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Fairmont’s Bridge to Nowhere has Become a Bridge to the Future
When the nonprofit preservation group Main Street Fairmont got its start in 1993, this north central West Virginia community was reeling from high unemployment, an exodus of major employers, a 50% vacancy rate downtown and a 15% decline in population. A slow, 30-year decline in the aging coal mining town was taking its toll on local revenues, ultimately forcing the closing of the city’s main east-west link, the historic Million Dollar High Level Bridge – a move that symbolized the yawning gap between Fairmont’s promise and reality.
Using the National Trust Main Street Center’s four-point approach to revitalization (Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Restructuring) and mobilizing an engaged citizenry, Main Street Fairmont and its allies in business and government got down to brass tacks. Over the next 17 years, the Million Dollar Bridge was repaired and reopened, 159 buildings were rehabilitated, 83 net new businesses opened and 247 net new jobs created. The downtown vacancy rate dropped to 20 percent. And the city’s population began growing again.
One catalyst spurring this turnaround was formation of Fairmont’s Blueprint Communities team. Named one of West Virginia’s ten Blueprint Communities as part of an initiative created by FHLBank Pittsburgh, Fairmont enlisted a diverse team of established and up-and-coming leaders whose focus is renewal of the city’s Southside through capacity building, strategic planning and consensus building. Vera Sansalone, Main Street Fairmont’s executive director, also chairs this citizens group. FHLBank member First Exchange Bank remains involved in Fairmont’s Blueprint Communities activities.
For the community’s extraordinary work in reviving their city, The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced on May 4 that Main Street Fairmont was a winner of its 2010 Great American Main Street Award.
“It’s so gratifying after so many years to have achieved this milestone,” remarked Sansalone. “It’s something that everyone who has ever been a part of Main Street has to be proud of.” Added Mayor Matt Delligatti, “This is just another example of how when we combine and work together, we can get things done. We expect even greater things in the future.”
Those “greater things” are happening. The Veterans Square Development, transformation of Traction Square, the growing popularity of the Feast of Seven Fishes festival, and the ongoing rehabilitation of older homes using FHLBank Affordable Housing Program funds delivered by member United Bank, are just four examples of continued progress.
“Today, Fairmont’s population is on the rise, businesses are back, and our city’s optimism and pride have been restored,” stated City Manager and Blueprint Communities team member Jay Rogers.
To view a short video on Fairmont’s turnaround, click here.
Through a variety of programs and initiatives, FHLBank Pittsburgh is proud to support communities across Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia that continue to shoot for the stars.
More Success Stories…
Old Jewel Shines Again in St. Albans, West Virginia
What started out as a vision just a couple of years ago became reality recently when the St. Albans Partnership and the residents of St. Albans and the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia celebrated the two-day grand opening of The Alban, once St. Albans’ only movie theater.
Shinnston, West Virginia — Keen to ‘Go Green’
The City of Shinnston, West Virginia, located in the north central part of the state, offers small-town life and big-time ideas when it comes to taking on “green” initiatives. These initiatives help improve the quality of life for residents and future generations in the city known as “A Heart Among the Hills.”
Community Group Demanding More of Edgemoor
Like any declining neighborhood found in cities all over the country, Edgemoor in Wilmington, Delaware has more than its fair share of problems. Built in the 1940s, Edgemoor was Wilmington’s first suburb, with a design innovative for its time in combining single family homes and row houses with green space. However, as decades passed, the neighborhood suffered blight and developed a reputation as being unsafe and crime-ridden.
Delaware Neighborhoods Graduate ‘Blueprint Communities’ Training, Unveil Revitalization Plans
On January 16, Governor-elect Jack Markell, Congressman Michael Castle and a host of other dignitaries attended a graduation ceremony that was different from the usual kind held at the University of Delaware’s Wilmington campus. It wasn’t students who were graduating – it was communities.
Neighborhood Initiative Reversing Blight in McKeesport
McKeesport, Pennsylvania is a city hard-hit – hurt by the departure of the steel industry that brought prosperity in decades past, decimated by a declining population, and plagued with unemployment. Such elements have caused serious urban decay in McKeesport, with abandoned, crumbling houses littering its neighborhoods.
WV Blueprint Community Showcases its Success
The City of Mullens is ready to show off its first big achievement as one of West Virginia’s ten Blueprint Communities. The Mullens Outdoor Entertainment Center opens this month, and the first performances on stage - a free Grand Opening - are sure to please down home music lovers of all ages.
Century-old Landmark Getting Makeover Through Blueprint Communities
The Fayette County, PA community of Connellsville has plenty going for it - immediate access to the Youghiogheny River, historic downtown buildings, two parks, a bike/hike trail and an engaged citizenry. In 2005, a team of energized citizens was tapped by FHLBank and its partners to bring the Blueprint Communities revitalization initiative to the riverfront city. Now, their hard work is starting to pay off.
Blueprint Communities Arrives in Delaware
Pennsylvania paved the way in 2005 with 22 community teams. West Virginia took its turn in 2007 with ten. Now, in 2008, Delaware is getting its opportunity.
If You Can’t Fight ‘Em… Think Smarter
In July 2005, the retail environment north of Pittsburgh, PA changed dramatically when Pittsburgh Mills, a trendy shopping mecca, opened to great fanfare. Several weeks later, New Kensington, PA, a blue-collar river town down the hill from Pittsburgh Mills off Route 28, embarked on its own new journey.
Historic East Linden - an original Blueprint Community - is on a roll
When FHLBank Pittsburgh and 15 partners launched the Blueprint Communities neighborhood revitalization initiative in 2005, the 22 Pennsylvania communities selected were told that with a solid vision, strong strategic plan and plenty of hard work, more dollars could flow their way.
Miracle Gets a New Blueprint Home
“This is truly a blessing from God.”
With those words, first-time homeowner Lisa Wilson summarized her heartfelt emotions as she prepared to move into her home at 1603 Jenny Lind Street in McKeesport, PA - the first home opened in a neighborhood of new, affordable homes funded in part by FHLBank Pittsburgh in one of the Bank’s Blueprint Communities.
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