DUBOIS – The DuBois Revitalization Group held an open house style meeting at the DuBois Public Library Tuesday night. The meeting was to explain what the group does and to ask for volunteers. The DuBois Revitalization Group is one of 69 Main Street organizations state wide.
The DRG is in its third year of being authorized as a Main Street Program participant in 2008. It existed as CHARM before this since 2003. State funding of the group will cease after 2012 as the Main Street Program is a five year program only. From 2013 onwards the DuBois Revitalization Group, a 501c, will have to find replacement sources of funding.
The DRG is the group who brought the informational kiosk to the parking lot where the United Way monument once stood, the façade matching grant for businesses in DuBois and the pocket park on West Long Avenue near the bridge.
The DuBois Revitalization Group plans to sell engraved bricks around the kiosk. Messages will be limited to three lines.
Setup within the first floor of the library were four tables for each of the four committees available for volunteers to join; organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring.
Volunteers have put 3,590 hours of time towards helping the group over the last three years. Through the façade grant $90 thousand has been given to the community matched by the shop owners.
According to Karen Vanderhoff, manager of the DuBois Revitalization Group, there are still more projects in the work. There is talk about creating another pocket park after the first has received much use. Other locations have inquired about putting up kiosks. The DuBois Revitalization Group is working with the City of DuBois in researching the ownership and possible roadblocks in getting the stretch of closed buildings on West Long Avenue sold and used for business again.