The 2023 PA Route 6 Educational Workshop and Annual Meeting & "Do 6 " Awards in Corry, PA, October 5-6, was a great success! Thank you to all the folks in Corry, PA, who truly laid out the red carpet for everyone who attended.

This year's theme was "Act, Adapt, and Attract." At Thursday's Educational Workshop, our guest speakers covered a variety of topics related to this theme, including historic preservation, adaptive reuse, co-working, entrepreneurship, active transportation, and much more!

A big thank you to our guest speakers, which included:

At Friday's Annual Meeting at the Fork and Barrel Restaurant, we recognized Linda Devlin of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau for her many years of service on the PA Route 6 Board of Directors. Devlin recently announced that she will be retiring in early 2024. We also elected three new members to our Board of Directors, Jean Ruhf from the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau, Connor Vecellio from the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning Office, and Casey Ferry of the Warren County Visitors Bureau.

Representatives from four communities along Route 6 presented on their progress with the Community Heart & Soul Program: Tidioute, Youngsville, Carbondale, and Wyoming County. Congratulations to two additional communities along PA Route 6 that have been recently selected for this program, Port Allegany in McKean County and Mansfield in Tioga County!

The Alliance also provided updates on its accomplishments, including tourism promotion and marketing, bike tourism and the Bike Friendly Business Program, the PA Route 6 Artisan Trail, and PA Route 6 Façade Program.

Special thanks to our planning committee:

Bradford County: Canton Borough, $90,000, Rehabilitation of War Memorial Park in Canton Borough, Bradford County. Work to include renovation of basketball courts; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Amy Seeley, (570) 673-5700

Crawford County: French Creek Valley Conservancy, $90,000, Coordinate and promote educational events and programming; conduct stewardship and volunteer activities; and engage stakeholders throughout the French Creek Watershed. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Brenda J. Costa, (814) 337-4321, ESF French Creek Valley Conservancy, $111,000, Payment toward the acquisition of approximately 102 acres along State Highway 98 in Hayfield Township, Crawford County for critical habitat and open space protection. Brenda J. Costa, (814) 337-4321, Key - Land Trust Meadville City, $24,500, Prepare a Master Site Development Plan for the 0.6-acre Fifth Ward Park in Meadville City, Crawford County. Work to include an electronic written report and site development drawing. Jason Ruggiero, (814) 573-0058

Crawford and Venango Counties: Foundation for Sustainable Forests, $1,200,000, Payment toward the acquisition of approximately 328 acres in Sparta and Bloomfield townships, Crawford County for passive recreation; and the protection of approximately 523 acres in Sparta Township, Crawford County and Mineral Township, Venango County in the form of a land donation. Annie Maloney, (814) 694-5830

Erie County: Greenfield Township, $100,000, Rehabilitation of Greenfield Community Park in Greenfield Township, Erie County. Work to include construction of a multi-use court and pedestrian walkway; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Renee Wagner, (814) 725-9110, Key - Community Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, $108,600, Payment toward the acquisition of approximately 70 acres along Page Road in Venango Township, Erie County for an addition to West Branch French Creek Conservation Area. Ann Sand, (412) 586-2374

Lackawanna County: Greenfield Township, $60,000, Further development of Greenfield Township Community Park in Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County. Work to include installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Patty Apostolakes, (407) 222-1799

Jefferson Township, $300,000, Development of Jefferson Township Recreation Complex in Jefferson Township, Lackawanna County. Work to include construction of pedestrian walkways, internal loop trail, comfort station and multi-purpose athletic fields; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Coleen Watt, (570) 689-7028

The Conservation Fund, $773,500, Payment toward the acquisition of approximately 488 acres along Balish Road in Scranton City, Lackawanna County for an addition to Pinchot State Forest. Laura Bower, (215) 850-9423

McKean County: Mount Jewett Borough, $179,200, Development of Main Street Plaza Park in Mount Jewett Borough, McKean County. Work to include construction of pedestrian walkways, plaza, comfort station and parking area; installation of utilities; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Barbara Harp, (814) 778-5701

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, $112,700, Restoration of 7,920 feet of Kinzua Creek in Lafayette Township, McKean County. Work to include fish habitat restoration, project sign and other related site improvements. Kylie Maland, (814) 776-1114

Pike County: Matamoras Borough, $100,000, Further development of Airport Park in Matamoras Borough, Pike County. Work to include construction of pedestrian walkways; installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Shawn Bolles, (570) 491-2771

