Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful

2007 AnnuAl RepoRt

July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008

The Organization Committee is responsible for the structure of the organization and its governance. It develops partnerships, secures volunteers, provides communication, and oversees budget and fundraising activities.

Building PurchaseThe committee planned and executed the purchase of the building located at 60 West High Street in Waynesburg and began marketing to find tenants to fill the offices previously occupied by the law firm of Pollock, Thomas and Morris, LLC. The building purchase is part of the organization’s overall sustainability strategy and will provide a home for the WP&B offices and a revenue stream for the organization. Thanks to a grant from Representative H. William DeWeese and Senator J. Barry Stout, the group had $50,000 toward the purchase of the building.

Special thanks to Waynesburg Borough, which graciously incubated the organization since its inception. WP&B looks forward to a continued partnership that fosters economic growth, physical enhancements, and improved services.

Annual RetreatEach year, Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful conducts a retreat where all of the committees meet to set goals and strategies for the coming year and plan for the future.

VolunteersThe committee has developed a strong organization with tremendous volunteer support. In 2007, 1,840 hours were contributed among the

Organization Committee

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various committees, promotions, and efforts of Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful.

Elm Street InitiativeThrough a planning grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful and the Waynesburg Borough Council were able to secure funding to hire the engineering firm of Johnson, Mirmiran, & Thompson to facilitate planning for Southside Waynesburg Rising. Dedicated citizens of Waynesburg have been working with JMT consultants to create Southside Waynesburg’s unique vision and determine the focus for its revitalization with the hope of being designated as an Elm Street Community and eligible for state investment funds.

A draft of the revitalization plan was presented to the Southside Waynesburg Rising Task Force and the public in May. The history of the neighborhood and the current conditions in the area were examined. Surveys were developed to engage the community in determining the best course for revitalization. The plan is now complete and will be submitted to the state with an application for designation.

The Task Force Executive Committee — Larry Douglas, chair, Don Lindsay, and Connie Grimes — are continuing to contact Task Force members and the citizens of the Southside to encourage them to become active in the program.

MembersMary Pruss, ChairChuck BerryhillConnie GrimesChris HardieRyan HartleyJeanine Henry

Barb Kirby

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The Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful Design Committee’s overall goal is the enhancement of the Main Street area with attractive amenities and an emphasis on historic preservation.

Design Committee

Flowers and Banners The committee designed new light pole banners and planted and maintained the light pole baskets in the spring and Christmas seasons.

Hooper ParkThe committee partnered with the Pennsylvania State Conservancy and developed Hooper Park on High Street.

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Façade Challenge The committee initiated and approved three additional façade restorations using design challenge grant funds from the state DCED, bringing the total to $60,786 in building owner façade improvements to the downtown area.

Historic CornicesUsing funds granted by the state DCED, and additional funds from Waynesburg Borough, the committee partnered with the borough and individual property owners to restore and paint historic wood cornices in the Main Street area.

MembersJohn McCall, ChairJennifer AdamsonBarbara Duffield

Sue Dugan

Pat GrossJohn KoloskiKevin Morris

Sue PoolLisa Schwarz

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Economic Restructuring CommitteeThe Economic Restructuring Committee is responsible for the revitalization of the downtown area. Its goal is to create positive economic change by attracting investment to the district. Economic Restructuring works to strengthen Waynesburg’s existing economic assets while finding ways to expand it to meet new opportunities and challenges from outlying development. The committee strives to sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and is working to recruit compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today’s consumers’ needs.

Keystone Innovation ZoneThe Main Street district of Waynesburg has been designated a Keystone Innovation Zone. The Waynesburg KIZ (WKIZ) is designed to foster collaboration between Waynesburg University and the local community surrounding the campus and businesses that might benefit from the resources of Waynesburg University. The goal is to enable the Main Street district to realize its potential within the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. The WKIZ strives to foster innovation and create entrepreneurial opportunities that lead to new companies and new jobs. The WKIZ focuses on four target industries: Energy and Environmental Technologies, Advanced Materials and Diversified Manufacturing, Defense/Homeland Security, and Information Technology and Communications.

