Help!

Preserve Funding for

Main Street & Elm Street

Your Action is Needed!

It is imperative that all members, communities, businesses, volunteers, and residents immediately contact their state senator, by fax of phone, in his/her Harrisburg office. The current Pennsylvania Senate version of the 2009 - 2010 budget has been voted out of the appropriations committee. The current version proposes to zero out (i.e. CEASE FUNDING) the Main Street and Elm Street programs. Be sure to tell your senator of the importance of these programs in your respective community, particularly for job creation, investment and business development, and neighborhood improvements. Be prepared to share your quarterly reports as a means of illustrating the improvements your program has made to the community.

PDC will continue to contact Members of the Senate and serve as an unwavering advocate on behalf of Main Street and Elm Street. Updates will be sent to you as we get additional information.

We implore you to take action now! Ask your senator to advocate on behalf of the following:

1. Support funding of New Communities programs (through which Main Street and Elm Street are funded).

• Again, be prepared to tell the story of how Main Street and Elm Street have helped your specific community.

2. Forward Geoff Brace (geoffbrace@padowntown.org) your communication with your state senator, so that PDC is kept abreast with which senators need additional follow up.

3. And again, ask to preserve funding for Main Street and Elm Street.

To obtain contact information for your senator, visit the link below and use the box in the top, right hand corner of the screen, once you arrive at this URL: CLICK HERE!

To review Senate Bill 850, which includes the proposed elimination of New Communities funding, visit http://www.pasen.gov/index.cfm and use the ‘Find Legislation By’ box in the top, right hand corner of the screen. Click the ‘Bill #’ button and type in ‘SB850.’ CLICK HERE!

This email was sent out to all members / communities affiliated with Pennsylvania Downtown Center, which is where my sister works. She put it in plain terms for me:

"You can say goodbye to community events and many social services that team with the community to share funding....like the senior center, downtown improvement projects, streetscapes, lighting, new banners, welcome and way finding signage, neighborhood murals and litter clean up programs......and much more........As the economy worsens, more people turn to their community for support whether it is emotional, financial, job assistance, child/elder care, after school programs, food and shelter."

Thank you all for sending out emails to your Senators!