Sunbury hosts first Blueprint Communities workshop at the Albright Center

Francis Scarcella, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 25—SUNBURY — Members of the Sunbury Blueprint Community team started work on rejuvenating the city's downtown, hosting 100 people from 10 communities in Eastern Pennsylvania at the Albright Center Wednesday.

Sunbury Revitalization Inc. Acting Executive Director Jody Ocker recently announced Sunbury was chosen to be part of the initiative created by HFLBank and administered by Pennsylvania Downtown Center.

Residents of Sunbury could see upgrades, improved housing and new businesses and jobs as part of an exclusive opportunity in Eastern Pennsylvania, Ocker said.

Sunbury's Revitalization Inc. applied for the program and organized a team including Ocker; Derrick Backer, city administrator; Christi Emel, Fulton Bank; Aimee Buehner, Bowen Agency Realtors; Melissa Rowse, Degenstein Community Library; Betsy Kramer, SEDA-COG; Ted Strosser, Strosser/Baer Architects; Edwin Santana, downtown business/property owner; Brianna Apfelbaum Kula, Degenstein Foundations, and Kevin Moll, property investor/developer.

"I am excited to be here and want to do my part in making the downtown better for everyone," Santana said. "These will be great sessions to learn."

The initiative includes an 18-month training, planning and implementation process. Teams will be aided in developing efforts to enhance quality of life for residents, but building up community assets, engaging residents, improving local housing and attracting new businesses and jobs, according to a report from the group.

Sunbury's team plans to focus on underutilized commercial and residential spaces that might also be in poor condition downtown, attracting employers and entrepreneurs, growing the local economy and creating a sustainable quality of life.

The first meeting consisted of ways to get the community involved and listen to ideas.

Ocker said she was excited to host the event in the city and to learn what the group needs to do to improve the community.

Julie Fitzpatrick, executive director for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, said Sunbury was the perfect selection for the initiative.

"This is such a great little city, and it is run by great leaders," she said.

Julian Rios, of Philadelphia, said his group was excited about coming to Sunbury to see the city.

"It is beautiful here," he said. "This initiative is so important for our communities across the state to learn what they need to do to continue to improve."

Carlyn Crawley, of Philadelphia, agreed.

"We are excited to be here and to learn and take back that knowledge to the communities we are from," she said.

The next workshop will be held Sept. 10 in Reading.