Following Through

On July 1, 2020, Erie City Council officially adopted by resolution the Academy - Marvintown Neighborhood Plan. "The Plan" is our neighborhood's first, ever, thorough look at ways to address some of the issues facing properties in our small part of Erie.

The plan has five year benchmarks, four components, and a number of core strategies. You can read all about them in these excerpts from The Plan below.

Like any plan, The Plan is useless unless there is follow through. That's where you come in.

We need five people for the Neighborhood Plan Follow Through Committee. This committee would do the following:

1. Be familiar with the plan and it's goals.

2. Meet with City of Erie Planning Department officials a few times a year.

3. Report progress and/or lack of progress back to the rest of the neighborhood.

That's it! We need a few dedicated volunteers to make sure that The Plan becomes reality. This is great opportunity to do some real work to improve Erie and the Academy Neighborhood.

If you would like to be a Neighborhood Plan Follow Through Committee member, please share some basic contact information here:

Join! Click here.

Link to Academy - Marvintown Neighborhood Plan 

Five year benchmarks:

Outcome 1:

Outcome 2:

Outcome 3:

Outcome 4:

Core strategies: 

 

Secondary Stratiegies: 

Getting Our Name Out There

Our flower boxes on State Street were one of the first places where you could see the words Academy Neighborhood in a highly visible area. But you can't just put flowers in the median of a busy street! We had to work with the City of Erie for an easement that allows the planters to be placed on public property. We had to raise money (thanks Neighborhood Resource Organization!) to purchase the planters and plants. Additionally, we had to purchase insurance for the planters. 

This top picture is from June of 2016 when the planters were first placed at the intersections of 30th, 31st, 32nd, and State. The rest were taken in the intervening years and the bottom photo is from 2020. 

As you can see from the pictures the boxes are starting to show some wear after five years in the elements.

Background:

Neighborhood resident and volunteer Michelle Totelben is the person who worked with Erie City Council and the City Solicitor's Office to finalize the agreement. We thank her for navigating the bureaucracy.  

Here are scanned copies of all of the paperwork.

 

All of this paperwork isn't terribly exciting, but as you can see, we actually have permission to place six planters along State Street, although up until now we have only had three. I added the green numbers for clarity. They show that we could place planter boxes on the north and south medians of E. 30th and State (#1 and #2), the north and south medians of E. 31st and State (#3 and #4), and the north and south medians of E. 32nd and State (#5 and #6). 

In the City of Erie Master Plan for the Academy and Marvintown Neighborhoods, neighborhood gateway improvements are specifically mentioned (page 42), with the State Street corridor mentioned as one site for gateway improvements. 

Possible improvements include:

1. Utilizing all six sites.

2. Larger, more permanent planters.

3. Clearer Academy Neighborhood logos.

4. Possible sponsorship by businesses or organizations along State Street.

5. Maintenance free or minimal maintenance plants requiring little watering.

Take it from the guy who has watered the plants there for the last five summers, number five is an important one.

You can be a part of these improvements!

We are now forming a State Street Gateway Improvement Committee - please think about joining. Just fill out this form and you will be contacted by a volunteer. Thank you!

Click here for the form

E. 28th St. Work Continues

"We've been talking about it for years."

That's what Paul Aldridge had to say about replacing the aging, single pane wood windows on a home he owns on E. 28th Street in Erie.  "We simply could not have done this without the thousand."

The "thousand" Aldridge is referring to is the one thousand dollar grant he was awarded through the Academy Neighborhood Association's Revitalize E28 program. The program, funded by the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority's Renaissance Block Grant Program, awards property owners up to one thousand dollars in matching funds for home improvements. 

(l-r) Bernadette Aldridge, Paul Aldridge, their granddaughter Jaylynn, and grandson William.
Jaylynn is holding the family dog, Lilly. 

