LEWISBURG, Pa. — Business owners gathered at the Campus Theater in Lewisburg on Friday. The borough is now considered an official main street through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Keystone Communities Program.
"We want to talk about main streets that matter, and (the governor is) calling for $25 million so we can not only fund more locations across Pennsylvania like Lewisburg, but we could do more in those locations, fund things like anchor buildings, increase grant amounts to really match the need and vibrancy of main streets all across the state," said Rick Siger, DCED secretary.
The Lewisburg Downtown Partnership was a part of the Main Street Matters program from 2015 to 2020.
Borough officials decided to reapply for the program, creating a five-year strategic plan and financial sustainability plan. Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2024/2025 budget proposal includes an additional $25 million for the Main Street Matters program, something leaders in Lewisburg say can go a long way to help boroughs throughout the state.
"Having the advice and expertise of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center as a resource, having access to certain funding that we can apply for through DCED, and being part of the new Main Street Matters initiative is really exciting for us at this time," said Ellen Ruby, executive director of the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership.
Part of the partnership's strategic plan is to establish downtown Lewisburg as a premier college town.
"South Sixth Street from St. George to Market Street is kind of a corridor that connects the downtown and Bucknell University. And we'd like to enhance that corridor so that it's obvious that that's the gateway, that's the bridge. And people are always coming from campus down South Sixth Street, and maybe there's some photo ops, maybe there's, you know, a really cool, six-foot-high bison," Ruby said.
The Lewisburg Downtown Partnership also hopes to create an art, entertainment, dining, and shopping hub.