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PLYMOUTH — As Plymouth Borough continues its journey to revitalization, three areas have surfaced to focus on — history, the riverfront and Main Street.
At Monday night’s meeting of the borough revitalization committee — the third of five planned monthly sessions — the group discussed many options and ideas brought forward by residents as the decision-making process continued.
Although the crowd was less than the prior two meetings — about 40 showed up on a cold, rainy night — still the Wyoming Valley West auditorium was filled with hope and optimism as the borough searches for ways to make life better for residents and visitors.
Julie Fitzpatrick, the executive director of PA Downtown Center, again led the discussion. She said the task at hand is to develop a vision statement that will help to drive the town’s economy and residential character.
“Right now, we don’t know what the best way will be to promote Plymouth,” Fitzpatrick said. “We want to determine what people want Plymouth to look like five years from now.”
Fitzpatrick offered a PowerPoint presentation highlighting some of the ways Plymouth could and should strive to improve. “Plymouth Pride” was the theme for the evening meeting.
Suggestions on how to improve the town included holding more events and festivals like the popular Plymouth Alive Kielbasa Festival, held annually in mid-August that is attended by thousands.
Also discussed were keeping the town clean, planting more trees, displaying flowers and creating green areas, establishing historical markers and improving attitudes — fostering more optimism and positive thinking.
Along the Main Street, Fitzpatrick said people want to see more vibrant storefronts, like the recently do-over at the Polish Connection on East Main Street. The owners dressed up the facade and painted it a bright blue to attract passers by on busy Route 11.
Fitzpatrick said the busy main thoroughfare should be considered an asset due to the constant flow of residents and travelers. She said if Main Street was more appealing, there would be more people stopping to patronize businesses.
There was also talk of increasing night life, more restaurants, including fine dining, free parking and a recreation/community center.
Suggested businesses people would like to see included a bakery, a coffee shop, an ice cream shop, a movie theater, an art gallery, a book store and more.
The remaining meetings are set for Nov. 4 and Dec. 2. and all will begin at 7 p.m. at the WVW High School.
At the September meeting, residents, business owners and council members discussed results of questionnaires. Comments included words like “depressed,” “rusty” and “outdated,” but also some more positive descriptions like “cooperative” and “hard-working.”
Census discussed
Katie Derhammer, partnership specialist with the Philadelphia Regional Census Center, spoke on the importance of participating in the 2020 census taking.
Derhammer said census data determines how more than $675 billion in federal funds, grants and support are distributed to states, counties and communities. The money is used for schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs.
Derhammer said the census taking will commence in April and will rely heavily on electronic participation.
“The population of Plymouth is 22 percent under the poverty level,” Derhammer said. “The median age is 39 and there are 372 veterans in the town — most are Vietnam veterans.”
Derhammer said Plymouth residents travel an average of 24 miles to work.
She also noted that census results are used to reapportion the U.S. House of Representatives, determining how many seats each state gets.
