Rotary Club Hosts Downtown Manager for Talk on Revitalization and Community Vision

LOCK HAVEN- Downtown Manager Melissa Dally spoke to the two local Rotary clubs on April 15, easily demonstrating that she is a great fit for her job.

Dally remembers when the nonprofit organization she now works for, Downtown Lock Haven, Inc., was an accredited Main Street program — she was a student AmeriCorps volunteer under Maria Boileau who successfully ran it in its first years.

Dally has also provided services to seniors as a STEP staff member and was program director for the Lock Haven YMCA.

She told the Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven that a major goal for Downtown Inc. is to win accreditation again, opening the door for grants and making the organization more sustainable.

She strives to create and strengthen a sense of community in the downtown. Just a few of the ways she does this is to run promotions that directly help local businesses, and to focus on the district’s design so that it invites shoppers even more than it does now.

Community members will soon be asked to take a survey on how they perceive their downtown.
The Downtown Rotary Club supports the shopping district as part of its mission, and the members told Dally they want to be a partner.

The club is currently sponsoring a Hometown Hero Banner and encourages everyone to look into this opportunity for 2015-2017. The banner discount period runs through April 30. To find out more about it, visit lockhaven.org/hometown-heroes/

Downtown Rotary meets Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., gathering at 5:15, in Poorman Gallery. For information about the club and how to join, find Downtown Lock Haven Rotary on Facebook or email dlhrotary@gmail.com.