Assistance Grant Program
ANCHOR BUILDING AWARD
Easton Main Street Initiative, Pomeroy Building
SAFE CLEAN GREEN: CLEANLINESS & COMMUNITY GREENING
Greensboro Borough, Elm Street Clean Safe and Green
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY A PROGRAM MANAGER
Deborah Adamik, Gettysburg
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Len Bodnar, Manheim Development Group
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD FOR YOUTH INVOLVMENT
Manheim Girl Scout Troup 70239