DOWNTOWN AREAS Business group touts New Castle comeback

The group wants to start an improvement district to lure people to the city.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- As president of the Downtown Business Association, Mike Mancuso is part administrator, part cheerleader -- and even sometime traffic director.
The man leading area business leaders didn't hesitate last week to redirect a wrong-way driver on South Mercer Street.
It's all part of being a member of the downtown community, he says.
Mancuso and his fellow business people say they are working hard to bring people back downtown, newly revived by the city's redevelopment efforts.
The DBA started many years ago, but fell inactive and has been recently revived. There are about 40 members.
"I think we've got a good start with what the city has done for us," said Mancuso, who is the regional operations manager for Sky Bank.
New roadways, sidewalks and fixtures adorn the main thoroughfare and some of the side streets as part of the city's plan to bring business back.
New mayor
Members of the DBA say they are looking forward to working with mayor-elect Wayne Alexander.
"I think so far the city has worked really well with us. I hope it will continue when [Mayor-elect] Wayne Alexander takes office," said Carlee Caiazza, owner of Big Kahuna Screenprinting and a member of the DBA. "I don't see why it wouldn't. It seems to be helping out."
In addition to revamping the streets, the city has also offered a facade improvement program that is giving a facelift to many buildings on East Washington Street.
Renditions of those buildings to be done are on display in a vacant storefront on East Washington Street.
Group's purposes
Mancuso said he sees the DBA as the conduit between the businesses and property owners and the city that will inform them about city programs.
The group's other purpose, he says, is to bring people downtown to see what is there.
The group has sponsored three major events this year -- including this week's Light-Up Night -- which have attracted thousands.
"We've still got a ton of people in Lawrence County who don't know what's down here. I like all of these neat little places. I think some of the best food in Lawrence County is downtown," Mancuso said.
Caiazza, who is co-chairman of Light-Up Night, agrees.
"Once you are there, you realize it has something to offer," she said.
Looking ahead
Mancuso said the group hopes to continue offering opportunities for people to come downtown and they would eventually like to start a downtown improvement district.
An improvement district would be set up and run by property owners. Money, levied almost like a property tax on those inside set boundaries, would be used for activities approved by the group.
"A large number of them concentrate on safe and clean activities," said Bill Fontana, executive director of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, a state-funded, nonprofit group that assists cities with projects.
Some uses include enhancing public safety or hiring maintenance crews to take graffiti off walls, he said.
Other, more creative uses, could include advertising or making a payment to the city to provide a free parking day for shoppers.
But none of this can be done without the approval of a majority of the property owners in the district, Fontana said. The landowners must petition the city to form an authority, and if 40 percent of them object to it, it can be defeated, he said.
cioffi@vindy.com