Aldridge is the third recipient of Revitalize E28 funds. The program is designed to reward reinvestment in properties along E. 28th Street in the Academy Neighborhood. The E. 28th Street corridor was chosen based on the Erie Refocused Plan, which specifically mentions E. 28th as an area to focus improvement efforts. The Renaissance Block Grant specifies that improvements should be "front facing" and be designed for maximum impact on the neighborhood at large. The Aldridge family utilized a local vendor, Window World of Erie, to replace seven front windows with double-pane, gas filled, vinyl windows designed for energy efficiency. 

For more information about the Revitalize E28 program, or to see if your property is eligible, please see academyneighbors.org or email E28@academyneighbors.org. 

Neighborhood Plan - Update

Five things to know about the planning process:

ONE: You can get involved! Tuesday evening at 6:30 the next steps in the Academy/Marvintown planning process will be discussed at a joint neighborhood meeting. It is taking place at St. John’s Church, 509 E. 26th Street. The more people who give their input, the more effective the planning process will be.

TWO: The City of Erie is making this happen led by Erie City Planner Kathy Wyrosdick. The Erie Refocused plan calls for each neighborhood to be researched and a plan for best practices in each neighborhood to be created. This might be happening whether or not the Academy Neighborhood organization existed - but the fact that this organization does exist has made it easier for the City Planning Department and “get the word out” to the residents of Academy Neighborhood.

THREE: The Academy-Marvintown area is big - it consists of two U.S. Census Bureau Tracts. The two tracts don’t exactly “jive” with our neighborhood map. Please see the attached pictures.

FOUR: Many people are working hard to make the plan a reality in the City Planning Department including Ms. Wyrosdic, Erin Carey, Paul Cancilla, and Krystal Otwerth. Mayor Schember has also gone door to door on a number of occasions to survey neighborhood residents and we have had a number of neighborhood volunteers who have completed property condition surveys.

FIVE: There are two ways information is being gathered about the neighborhood. 1. Property condition surveys 2. Personal and online surveys. That information will be used by the city to draw up a master plan based on the principles in Erie Refocused.

As the process continues it is going to be up to us, residents of Academy Neighborhood, to make sure that everyone’s voice is being heard and that decisions being made will benefit the most people. 

Moving forward, we may need to rethink and reinvent just what this neighborhood organization IS. Is the work we’re doing smart and focused on what needs to be done to help the most people? Where should we focus our limited resources? 

Neighborhood Plan

This is the beginning.

There has never been a plan for our neighborhood.

From the time modern homes started to be built on this hill over a century ago; through the booming industrial mid-century; continuing into the post-war era and the subsequent rust belt “we’re leaving for the suburbs” days, there has never been a plan to improve this part of Erie. Until now.

The City of Erie is working with us. City Planner Kathy Wyrosdick introduced the planning process for Academy-Marvintown on Tuesday. 

Here's what is going to happen next.

We are going to gather data on every piece of property in the neighborhood. This is where we need your help. There is a volunteer training session Monday, June 24^th, at 6 pm, at the Academy Neighborhood Center, 3025 French Street. If you can attend, please click through and contact the Academy Neighborhood Association. Even if you read this after June 24^th we can still train you quickly at any Academy Neighborhood Open Office Hours, Mondays 6-7:30 pm at 3025 French Street.

Volunteers and the folks from the planners office will use the app to record data from every property in the neighborhood.

If you want to be trained to gather data, you will need to download a smartphone app. Contact the Academy Neighborhood Association official Facebook page and I’ll send you the info.

WE NEED INPUT FROM YOU!

In addition to the work that the City Planner's Office (along with neighborhood volunteers) will be doing, a planning room has been set up at the Academy Neighborhood Center. Everyone is welcome to stop by and take a closer look at the maps and plans as they develop. You'll also have a chance to comment on a number of questions:

1. What are our neighborhood's assets?

2. What are our neighborhood's biggest challenges?

3. What are some things that might surprise someone about our neighborhood?

The more people that comment the better.