The WKIZ orchestrates a combination of tax incentives, entrepreneurial resources, educational and internship programs, networking events, and technology showcases to help make Waynesburg a great place to locate a business. As part of the program, WKIZ companies (companies less than 8 years old that are in a targeted industry segment and located within the boundaries of the Zone) may claim a tax credit. WKIZ companies awarded the credit may assign or sell the granted credit. For more information, contact Don Chappel, WKIZ coordinator, at 724-852-2965.

TransportationMountain Line’s Grey Line has added daily service from Waynesburg to Pittsburgh International and the Pittsburgh Greyhound station. The service also runs south through Morgantown in northern West Virginia to Pittsburgh with a stop in Waynesburg. The newest stop on the Grey Line route is a result of the joint efforts of Waynesburg University, Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful, and the Greene County Commissioners. A

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complete copy of the schedule is located on the Mountain Line Web site at www.busride.org. The Grey Line offers a business class, along with general seating. Free wireless Internet access and carry-on overhead storage will be available to all passengers.

The Grey Line has been in operation since late 2005 and operates 365 days each year. It travels from Clarksburg, Fairmont, and Morgantown up to Waynesburg, Pittsburgh Greyhound station, and Pittsburgh International Airport each day. At Pittsburgh Airport, the Grey Line boards and alights at the ground-side terminal at Gate 8, at the luggage pick-up area.

Mock Bakery WindowFor a Service Learning project, Waynesburg University student Amanda Tustin completed the mock bakery window on Church Street.

Historic Walking TourPittsburgh Communities 250 awarded a $5,000 grant and Community Foundation of Greene County awarded a $500 Field of Interest Fund grant to the Economic Restructuring Committee for “Re-Discovering Eden.”

“Re-Discovering Eden” is a historic walking tour program and brochure with illustrative and whimsical tour maps featuring vintage photographs and fun trivia that will guide visitors through the town center and college campus of Waynesburg, an area the town’s founder termed “Eden.”

The committee collected historical and architectural information, artifacts, and vintage photos and asked for public input. The tour route will include High Street from Cumberland Street to Richhill Street and North Washington Street to the park and campus.

Destination Downtown Gift CardsIn an effort to attract consumers to spend money in the downtown Waynesburg area, a gift card program was launched in February 2008. The cards are valid at all downtown stores and restaurants that accept

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MasterCard, and the processing fee is waived, so that every dollar spent to purchase the card is redeemable. Accompanying the card is the updated Downtown Guide, a Map of Downtown Waynesburg, that highlights the retail stores, services, restaurants, and entertainment values downtown. The card makes a great gift and is also a favorite for parents to leave with students. You can purchase gift cards at The Design & Copy Center Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gift cards are available in $5 increments from $25 to $500.

New Student OrientationEssential to the revitalization of the downtown is attracting the student population to our retail and service businesses. Liz Witte and Lindsey Biddle staffed the WP&B Welcome Booth at the 2008 Waynesburg University New Student Orientation to orient students to the area.

The Waynesburg University Student Activities Board, in collaboration with the Economic Restructuring Committee, held the second annual Destination Downtown Scavenger Hunt designed to acquaint new and returning students to the retail and service businesses available in historic downtown Waynesburg. Students who visited all the participating merchants included in the hunt were eligible to win a $100 Destination Downtown Gift Card.

Economic Restructuring Committee(continued)

MembersBarb Kirby, Chair

Chuck BailyLindsey Biddle

Pat BristorAndrew Corfont

Jay HammersChris Hardie

Jeanine HenryMary Beth Pastorius

Greg RiceNancy Wrick

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Promotions CommitteeThe Promotions Committee is responsible for promoting the general image of downtown Waynesburg and creating top-of-the-mind awareness among patrons for its offerings. The committee also conducts special events and activities designed to attract people to the area.

The Promotions Committee has overseen up to seven years of successful annual promotional events as well as new ideas to further the marketing and promotional goals of Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful, Inc. We welcome input and attendance at any of our regular meetings and thank our sub-committee chairs and volunteers for their many hours of effort. In this report, we share with you their achievements and progress.

