Attendees:
Frank Langianese, Lewis Run Borough Coucil
Simon Tripp, Impact Economics
Roberta Sarraf, Zoning Consultant
Albert Filoni, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.
Kenneth Lee, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.
Amy Maceyko, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.

Purpose: To learn about Lewis Run and its relationship to Bradford.

1. Mr. Langianese began by describing a couple of the largest employers in Lewis Run. Keystone Pressed Metal produces automotive gears and motors and employees 125 workers. They may be adding 35 new jobs in the near future. Topline/Allegheny Bradford produces stainless steel containers for pharmaceutical and dairy companies. They currently have 150 employees and have plans for 35 to 100 more. McCourt Label is a printing company that came to Lewis Run in 1977 from Bradford. Lewis Run offered them their first acre and today they have 75 employees. Overall there are 400-500 jobs in town.

a. The brick plant left Lewis Run about 20 years ago. The borough bought the property at tax sale and then sold it to Keystone.

2. 573 people live in the Borough. Originally the residents were primarily Italian and Polish, but there has been enough turnover that it is no longer the case. Local employees come from outside of the borough and some of the borough residents work in Bradford or other nearby towns. Residents have water, sewage, garbage and recycling service, as well as a local Post Office.

3. Lewis Run is located 6 miles south of the city. It is 1 mile square and basically built-out. There are only about 50 acres not built upon. The borough is adjacent to Bradford Township to the north and Main Street is the center of town.

4. Local taxes and utilities are low, but Lewis Run is in the Bradford Area School District, and Mr. Langianese considers the school taxes to be high. The borough lost its elementary school a long time ago.

5. At this point, the only real commercial business in town is the mini-mart. 30 years ago, there were 900 residents and 5 grocery stores. The younger residents of town go to the malls in Erie or Buffalo to shop (80-90 miles). Mr. Langianese thinks that it is primarily the older residents of the borough that shop in Bradford. But borough residents also go to town for doctor/dentist visits, many services, banking, and events/programs at the Pitt-Bradford campus.

6. Other facts and amenities:

a. Lewis Run has a playground and a Little League field.

b. There is minimal rental housing, so there aren't any absentee landlord issues.

c. There are a few places that could use some more TLC, but most residents take good care of their property.

d. They are covered by state police, but they don't have much trouble.

7. Five years ago, the DEP and EPA shut down one of their wells because of contaminents, so they were forced to connect to city water.

8. Lewis Run doesn't have any desire to be consolidated with the City of Bradford. They have had their differences in the past, and the borough is happier being a separate entity.

9. If the planning team is interested in contacting them, Mr. Orr is the new plant manager at Keystone. The owner of Keystone lives in St. Marys. Tom Bromley would be the person to contact at Allegheny/Bradford (he has a relationship with Pitt-Bradford) and the owner of the company lives in Bradford.

10. In Mr. Langianese's opinion there is nothing in downtown Bradford. He doesn't think that service stores, craft stores and banks are enough. He uses the Parkview Market on W. Washington, but he knows that some others use TOPS. He doesn't know anyone who goes to the movie theater, but he also doesn't think that safety is a problem downtown or that there is a parking problem. He does know some borough residents who go to church in Bradford since there are just two churches in Lewis Run.

11. The only reason Mr. Langianese has for going to Bradford Township is to go to the UPB campus. He takes 219 to the Corydon Exit, and then Main Street to W. Washington. He tries to avoid the construction on 219.

12. Local industry generally use trucks, but the rail system does come through as well.

13. Local zoning is covered at the county level.

14. City funding helped with the expansion of some industrial sites. Money is primarily needed for roads to new plants. In some cases it is for new roads and in other cases roads need to be rebuilt instead of just being repaved.

15. About 5 years ago, a 12 home subdivision was built. The prices ranged from $125,000-$200,000 and a couple were over $500,000. There have been a few infill homes built recently as well. In general, homes in Lewis Run average $75,000-$100,000.

a. There are also12 public housing units in town. They are primarily occupied by elderly residents who do not want to deal with the maintenance involved in owning their own home.

16. Based on other homeowners he has spoken with, Lewis Run residents generally feel that their kids get a good education, but some are upset about the school salaries being paid.

17. Other than being against consolidation of Lewis Run and Bradford, Mr. Langianese doesn’t think there is really anything the master plan could do that would bother Lewis Run very much. He still thinks that the school consolidation was a bad choice and will continue to be firmly against any kind of municipal consolidation.

18. Lewis Run has three government employees. There is one secretary and two maintenance/garbage collection employees. The mayor and Mr. Langianese combined have served in Lewis Run government for over 100 years. The town also has a volunteer fire department.

19. The regular routes of public transit don’t serve town, but residents can access transportation by calling for service.

With no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned. The foregoing constitutes the major items accepted by the attendees. If there are any corrections or clarifications, please notify the architects.

Respectfully submitted,

MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.

Amy P. Maceyko, AIA, LEED AP