PIKE AND WAYNE COUNTIES, PA — Does your business lack curb appeal? If it fronts Route 6 in Pennsylvania, you may be eligible for a $5,000 grant to spruce up your building’s facade. 

The PA Route 6 Facade Program aims to fund improvement projects in every one of the 11 counties located in the Route 6 Heritage Corridor. This year, Pike and Wayne counties get their turn.

A number of local workshops scheduled for next week will explain the guidelines and grant procedures: 

• Monday, March 18, at 6 p.m. at Historic Forest Hall, 214 Broad Street, Milford
• Tuesday, March 19, at 9 a.m. at Historic Forest Hall, 214 Broad Street, Milford
• Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. at the Boiler Room, 8 Silk Mill Drive, Hawley
• Wednesday, March 20, at 9 a.m. in the Community Room at the Greater Honesdale Partnership, 32 Commercial Street, Honesdale
• Wednesday, March 27, Zoom meeting in the evening (time TBA)

To register for a public meeting, visit www.paroute6.com/pocono-mountains-facade-program. Attendees must pre-register for at least one of these meetings. Follow-up emails will be sent with additional information and links for the Zoom meeting.

The Alliance is partnering with the Pocono Forests and Waters Landscape Area to host public information meetings, review applications, and select projects to receive funding.

Up to 25 businesses will benefit

The PA Route 6 Alliance says $100,000 in grant money has been made available through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development’s Keystone Communities Program. It will provide local business owners with matching funds for improvements to their building’s front exterior, like exterior paint, new signs, windows, and canvas awning replacement, among other eligible upgrades. 

Wayne and Pike commercial building owners and nonprofits (with property owner approval) may apply for up to $5,000 each toward upgrades that are visible from the road. Recipients will be required to invest matching funds, for a $10,000 maximum spent on each project.

The Alliance estimates that 20 to 25 businesses in Wayne and Pike counties will benefit from the current grant. It says all funds will stay local as it engages local contractors, construction companies, hardware stores, and sign shops.

To date, the program has helped businesses in the PA Wilds (2020), Endless Mountains (2021), Great Lakes Region (2022), and Lackawanna County (2023), resulting in improvements to 135 businesses and an estimated economic impact of over $1.36 million in these communities. 

The Keystone Communities Program aims to create partnerships between the public and private sectors to promote neighborhood stability, social and economic diversity, and security.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with registration and Zoom meeting information.