EASTON, Pa. — Calling all Eastonians!
The city is looking for residents to throw in their two cents about what Easton wants and needs as the Blueprint Community project marches on.
Members of city government and local organizations assembled at the South Side Fire Station Thursday afternoon to notify the public about Blueprint Communities, and to encourage the public to weigh in on the state of Easton.
“We're encouraging the South Side residents to please come out. Take the survey."Easton City Councilmember Frank Pintabone
The city joined nine other Pennsylvania metropolitan areas — including Allentown — as part of the Blueprint Communities initiative in April 2024, spearheading a movement to tap the community for input on improvement.
Created by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and administered by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, the program offers training and resources to help local leaders create thriving and sustainable communities.
Community teams help the effort by developing strategies for revitalization that improve quality of life for residents and focus on building community assets, engaging residents, improving local housing and attracting new businesses and jobs.
Mayor Sal Panto Jr. kicked off Thursday’s speaking engagement explaining how integral it is to get real input from residents in the quest to evoke change in the South Side.
“It's our residents that are here day in and day out, so we want to make sure that our residents have a safe and clean community that they can live in. And Blueprint Communities is a little bit more than clean and safe – it's all about bringing the community together to decide what they want in their community,”Mayor Sal Panto Jr.
“It's our residents that are here day in and day out, so we want to make sure that our residents have a safe and clean community that they can live in. And Blueprint Communities is a little bit more than clean and safe — it's all about bringing the community together to decide what they want in their community,” Panto said.
Easton City Councilmember Frank Pintabone spoke about his past in the city, hearing stories of the variety of small businesses which were once part of the community but have all but dwindled to disappearance in many instances.
Through reaching out to South Side residents, Pintabone said he found “they want the small businesses back, they want the services, they want the close-knit community feel, and that's something we want to bring.”
Pintabone said several notable community members, including Greater Shiloh Church’s Pastor Phillip Davis, South Side Civic Association’s Patty Hitzel and Michelle Lockhart, and representatives from the Boys and Girls Club have been working with the local government to help with the Blueprint Communities.
Following the Blueprint Communities program’s 18-month run, Pintabone said there may be some small grants the city can obtain to implement the public’s suggestions.
"And then we're going to take that data, we're going to discuss it and find out how to make it work. And once to trainings are done, we're going to use these grants to implement these things in the South Side."Easton City Councilmember Frank Pintabone
“We're encouraging the South Side residents to please come out. Take the survey. We're asking you what do you want to see in your neighborhood? What don't you want to see? What do you feel? What don’t you feel? What do you like? What don’t you like?” Pintabone said.
“And then we're going to take that data, we're going to discuss it and find out how to make it work. And once to trainings are done, we're going to use these grants to implement these things in the South Side.”
During Tuesday’s National Night Out, there will be stations set up at Pioneer Park and 136 West Milton Street where residents can take the Blueprint Communities survey, and learn what the program is all about.
Director of Planning and Codes Dwayne Tillman said the event for officials to speak directly with residents about the program, how it works, and how, with their input, it can help the entire city — eventually spreading beyond the South Side neighborhood to the West Ward, College Hill, and eventually, the Downtown.
“We're going to be looking to get as much information from lifelong residents, newcomers, young and old alike," Tillman said. "So we want to get a mix of people from the community to come out and just get a feed off what they need in the community, what they want in the community, where they want to see the community be in the future."