Waynesburg Farmers’ MarketThe fourth season of the Waynesburg Farmers’ Market has been wetter than other years but has not dampened the spirits of the vendors and volunteers who make it happen. There were a total of six full-time vendors this year and 11 part-time vendors who have participated at different times. Many groups from the community have participated with booths where they have passed along vital information and have even done medical testing.

There have been five special days celebrated this season: Growing in Greene in May, Kids Day in June, SummerFest in July, Senior Day in August, and FallFest in September. Those who attended received free items such as garden seeds, hand sanitizers, and tomato stress balls. Sponsors for the 2008 season were: Observer-Reporter, $1,000 (in kind); Foundation Coal, $500; Greene County Conservation District, $500; Toothman Dental, $250; Waynesburg Rotary, $100; RJ Lee Group, Inc., $100 (in-kind); Mary Pruss, Esq., $100; and Tim Logan, $25.

There have been many new additions to this year’s market. The Farmers’ Market Cookbook was published and has sold well. When the market closes, copies of it will be for sale in various businesses in town. Other new ideas for this year were a market mascot, “Pixie,” the Jack Russell terrier, and there will be a vendors-only garage sale on the final day of the market on October 15. Site Manager Carol Patterson has also introduced a new e-mail newsletter, “The Market Report,” that is typically distributed on a

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Promotions Committee(continued)

weekly basis. Many thanks to the Farmers’ Market Committee, vendors, sponsors, and volunteers for making this another successful year for the Waynesburg Farmers’ Market.

Sheep & Fiber FestivalThe 5th annual Sheep & Fiber Festival was presented by Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful on May 17-18, 2008. Though early plans called for the festival to be held in the Borough Parks, street construction had not begun by the festival dates, and it was again staged on High Street in historic downtown Waynesburg. Attendance was steady throughout each day, even in the face of threatening weather and a thunderstorm over Saturday night. Nevertheless, skies cleared, and attendance was estimated to be up from last year. Vendors continued to report satisfactory sales and noted the impressive draw from around the region with many out-of-county and out-of-state visitors.

The festival is organized and staged by a committee of dedicated volunteers from the community and local sheep and fiber industry and is also funded in part by commercial sponsorship. For the fourth year in a row, National City Bank has underwritten much of the festival expense with this year’s contribution of $3,000. Additionally, committee member Janet Mawhinney secured a $2,000 grant for the 2008 festival from the American Lamb Board. With these funds, increased efforts to promote the purchase and consumption of American lamb were successful.

New competitors were enticed to enter the lamb cooking contest, sponsored by Elysian Fields Farm; more than 100 pounds of American

lamb was prepared and sampled by festival attendees; recipes were distributed to all samplers; and local producers and sources for the purchase of lamb were consistently promoted. Many sources reported increases in sales, including the 4-H and FFA market lamb sale at the Greene County Fair, which experienced record high sales in the season following the 2008 Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Festival. Additional sponsors making monetary

contributions to this year’s festival were: Direct Results/GreeneSaver, Log Cabin Fence Company, Greene County Commissioners, Ann’s Feeds, Dr.

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Glodenna Halstead Stateline Veterinary, and Southwest Regional Medical Center. Several other businesses made in-kind contributions. “This festival is well supported by the local Greene County business community as well as regional and national interests in the sheep and fiber industry,” said Carol Adamson, committee chair. “That, together with some very dedicated fundraising efforts on the part of our committee, enabled us to cover all operating expenses this year and achieve our goal of a self-sustaining festival.”

For more information or the committee contact list, check the festival Web site at www.sheepandfiber.com, or contact Committee Chair Carol Adamson at 724-451-8406. The Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest Committee typically meets on the fourth Friday of each month at noon.

50’s Fest & Car CruiseMore than 75 classic cars, trucks and motorcycles turned out for the 7th an-nual 50’s Fest and Car Cruise, held Saturday, September 13, in downtown Waynesburg. The event celebrated the 1950s with classic music and movies, con-tests, prizes, food and other specials from downtown merchants and res-taurants. Attendees continued to fill High Street and admire the various vehicles on display despite the brief period of rain in the morning.