Here is all of the information provided by Kathy Wyrosdick:

Please take a close look at this map. Note that the area where the plan is being developed is two census tracts - and is larger than what we normally consider our neighborhood.

This is a big opportunity for our neighborhood. Make sure your voice is heard.

A Real and Lasting Impact

Carla and Michael Parker have owned their two story home on E. 28th Street since 1999. Raising kids and working multiple jobs they have worked hard to maintain and improve the house, built in 1914. When Revitalize E28 Grant information was delivered to the Parker home by an Academy Neighborhood Grant Administrator in June of 2018, Michael jumped at the chance to use the matching grant funds to improve some rattling, inefficient windows on the front of his house.

The Parker family was the first recipient of Revitalize E28 matching grant money. They won't be the last. In 2018 The Academy Neighborhood Association was awarded an Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority Renaissance Block Grant - funding to provide up to 20 homes on E. 28th Street with matching funds for street-side home improvements.

Why E. 28th Street? The answer is simple: research.

The Erie Refocused plan, prepared for the City of Erie and first unveiled in 2016, gives each neighborhood in Erie advice on "where to start working". (Source: Erie Refocused, page 67)

The Erie Refocused plan asserts that Erie should "provide financial incentives and support for home improvements on blocks with high potential for return on investment". That's exactly what the Revitalize E28 Grant Program is aiming to do. The Revitalize E28 program offers property owners a 50 percent reimbursement (up to $1,000) for improvement projects that will make a significant impact on not only the structure of the home, but also the views from the street.

ECGRA's Renaissance Block program was patterned after similar programs in other cities, where groups of neighbors work together to improve the look and feel of their part of town. In Jamestown, New York, the Renaissance Block Challenge has been provided more than 1.3 million dollars to over 450 properties in 45 different neighborhoods

The Revitalize E28 Renaissance Block Grant program was planned for two stages.

In Phase 1, 27 properties in the 300 block of E. 28th St. were eligible for funding. Three improvement projects were approved and one, the Parker family's, has been completed and reimbursed. Work on two other projects in Phase 1 is scheduled to take place in spring and summer of 2019.

In Phase 2, 35 properties in and near the 200 block of E. 28th St. are eligible for funding. As of late March 2019, all of the property owners have been notified and given paperwork with details of the program.

To promote participation in the Revitalize E28 program property owners will be given a yard sign to display while the work is being completed - and even longer if they would like.

There is funding for 10 projects in each phase. Because only three projects were approved in Phase 1 in 2018 it is likely that the application process will be reopened for Phase 1 properties. 

We're excited to see the changes that will be taking place in the heart of our neighborhood, and we're grateful for the opportunity given to our organization by the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority.

50 Years on Parade Street

50 years. 

That's how long Kevin Brigaman has been in the donut (doughnut?) business on Parade Street. He started on January 1, 1967 at his father's shop, Mighty Fine Donuts, at 2612 Parade Street. "I was here when I was 8 years old." Brigaman recalled on a recent Thursday evening. 

Mighty Fine Donuts is Erie's best donut shop. I mean, we have some fantastic donut and pastry options in Erie, to be sure. But in the Academy Neighborhood we have to be partial to the shop that is just a few blocks away, known throughout the region, and possibly one of our neighborhood's most un-leveraged assets.

I met with Brigaman as part of the Association's efforts to reach out to neighborhood shops and stores through our newly formed Business Outreach Committee. I was joined by longtime neighborhood resident Tom Staszewski who volunteered to be on the committee. The committee's goal is to meet with owners or managers of one business each month, and to learn as much about that business and the ways the neighborhood could possibly work to help the business thrive.

The Academy Neighborhood Association's mission statement directs us to not only "support neighborhood assets" but to also "promote appropriate economic growth" in the thirty-block area that we call home. While Mighty Fine is primarily known for its donuts, we should also remember that it is the nearest coffee shop for most of the blocks in our neighborhood, and a comfortable coffee shop where people meet and talk is considered a good building block for a strong neighborhood. 

