Williamsport focused on improvements to businesses and nonprofits
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The City of Williamsport is focused on bringing improvements to small businesses and non-profits along with starting an expected 18-month process on a comprehensive update of the city parks, recreation, outdoor space and green infrastructure plan.
"We have a small business and non-profit grant program underway," Slaughter said during a recent video interview. Those businesses and nonprofits that applied for the grant distributions were notified, he said.
City Council passed a resolution to create a small business and nonprofit grant program using $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds.
"Our goal is to keep that program going with business and non-profits and help them out a bit," he said. The program, which is highlighted on the city website, began in the post-COVID pandemic months as a boost for small businesses and nonprofits hit financially by the pandemic. It provides small business loans for the businesses and nonprofits that apply and follow easy steps with guidance available along the way.
It will be available to small businesses on a dollar-for-dollar match with a $50,000 maximum grant allotment, according to Jack Reagan of UHY, a city ARPA consulting firm. Nonprofit grants are no dollar-for-dollar matching amount, he said.
Green infrastructure, recreation
Meanwhile, council approved the administration's request to update the city parks, recreation, open space and green infrastructure comprehensive plan update and that is going to be the first comprehensive review in many years, Slaughter said.
The last recreation and parks plan was done in 2005 but it was on a smaller scope.
"We are going to use Evolve as a contractor to do that," he said, enthused about the Pittsburgh-based firm starting their work after the company was recommended by a review committee and approved under contract by council. Costs are covered by the state 70% and natural gas impact fees, so no general fund costs are involved.
The company has begun doing similar projects with the cities of Lancaster and Harrisburg and completed citywide park plans for Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh.
"That is going to be a complete update to our comprehensive plan across all of our city parks and recreational open spaces," Slaughter said.
The parks are already seeing improvements to the playing fields, playing surfaces and accessibility and connectivity points to other neighborhoods.
Moreover, the plan furthers the relationship with the city and state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, he added, and was recommended by the department officials because if the city has an updated comprehensive plan, it will be in a better position to receive additional DCNR grants for even more improvements down the line.
Such attention to detail and listening and hearing from individuals from the bicycle and outdoor communities is getting noticed, including by members of City Council who have asked the administration to budget items such as paint and material costs by using liquid fuels funds for bicycle lanes that will mark a pathway for riders on a map originally conceived in a previous administration.
"We received a pump track grant for the bike pump track in Shaw Park," Slaughter said of a grant that was for $224,000.
The bicycle community and those who enjoy riding them will be thrilled to hear about the updates planned for Shaw Park, according to the mayor.
Toward that end, the city may be able to work with Lycoming County on it and the commissioners might decide to join onto that project, Slaughter said he was told.
"We are excited and the biking community is excited," he said.
There is a planned expansion of the Susquehanna Riverwalk west to connect to the pathway leading to Old Lycoming Township and to Susquehanna State Park.
Further west in the city, upgrades to Newberry Park, to including basketball and pickleball courts and potentially a soccer field have been discussed with council using a possible state grant.
"We are looking at Newberry Park for upgrades with basketball and pickleball and potentially a soccer field for AYSO use," Slaughter said.
Additionally, Newberry Park is eyed for a possible splash pad if it can be fit into the design foot print, he said. The city is working closely with officials from the Department of Community and Economic Development and a grant submitted for those improvements depending on design specifications and engineering.
At Brandon Park, the crown jewel of the city, the city is preparing to have baseball and softball games back. It is in the process of building two Little League fields that used to be in poor shape and continues its relationship with the senior field being developed into a modern stadium by Lycoming College.
"We got very good feedback from the community with this," he said.
There are planned pedestrian improvements nearby the park to assist with the crowds expected to be involved in watching games and players. Lycoming College is investing $2.5 million of its own money into the baseball park.
Among the pedestrian considerations is a safer crosswalk at Washington Boulevard and Elizabeth Street, where the college parking lot is expected to be used for parking overflow at the recreation facilities.