NCCC Spruces Up Brownsville

Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation
P.O. Box 97, 69 Market Street
Brownsville, PA 15417

Press Release:  August 30, 2012

Brownsville will get a fresh new look this September when the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) comes to town for the second time. A team of eight corps members worked for two weeks in the spring, and the new team will be in town for at least four weeks to finish the job.

The first team painted buildings, cleared plant overgrowth, removed rubble from the Market St. parking lot and rebuilt a wall near the Flatiron Building.

“These kids can do anything.” said James Carroll, who supervised the first team and will coordinate the activities of the incoming team. Carroll wants to ensure that the work of the NCCC team impacts the whole community and makes citizens proud of the town.

The team will be performing a vast range of tasks, such as landscaping, litter control, work with the Garden Club, and general improvements to the town square.

NCCC teams serve in communities in need throughout the United States with a wide variety of direct service capabilities. NCCC is a division of Americorps, and their time in Brownsville will be sponsored by BARC.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Concert for a Cause to Support the Fayette County Food Bank

For Immediate Release
1/10/2012

Contact:

Megan Sheesley
ACCT/OSM VISTA
Phone: 724.785.9331

Fax: 724.785.8626

E-mail: americorps@barcpa.org

Concert for a Cause: Support the Fayette County Food Bank

On Monday, Jan. 16, the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation is hosting a concert to benefit the Fayette County Food Bank. The concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. and feature local singer Christian Sesek performing classics from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin on the third floor of the Odd Fellows Building at 31 Market St. in Brownsville, PA. Admission will require a donation of at least two non-perishable items to benefit the food bank. Donations will be accepted at the door or at the BARC offices in advance. Those who donate ahead of time will receive a voucher for admission.

In November, the food bank lost a large amount of their supplies due to flooding in their storage facility. It is BARC’s hope that this food drive will replenish a portion of that supply. The items that are most needed are cereal (high fiber, low sugar), tuna, canned salmon (packed in water), 100% fruit or vegetable juice, canned beans, canned vegetables, peanut butter, canned fruit, toilet paper, facial tissue, laundry detergent, and diapers (baby and adult). Though these are the most needed items, any other non-perishable food times will also be accepted during the drive.

Those who do not plan to attend the concert are still welcome to donate to the drive. Donations can be dropped off at the BARC offices between Jan. 8 and Jan. 13 as well as on the day of the concert between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

This event is part of a national day of service that AmeriCorps VISTAs across the nation are encouraged to participate in by the Corporation for National and Community Service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Rather than taking the national holiday off, VISTA asks its members to serve their communities in honor of Dr. King. VISTAs can participate in a wide range of events, as long as the activity honors the spirit of service that Dr. King embodied. This year, BARC’s VISTA, a member of the Appalachian Coal Country Team/Office of Surface Mining VISTA initiative, is organizing this event to benefit the Fayette County Food Bank.

In case of inclement weather, please contact the BARC offices by calling 724-785-9331 or emailing barcinfo@barcpa.org.

Posted on behalf of Joanne Quinn-Smith by Joyce Kane. Joyce is the Owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping. Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business. www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Great American Cleanup Spruces up Brownsville and Dunlap Creek

Contact: Blake Fisher Phone: 724.785.9331


AmeriCorps VISTA Fax: 724.785.8626

E-mail: barcinfo@barcpa.org


Join Us for Brownsville’s Neighborhood/Dunlap Creek Clean-up

BROWNSVILLE, Pa. – As part of the Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania The Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC) and Brownsville Neighborhood Watch are coordinating a Spring Clean-up for downtown Brownsville and a portion of Dunlap Creek. Please join us on Saturday May 14th in the Market St. parking lot in downtown Brownsville from 9AM-12PM to participate. Supplies and waste services will be provided through the Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

The Great American Cleanup of PA is a statewide cleanup campaign involving local and state government, businesses, waste haulers, and environmental civic groups. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and PennDOT in cooperation with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Inc. are sponsoring the Great American Cleanup of PA.

Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC) is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Its mission is to achieve economic development through historic preservation, heritage tourism, outdoor recreation, community stewardship, education, youth advancements and the arts. Contact the BARC office, 724.785.9331, for additional information about programs and upcoming events.
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For additional information or arrange interviews:

Blake Fisher, 724.785.9331



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Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC) is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Its mission is to achieve economic development through historic preservation, heritage tourism, outdoor recreation, community stewardship, education, youth advancements and the arts. Contact the BARC office, 724.785.9331, for additional information about programs and upcoming events.

Sun Rising on Brownsville's Redevelopment Prospects

For Immediate Release


Jan. 11, 2011

"Brownsville on the move – remembering the past, but moving forward" – Mayor Lester Ward

Sun Rising on Brownsville's Redevelopment Prospects

BROWNSVILLE, Pa. – Seven students from the Brownsville Area School District's art department will lead a community initiative on behalf of the borough's mayor to showcase five historic buildings now controlled by the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority.

The students will gather at 10 a.m. Jan. 17 in the Market Street parking lot to construct a mural that will be expanded as more buildings become available for redevelopment and adaptive reuse. The students' community day is being held in conjunction with AmeriCorps Vista's Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2011, a nationwide annual event promoting volunteerism as a tribute to the late Civil Rights leader.

Brownsville Borough Mayor Lester Ward initiated the multi-faceted project, which is aimed at marketing the buildings' availability to the more than 8,000 motorists who daily pass through the downtown while depicting the progress of an ongoing eminent domain case by the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority.

"What we're trying to do is bring some light to these buildings, bring light back into the town," explains the mayor, "and bring some hope."

The project's first phase will target vacant commercial properties recently acquired by the redevelopment authority – 5 Market St., 21 Market St., 18-24 Market St., 35 Market St. and 43-47 Market St. During the borough's heyday in the 1960s, commercial uses included specialty shops, a department store and a Murphy's 5&10, a now-defunct chain that embedded itself into the fabric of prosperous towns.

BASD's art students selected a sun design by senior Kendle Parsons as the focal point for a colorful mural featuring stencils of their silhouettes on the vacant storefronts. The conceptual phase included design input from AmeriCorps OSM/Vista's local volunteer Blake B. Fisher and BASD art department director Brian Nicholson.

"I've never really seen anything happening in Brownsville. I've heard it used to be busy and there were things to do. Now, there's nothing," says Parsons, who will be attending Waynesburg University in the fall. "Our project is the beginning of something new to signify Brownsville's rebirth."

In addition to Parsons, the participating BASD students are seniors Jared Gibson, Karen Ross, Gabby Vaughn and Parsons plus juniors Chad Gump, Garret Rohrer and Matt Karol.

The students' project is sanctioned by the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, Brownsville Area School District, Brownsville Blueprint Communities Committee, Brownsville Borough, Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce, Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp., Brownsville Rotary Club, AmeriCorps Vista and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2011.
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For additional information, schedule photos or interviews:

Andrew French, Executive Director, Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, 724-437-1547 ext. 210

Brownsville Mayor Lester Ward, 724-785-3363

Brian Nicholson, BASD art department director, 724-785-2021