Sunbury Revitalization Incorporated (SRI) delivered a detailed year-in-review to council, describing partnerships, grants and capital projects intended to spur downtown revival.

SRI representative Jody said partner contributions include institutional supporters such as UPMC and WiseMarkets and that community partners typically commit a minimum level of annual support. Jody described completed work at the Albright Center for the Arts — including an upgraded commercial kitchen and downstairs HVAC — and said those improvements have increased rentals and weekly programming at the venue.

SRI outlined a five-year downtown strategic plan with three goals, 11 objectives and 35 action plans; it reported $84,800 received in Blueprint Communities grants and additional contributions from partners and the city for a total program funding stream exceeding six figures. The group announced a hire for a full-time downtown manager, Sarah Bauer, and an AmeriCorps events coordinator supporting community engagement through 2026.

SRI also described several capital projects: a Think Sunbury marketing program and a sculpture to be installed in Cameron Park, a Stroh Alley improvement project partly funded by a Blueprint grant and CDBG funds, and a conceptual plan to convert a former police department building on Market Street into apartments with a Main Street program headquarters. Jody characterized the latter as conceptual and said further feasibility work would be required.

On financing, Jody said SRI had used a new loan to repay an older line of credit, freed funds for immediate capital improvements and expected new leasable space to generate revenue. The transcript contains inconsistent appraisal figures for the Albright Center; the council packet or SRI’s written financial reports should be consulted for exact dollar amounts. “Our financial reports are always available on request,” Jody said.

SRI requested a replacement city official to serve on its Blueprint Communities downtown team and asked council to continue event support; council acknowledged the request and thanked SRI for its work.