On a recent sunny afternoon, people in downtown Ephrata walked on decorative brick sidewalks, passing quaint streetlights on Main Street. Others sat on porches and at tables set outside a downtown cafe.
But the aesthetic improvements made several years ago have not eased concerns about vacant storefronts.
in response, the borough decided to conduct public meetings last year to find out what else residents thought should be done. Hundreds of people attended the meetings and made suggestions that included everything from doing more to link downtown with area tourist attractions, such as the Ephrata Cloister, to encouraging more nightlife and artistic activity downtown.
Now a group of residents, business owners and community officials is working to put those suggestions into action. They are members of Downtown Ephrata
Inc., an organization formed after the meetings to keep downtown revitalization efforts moving.
The organization is compiling information about downtown buildings and hopes to begin a survey of business owners within four to six weeks, said Rebecca Denlinger, an economic development specialist with the Lancaster County Planning Commission. A survey of customers visiting downtown businesses would follow, she said. The surveys would ask questions such as what business owners think should be done to keep businesses downtown and what amenities customers would like to see, Denlinger said.
The goal is to prepare Downtown Ephrata to apply to have Ephrata become part of the state's Main Street Program, said Denlinger and Downtown Ephrata volunteers. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development runs the program, which helps communities establish local organizations dedicated to promoting retail centers, restaurants and attractions.
"It's an area that's ready for revitalization," said George Dillio, an Ephrata resident who is a member of Downtown Ephrata's board and who serves on its design committee. "It's a process that people are excited about and they're anxious to see things happen."
Downtown Ephrata started its work after the public meetings were completed. The organization -now has between 50 and 60 volunteers, said Denlinger, who works with the organization.
Downtown Ephrata has four committees: design, promotion, economic restructuring and organization. The group also has a board that consists of members of each committee and representatives from other Ephrata organizations, including the borough and the local chamber of commerce.
If Downtown Ephrata's application for the Main Street Program is successful, it would not be the first time that the borough participated in the program. Ephrata was in the program several years ago, but Downtown Ephrata President Joanne Pike said the borough's effort lost momentum after the state's period of financial support ended.
Ephrata was in the Main Street Program when the state offered only three years of financial support to participants, said Bill Fontana, executive director of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, the Harrisburg-based organization that ran the public meetings in Ephrata last year. During the past several years, however, the program has evolved into one that offers five years of funding. The longer funding period gives participants a better chance of sustaining their revitalization efforts, Fontana said.
Participation in the Main Street program would give Ephrata access to state funding and to people who have experience with downtown revitalization efforts, said Fred Thomas, a member of borough council and treasurer for Downtown Ephrata. "You have to be cognizant that you're not inventing the wheel," he said.
Thomas said that one of Downtown Ephrata's challenges is to show residents that something has been done since the public meetings ended. Because most of the organization's current work revolves around planning for the future, there's no "eye candy" for people to see yet, he said.
In May, Downtown Ephrata held a celebration to show residents what the group has done since the public meetings ended. The event attracted between 100 and 200 people, Pike said.
"We didn't want to let people think that this had been dropped," she said.
Bernard Shiffler of Parkhill Jewelry in downtown Ephrata expressed excitement about Downtown Ephrata's work. He said he is considering getting involved with the organization.
Shiffler said, although downtown vacancies remain an issue, the borough's revitalization efforts - such as the streetscape improvements - have benefited downtown businesses.
"It has helped keep people coming, downtown," he said. "Everyone who comes in here comments on how nicely downtown looks."
But the new look has come at a price for some businesses, said Joan Roether of Joan's Economy Shop, 100-104 E. Main St. For example, Roether said construction of the streetscape improvements harmed her business, and some of her customers didn't come back after the work was completed. Roether also said. that efforts have been made in the past to ban retailers from displaying items on the sidewalk in front of their stores, an action. which Roether said also would harm her business.
"I love the town, but there are some people who think that everything has to be upscale," Roether said.
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