Tioga County: Tioga County, $500,000, Development of the Pine Creek Rail Trail in Delmar Township, Tioga County. Work to include construction of approximately 0.8 miles of trail from the Mary Worthington Lane Bridge to State Route 287 and stormwater management measures; ADA access, landscaping, project sign, and other related site improvements. Debra Bigley, (570) 723-8200

Warren County: Warren City, $50,000, Rehabilitation of Betts Park in Warren City, Warren County. Work to include renovation of comfort station; construction of pedestrian walkways; installation of utilities; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Kassie Damcott, (814) 723-6300 ext. 120

Warren City, $147,600, Payment toward the acquisition of approximately 0.51 acres along the Allegheny River and approximately 0.19 acres along Breeze Point Circle and Liberty Street in Warren City, Warren County for a multi-use trail, river access and parking. Kassie Damcott, (814) 723-6300 ext. 120

Wayne County: Damascus Township, $250,000, Rehabilitation and further development of Damascus Township Park in Damascus Township, Wayne County. Work to include renovation of baseball field; construction of pedestrian walkways; installation of fencing; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Daniel Rutledge, (570) 903-5504

Waymart Borough, $90,000, Rehabilitation of Wayside Park in Waymart Borough, Wayne County. Work to include construction of pedestrian walkways and parking area; installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing and lighting; ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements. Jane Varcoe, (570) 470-5718

Endless Mountains Heritage Region, Inc., $280,000, Manage the heritage area and heritage area initiatives including the 2024 mini-grant program; manage the North Branch Susquehanna River Water Trail; develop barn preservation and farm tour workshops; update Endless Mountains Outdoor Recreation Guide. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Cain Chamberlin, (570) 265-1528

HeritagePA, $100,000, Coordinate HeritagePA initiatives including development of an economic data dashboard and professional training for Heritage Area staff; present at conferences and workshops; implement the HeritagePA Strategic Plan. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Mindy G. Crawford, (717) 234-2310

Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, $197,000, Manage the heritage area and heritage area initiatives; facilitate development of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail and research trail gap needs; conduct education and outreach programs. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Owen Worozbyt, (570) 963-6730 ext. 8212

Lumber Heritage Region of PA, Inc., $288,000, Manage the heritage area and heritage area initiatives; conduct education and outreach programs; develop a mountain bike loop trail in Sandy Beach Park in Ridgway Township, Elk County; develop an interpretive historical walking trail in Bradford, McKean County; develop geocache locations along the Lumber Heritage Trail. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Holly F. Komonczi, (814) 761-4207

Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism, $227,000, Manage the heritage area and heritage area initiatives including the 2024 mini-grant program and develop an interpretive plan for the region. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Jennifer Burden, (814) 677-3152 ext. 116

Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Inc., $100,000, Implement recommendations from the NEPA Trails: Assessing Connections and Community in Northeast Pennsylvania study; support trail network development; expand connections between trail groups within the 10-county NEPA region. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Janet Sweeney, (570) 718-1635

Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Inc., $83,500, Coordinate and fund the PA Water Trails Program including implementation of the 2024 mini-grant program; update the water trail strategic plan; provide outreach and technical assistance to water trail managers. Work to include a written summary report. Tali MacArthur, (570) 285-8013

Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Inc., $130,000, Prepare an analysis of cycling infrastructure for the Pennsylvania Wilds region. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Brett Hollern, (412) 481-9400

Pennsylvania Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., $300,000, Coordinate and fund activities of the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape; conduct a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility analysis; promote regional outdoor recreation, public lands, and conservation; build capacity to support 35-year lease agreement with DCNR. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Tataboline Enos, (814) 757-9190

The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership, $299,500, Fund and coordinate activities of the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership including management of the West Branch and Lower North Branch Susquehanna River Water Trails; implement the 2024 greenway mini-grant program and Volunteer Ambassador program; conduct volunteer service programs and special events; coordinate implementation of the Middle Susquehanna Bicycle Pedestrian Transportation Plan and Phase 3 of the Wayfinding Program; align operational policies and procedures with PANO guidelines. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Corey Ellison, (570) 478-1317

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, $50,000, Create interpretive education materials and conduct trainings based on completed research into the cultural history of state parks and forests in western Pennsylvania. Work to include an electronic written summary report. Jeffrey Bergman, (412) 586-2396

PA Route 6 Alliance