Propose year-round economy to make more than a tourist town

MILFORD - The borough needs a plan to help create a healthy year-round business sector. Its president, Matt Osterberg, told the borough council Monday night that government and business have to put their heads together to create a local economy that retains Milford’s historic charm but isn’t solely dedicated to the tourist trade. Osterberg praised the historic preservation and enhancement efforts of the last decade, but said things have to move further: “We need a mix of businesses; not just tourism. There’s no question that the town looks a 100 percent better than it did ten years ago. Now we have to figure a way to sustain the businesses year-round,.” Osterberg and newly appointed Councilman Ed Raarup have volunteered to enlist support for a “Main Street Program,” similar to one operated by the Jacob Stroud Corporation in Stroudsburg. A state grant program and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s Main Street Program provide the jumping-off point for the mission, Osterberg said. The matching grant program would provide $190,000 in the first year of a five-year cycle, which in turn would require a local match of about $90,000. “The state provides seed money and Milford Borough acts as the catalyst,” Osterberg said. “A group needs to start to spear-head this, and that would include not only businesses, but property and building owners,” he said. That non-profit group would manage the grant, fundraising for matching funds and in time, hire a manager for the project. “A manager will be responsible for organizing festivals, improvement projects, promotions and other activities ....” Osterberg wrote in a letter soliciting business community support. Those “other activities” likely would include recruiting new and diversified business interests for the borough. Richard Snyder of the Milford Enhancement Committee suggested that the manager should be an ombudsman to guide new business through the borough’s permitting process. That process has often been described as confusing by both existing and prospective business operators. Osterberg said the group would organize at an upcoming meeting, a date yet to be announced. For more on Main Streets, visit www.padowntown.org. In other business Monday, Osterberg distributed portions of a borough traffic study to be reviewed and discussed at a tentatively scheduled March 19 special session; and heard Councilman Bill Kiger say discussions had begun with the county about the reopening of the Mott Street bridge for pedestrian traffic.