Elm Street details

Pennsylvania’s Elm Street Program assists municipalities in rejuvenating residential and mixed-use areas adjacent to their central business district. Pennsylvania based its Elm Street Program on its successful Main Street Program, which targets downtown commercial districts. Central commercial areas and the neighborhoods that surround them are linked. Vibrant neighborhoods provide customers and a labor pool for downtown businesses. In turn, a healthy downtown improves the quality of life in nearby neighborhoods. The idea behind the Elm Street Program is that communities should plan the future of these two types of areas together, instead of treating them like separate entities. The area under study in this plan is the South Ward Neighborhood, which lies adjacent to the Borough’s West Broad Street and South Center Street Business District. This area is defined on the east by the border of Rt. 309 (Center Street), on the west by the Borough of Tamaqua boundary, on the north by West Broad Street (Route 209), and on the south by the properties bordering Orwigsburg Street. The exact boundaries can be seen on the project map. The Elm Street Program also provides three types of state grants to municipalities, which are planning grants to prepare five-year revitalization strategies, operational grants for hiring a professional Elm Street Manager to oversee implementation of the five-year strategy, and reinvestment grants to fund physical improvements recommended in the five-year strategy. The Borough received a planning grant to prepare an Elm Street Neighborhood Plan and hired Ogden Consulting, LLC, and Daniel Schroeder Historical Restoration and Design Consultant as the planning consultant for this project. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development awarded the Elm Street designation to Tamaqua's South Ward Neighborhood Committee in 2007.

SWNC Mission

The South Ward Neighborhood Committee established the following mission statement: The South Ward Neighborhood Committee is dedicated to working with and supporting existing community organizations in efforts to promote home ownership, reconnect with Downtown Tamaqua and address neighborhood safety issues. The Committee will work with current and former neighborhood residents and community organizations to improve the neighborhood park, assist neighbors and make improvements to the make the neighborhood a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

SWNC Vision and Goals

Residents of the South Ward of Tamaqua have roots that run as deep as the coal veins that once sustained our community. We look to the past with an eye on the future, dedicating ourselves to improving our corner of the world through the following steps: Re-establish the South Ward Playground as the heart of the community. Promote safety and security, working towards a drug free environment and assisting our volunteer fire department. Encourage our neighbors to take pride in our community, establishing a greater sense of responsibility. Create a pro-family environment. Develop a partnership with the Tamaqua Area School District and Lehigh Carbon Community College, encouraging residents of all ages to become life long learners. Goals Within this neighborhood, the goals of the Elm Street Program are: To improve physical appearances by enhancing exterior building conditions and the local streetscape; To connect with revitalization activities happening in nearby commercial areas; To create and sustain neighborhood organizations that will help prevent decline; and To devise a vision for neighborhood revitalization and a comprehensive strategy to carry out that vision.

Our Plan

In order to develop as successful of a project as possible, the Borough, South Ward Neighborhood Committee and the consultants held a series of public meetings to solicit public input into the plan development process. A housing inventory was completed; existing programs, systems, resources and current municipal codes were reviewed. Volunteers developed a photographic inventory of their likes and dislikes. Through this process, the neighborhood assets and challenges were identified. These have been translated into goals, objectives and specific tasks consistent with the five elements of the Elm Street Plan: Clean, Safe, & Green; Design; Image & Identity; Neighbors and Economy; and Sustainable Organization. The Elm Street Plan for neighborhood improvement includes the following goals and objectives. Clean, Safe and Green Goal Create an area where every resident and visitor can feel safe on neighborhood streets, take pride in the neighborhood, and live in a well-maintained environment. Objectives: a) Improve the South Ward Playground – address inconsistent maintenance, safety hazards, deteriorated basketball court, and create better playground design. b) Create Community Gateways at the corner of Spruce and Hunter and the western entrance of Stadium Hill to present welcome entrances to the neighborhood and eliminate perceived problem areas. c) Maintain a clean environment through the cooperative effort of municipal employees, public service groups and school district. d) Increase public awareness of recreation facilities/programs in the neighborhood. e) Increase availability and access to walking trails. f) Improve lighting on streets and walkways. g) Improve residential parking, particularly in winter. h) Improve curbs, sidewalks and walkways to downtown. i) Establish South Ward Volunteer Fire Company and Tamaqua Salvation Army as neighborhood emergency shelter. j) Consistent house numbering; street signage. k) Consider traffic calming methods to improve traffic flow and lower speeds. l) Seek cooperative strategies to support shared rides and local transportation. Design Goal Encourage partnerships of existing resources to create a neighborhood design that provides for a safe, attractive and economically viable community for its residents. Objectives: a) Create a system to provide consistent code enforcement of all properties and rental inspection program. b) Implement programs to entice property owners to restore and improve existing properties. c) Develop standard rehab guidelines for 'typical’ South Ward properties. d) Develop programs to encourage general property maintenance (painting, pressure washing, weeding) and assist persons unable to complete regular maintenance. e) Encourage Borough to focus capital improvements and pilot programs in South Ward. f) Develop a property review committee to encourage redevelopment appropriate to the neighborhood needs. Image and Identity Goal Seek opportunities to improve the image of the South Ward as perceived by the neighborhood and others. Objectives: a) Develop a consistent theme for the neighborhood. b) Conduct annual Homecoming Events to promote community pride. c) Establish South Ward newsletter to create awareness. d) Develop neighbor helping neighbor campaign. e) Encourage and promote positive media awareness of neighborhood initiatives. f) Actively participate in and promote in the Blueprint Community program. Neighbors and Economy Goal Enhance and promote initiatives to improve existing housing; increase opportunities for personal, family and neighborhood growth. Objectives: a) Strengthen relationships with local organizations and institutions to further develop potential of residents. b) Strengthen partnerships with development organizations to promote commercial opportunities. Sustainable Organization Goal Create a sustainable organization responsible for the management of volunteers, development and dissemination of information and fund raising strategies to achieve the goals of the South Ward Neighborhood. Objectives: a) Establish an Elm Street Coordinator with a clear, concise management structure. b) Develop resources to enhance presentations, improve communications, and manage information effectively. c) Establish sponsorship programs to help fund community projects. d) Establish recognition programs to reward performance. The development of the South Ward Plan would not be possible without the dedication and support from numerous volunteers, organizations, businesses, elected officials and employees of the Borough of Tamaqua, PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), PA Downtown Center and most importantly, the South Ward Neighborhood Committee and residents.

Our Partners

Our partners in this adventure are State Rep. Dave Argall; State Sen. James Rhoades; Downtown Tamaqua, Inc., previously known as the Main Street program; the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership; the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; the Pennsylvania Downtown Center; the Borough of Tamaqua and all of its officials; the Tamaqua Area School District; Lehigh Carbon Community College's Morgan Center; and Schuylkill Community Action.