2 minute read
Creative Investment in the Trail Towns
By David Gonzalez, Jr., Director, Economic Initiatives
In October 2023, YCEA was designated as a Creative Community through the PA Council on the Arts (PCA) for the communities along the Heritage Rail Trail. The Creative Communities Initiative (CCI) provides multi-year funding for place-based, community-driven, arts-based projects that serve as catalysts for social cohesion, livability, and economic development.
Along with the designation and technical support from the PCA team, designees receive funding to carry out their proposed projects. “CCI exemplifies the commonwealth’s commitment to developing vibrant communities and supporting PA’s thriving creative sector,” said Sarah Merrit, Director of Pennsylvania Creative Communities & the Creative Economy for Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. “The York County Trail Towns program and CCI partnership offer an opportunity to leverage the outdoors and arts to drive economic opportunity through creative placemaking in these communities.”
The Trail Towns program has outlined creative placemaking projects that encourage the over 500,000 annual rail trail users to explore the Trail Towns. Projects include temporary and permanent public art, public art mapping, and programs and activities, such as the storefront catalyst program.
The program aims to spotlight vacant storefronts in the Trail Towns to spur ideas for new businesses in the communities off the trail. The partnership brings Trail Town partners, artists, and property owners together to heighten awareness of key sites.
The inaugural installation of the program was hosted at 31 Main Street in Glen Rock Borough, a storefront that sits along both Main Street and the Heritage Rail Trail. The site, vacant for over a decade, has been a top priority for the borough to attract new businesses. The Trail Towns program partnered with the Cultural Alliance’s Rita Whitney, who conceived, designed, and built the installation for December 2024 to coincide with the holiday season.
31 Main Street is for sale in Glen Rock and interested parties should connect with Foundation First Property Group at 717.797.4289 for more information. Additional storefront catalyst program installations are set to take place throughout 2025 in other Trail Town communities.
