The Lead Story: Stroudsburg Main Street Gets a Plan
The Borough of Stroudsburg released its Downtown Strategic Plan last week after a planning process that kicked off last October. Philadelphia firm Pelham Advisors developed the document leaning on the national Main Street America framework and drawing on stakeholder interviews, focus groups with council members and business owners, a 670-response community survey, and a review of more than a year of council meeting minutes.
The plan sets four goals for the next five years: build an organizational foundation for the new Stroudsburg Main Street Program, position downtown as the Poconos' cultural hub, strengthen downtown as a community connector, and make the Borough more business ready. On the wish list: a facade improvement grant, a rotary at Main and Broad Streets, expanded wayfinding signage and maps, and eventually a Business Improvement District or similar funding model to keep it all running long term.
This is one of the first major products of Downtown Main Street Manager Michael Moreno's tenure, a newly created post that became a full-blown controversy back in January, when Moreno resigned as mayor, taking the Main Street job instead. The move left business owners questioning the process and left the Borough without a mayor for nearly a month, until Ellen Currie was appointed to fill the vacancy in February. Matt Abell continues as council president.
Steve Ertle, one of the chief opponents of Moreno's appointment and himself a one-time applicant for the Main Street Manager job, was quick to respond on Facebook. Ertle argues the new plan closely resembles a seven-point Main Street revitalization plan he says he presented more than a year ago with backing from 75 local businesses, and argues is lacks concrete action steps. He is calling on the Borough and business community to stop holding what he calls endless, unproductive meetings and start acting, pointing to last year's Main Street planter project as proof that small, executed ideas work. He closed with his familiar refrain, “Pocono People First.”
The plan is available for download on the Stroudsburg Borough website.
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