Here are some brief highlights from our conversation: 

In what ways is your location beneficial? "Hey, look at the traffic!" According to this Penn Dot map of average daily traffic volume, 13,000 vehicles a day travel the stretch of Parade between East 26th and East 28th Streets.

In what ways is your location a challenge? "We have had people begging. We had to put up "No Loitering" signs. We had a problem with kids after hours, the curfew helped, because we could call the police." The City of Erie passed a 10 pm curfew for anyone 17 and under in September of 2015.

What positive changes have you seen in the neighborhood recently? "A lot of immigrants and LECOM." There are a number of immigrant owned businesses on this stretch of Parade and LECOM opened its Eastside Medical Center across the street at 2625 Parade Street in 2013. 

What else do you have besides donuts? "Lottery tickets, coffee, pop and soda, cigarettes."

What is your biggest asset? "The donuts win, hands down". 

I couldn't agree more. 

L-R: Business Outreach Committee member Tom Staszewski, Mighty Fine Owner Kevin Brigaman, and Academy Neighborhood Association President Bob Hand

The Academy Neighborhood Association's Business Outreach Committee will continue to meet with owners and managers of organizations in our neighborhood and we will continue to post information about the meetings here. 

Academy Neighborhood Center Open House

On Thursday, January 5th, we welcomed the neighborhood into our new home, the Academy Neighborhood Center. Located at 3025 French Street, it is the same location we have been holding meetings at for the last two years, but with a new look. 

The open house event basically turned in to a Thursday night party. There was plenty of food (thanks for the donations!), local beer, and over 50 people from our neighborhood and other parts of Erie. 

Why the “Academy Neighborhood Center”?

We have been holding our meetings and events here at 3025 French Street since November of 2014. Thanks to the cooperation and kindness of the building’s owner we have been able to secure these rooms for all of 2017. Here we have created the Academy Neighborhood Association’s new home, the Academy Neighborhood Center, where our meetings and social gatherings happen.

Why an open house?

We are proud of this building, in the same way that we are proud of our neighborhood and proud of Erie, and we want to show it off. In the next few years more than 400 million dollars is going to be spent developing downtown Erie, just a few minutes from here. When Erie takes a turn for the better our neighborhood is going a part of it.

 

Music by Matt Texter, great as always

What are the Academy Neighborhood Association’s plans for 2017?

Because we celebrate our 5^th Anniversary this year, we are announcing our

 Five for Five: Five Community Events to Shape Our Neighborhood.

1.    4^th Annual Neighborhood Cleanup in cooperation with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Saturday, April 22^nd.

2.    Jefferson Elementary Cleanup and Playground Work Session in cooperation with the Jefferson Elementary PTO, Saturday, May 6^th.

3.    Parade Street “City Work” Cleanup. Recognizing the Erie Refocused recommendations for the intersection of Pine Avenue, Old French Road, and Parade Street, we will work with our Parade Street partners to beautify and improve the area. Saturday, June 10^th.

4.    Baker’s Field Cleanup and Beautification. Our third cleanup event at the park, Saturday, July 15^th.

5.    National Night Out. Our third annual free outdoor concert, held at Baker’s Field. This community building event draws hundreds of people. Tuesday, August 1^st.

What can I do to help?

You can volunteer at any of our Five for Five events.

You can attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings to share your ideas for improving our neighborhood. The next meeting is Tuesday, February 21st.

You can attend any of our Saturday morning coffees, and get to know more of your neighbors on a personal basis. Next coffee is Saturday, February 4th from 9-11 am.

You can stay connected online. Visit academyneighbors.org or ask to join our private Facebook group, Academy Neighbors, Erie, PA.

You can continue to be a good neighbor. Say “Hi.”, help shovel snow, or simply smile.