Supplementing the primary in-kind sponsor of the event, WANB Radio, were multiple local businesses whose monetary contributions as “T-shirt sponsors” make the 50’s Fest one of the most successful and well-known events in southwestern Pennsylvania. Hot Rod’s House of Bar-B-Que on Washington Street claimed top T-shirt sponsor this year with a $500 contribution. A host of other local merchants renewed sponsorships at the $50, $100, or $250 levels and are featured on the collectible 2008 50’s Fest T-shirt with an original design by Colleen Nelson.

Once again, a highlight of the festival was the Pedal Car Auction, where three totally customized one-of-a-kind collectible pedal cars were offered on the auction block. Custom paint jobs were donated this year by T&A Auto Services, Wade’s Body & Frame Shop, and T-N-T Auto Body.

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The “Grumpy Old Men of Greene County” continue to assist the festival committee and built a custom “Jeep” pedal car dedicated to the memory of George Kelley, which was raffled at the festival.

The 50’s Fest & Car Cruise Committee welcomed several new members this year and thanks Luke Kiger and Lee White for joining the effort. Committee Chair Doug Wilson also offers our sincere appreciation for steadfast workers Glen Kinsey, Rodney Grimes, Shelly Brown, Jeanie Patton, Brenda Stone and the Christian Motorcycle Association, and Waynesburg Borough Police & Street Departments.

Holiday Open HouseThe Promotions Committee adopted the first Friday of December as the annual event date for a Holiday Open House in the historic downtown shopping district of Waynesburg. A structured event designed to increase traffic at downtown retailers and enhance the environment for all downtown traffic, the Annual Holiday Open House includes extended hours among participating merchants as well as various doorprizes, silent auctions, free refreshments, and entertainment for the evening. The committee is also planning a Christmas Tree Auction to offset promotional and advertising costs of the Holiday Open House, which falls this year on Friday, December 5.

Destination DowntownThe Promotions Committee is pleased to announce the accomplishment this year of “Destination Downtown” T-shirts, featuring a commissioned drawing of the beautiful and historic block of High Street north of the courthouse by local artist Melody Matthews. The T-shirts were designed by Becky Walawander, committee member, board member, and owner of The Design & Copy Center. The project was underwritten by a $300 grant from First Federal Savings & Loan of Greene County. To show your pride in downtown Waynesburg, be sure to get your “Destination Downtown” T-shirt, available at The Design & Copy Center and several downtown retailers.

Promotions Committee(continued)

MembersShelly Brown, Chair

Lucy Northrop, Secretary Karen CalvertRon Christman

Chris HardieWayne Hart

Jeanie PattonBecky Walawander

Barb Wise

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WP&B receives accreditationWaynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful received accreditation in April as a 2008 National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center. Evaluation criteria include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving historic buildings.

Warm WelcomesDowntown Waynesburg welcomed two new businesses to locations on High Street this summer.

Our Glass Creations hosted an Open House in July in its location at 106 East High Street. Featuring stained glass creations, the gallery is owned by artists Beth Day and Karen Calvert. The pair’s sister, fabric artist Rosemary Birt, will also create artwork using stained glass and yarn from Lippencott Alpacas. Located at 157 East High Street, Honey Bees, owned by Melissa Ziegler, opened in September. The store offers an eclectic mix of nostalgic and cultural items, such as classic 33 1/3 and vinyl records, tapestry throws, jewelry, and a game room.

In June, Deb Mack was named the Main Street Manager for WP&B. Her employment background consists of experience in retail and mall management, marketing, public relations, business development, and operations management. In August, Liz Witte was hired as the Administrative Assistant.

Fond FarewellsThe Board of Directors bid farewell to Jay Hammers, owner of Rhodes and Hammers Printing, Inc., after he completed his director term at the end of 2007. Jay was one of the Board’s original directors and also served on the Economic Restructuring Committee. The Board thanks Jay for his years of dedication.

Former Board member Scott S. O’Neil retired as president of First Federal Savings and Loan of Greene County in July after serving in the position for 17 years. Scott was one of the WP&B Board’s original directors and also served on the Economic Restructuring Committee. The Board wishes Scott the best of luck in his retirement.

News

Rosemary Birt, Beth Day, and Karen Calvert

Melissa Ziegler and Amanda Aberegg

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