Banners are latest boost on East King

Also planned are facade and sidewalk upgrades, more trash receptacles and lights, and a public sculpture.

Lancaster New Era

Sep 05, 2006

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Lancaster City's east side is becoming increasingly identifiable.

Last week, city workers, on behalf of the East King Improvement District, a neighborhood revitalization group, hung banners on nine light poles between the 200 and 700 blocks of East King Street.

The banners declare "Welcome to the Neighborhoods of the Historic East Side."

They follow the installation of trash receptacles that also bear the East King Improvement District logo, and the opening of the Saturday farmers' market at the former Eastern Market building.

The banners, trash receptacles and market are visible evidence of progress in the area, but more is being done by the two year old organization.

According to Tom Wenger, the improvement district's community builder, the organization's neighborhood improvement plan includes:

• Building-facade improvements. The district will provide small loans to property owners to beautify the fronts of their buildings. Funds for that program will draw from a $100,000, five-year Wachovia bank grant; a grant from the state's Elm Street community program; and from a $330,000 state Transportation Department Hometown Streets program grant.

• Sidewalk-improvement grants. Also funded from the Hometown Streets program, the grants will help cover the costs of sidewalk repairs for property owners in the 200-700 blocks of East King Street.

• Additional litter receptacles. Earlier this year the district installed 25 receptacles in front of homes and businesses along East King Street. With funding from the Hometown Streets program, another 20 are expected to be installed this fall or early next spring.

• Street lighting. About 20 street lights, of the type already in place downtown Lancaster and in the James Street Improvement District area in the city's northwest, will be installed in the 200 and 300 blocks of East King Street. About five lights per block will be installed in dark spots in the 400-700 blocks. That efforts is also being funded through the Hometown Streets program grant.
• Eastern Market Plaza, at Shippen and King streets. Designs call for a large public sculpture to be the centerpiece of a small public plaza in front of the Eastern Market building. Work, partially funded by the Hometown Streets program, will begin next spring.

The development of the plaza also involves the closing of Church Street in front of the building. A widened Shippen Street would be opened to two-way traffic.

• Exterior house lighting. Property owners along East King Street will have the opportunity to buy porch or exterior house lights and have electricians from the improvement district install them in an effort to bring more exterior light to the area.

In the future, the improvement district is also hopes to launch additional initiatives, including street tree planting and the revitalization of Reservoir Park, said Wenger.

The organization is a collaborative effort of Tabor Community Services, Housing Development Corporation, Inner City Group, The Lancaster Alliance, SACA Development Corporation and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.