Easton sows seeds of neighborhood improvement with new task force

EASTON, Pa. — Easton citizens came together at city hall Wednesday night to take the first step toward developing new Neighborhood Advisory Task Forces.

Mayor Sal Panto Jr., who led the proceedings, sent out a request for volunteers from each of Easton’s four neighborhoods to lay the groundwork for the project, which aims to “address the needs and wants of our neighborhoods, which are the life blood of our city,” Panto said.

• Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. kicked off the first Neighborhood Advisory Task Force meeting Wednesday
• Community members will be able to weigh in on the wants and needs of their particular communities
• Information and surveys from the task forces will help to develop a plan to improve the city

Prior to diving into the details, Panto offered up some examples of success stories in the community, particularly revolving around the improvement of dilapidated properties that were turned into affordable housing or new small businesses.

Panto said the presence of new business in the neighborhoods would be a pivotal starting point to initiate changes, including adding affordable housing, renovating and upgrading playgrounds, and more.

Taxes provided through the businesses could help with underfunded projects, and Panto said he intends to get street-level community perspectives to see how that money should be spent.

“The goal is to develop a strategic plan to develop a better quality of life in every neighborhood of the city,” Panto said.

“Each individual task force — which hopefully they'll reach out to their neighbors — will come up with ideas that are good for their neighborhood.

"What would they need to do? Is a breakfast space more important than a shoe rebuilder? What kind of businesses do you really want in your neighborhood? And then we can go out and try and attract them.”

Each task force will be responsible for developing a strategic plan for its neighborhood — a list of priorities to improve the quality of life in that neighborhood, a list of businesses the city should try to entice to develop in those neighborhoods, recommendations for the broader community such as amenities and infrastructure, and collect information and surveys to be integrated into a so-called Transformation Plan.

Melody Davis-Rogers, a resident of South Side, pointed out her neighborhood already has a similar mission with an intent to attract and maintain more small businesses.

But Davis-Rogers said further assistance from the task force operation could prove to be even more beneficial.

'Honor these places'

Davis-Rogers specifically said the South Side is lacking in banks, diverse restaurants outside of pizza shops, and areas for children to play.

“We want to have nice things for people in our neighborhood," she said. "We want to get them to want to come out of their homes and honor these places.”

Thomas Weber, a teacher who works in the Downtown area, said he is interested in seeing the task forces used to spread information so residents can stay informed about their communities.

“My priority is ensuring that information is disseminated to all people, things like parking issues, things like that; that information is distributed across the board so that everyone understands where we are,” Weber said.

While Wednesday’s meeting served as merely an introduction to the task force, ideas already were bubbling up in attendees’ minds, particularly when it came to improving parks and keeping all Easton residents informed on city matters.

How to join

Easton’s Neighborhood Advisory Task Force still is looking for members to join. Residents are encouraged to call the mayor’s Executive Assistant Carlton Ketchen at 610-250-6612 to sign up and stay informed about upcoming meetings.

“We need you out in the community to bring back to us ideas,” Panto said to the volunteers. “Yeah, we can make decisions from city hall, but top-down never works.

"Bottom-up works, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”