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Crafton secures $325,000 state grant for downtown improvements; business directory and shop‑local campaign planned
Summary
Council and staff reported a $325,000 DCED grant will fund pedestrian and business‑district enhancements; the business development subcommittee also plans a business directory, shop‑local campaign and small‑business mixer.
Council heard that Crafton has been awarded a $325,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for pedestrian and business‑district improvements.
Staff and the infrastructure committee said the award requires no local match and will be used only for items included in the borough’s application. Committee members described a “menu” of potential uses sized to fit the reduced award, including bike racks, decorative street lights, trash receptacles, wayfinding signs, decorative planters and painting to refresh crosswalks and curb delineation. Committee members said they will refine cost estimates and seek input from the business development subcommittee and downtown merchants before recommending specific projects to council.
Separately, the business development subcommittee reported early plans to build a borough business directory web page, launch a shop‑local campaign with QR‑coded window stickers, and hold a local business mixer at Fig Tree to promote networking among merchants.
Why this matters: Grant funds will support visible downtown improvements and small‑business promotion without a local matching obligation, but the award is smaller than the borough requested so staff will prioritize projects within the grant’s eligible uses.
What happens next: Infrastructure and business development subcommittees will develop a prioritized menu and refined cost estimates for council review; staff suggested using a public survey to gather resident preferences on decorative elements.
