Thrush Completes Downtown Revitalization Academy
Franklin County Free Press – By Staff Report –
Sam Thrush was well-prepared to lead Downtown Chambersburg Inc.’s revitalization efforts when he was appointed its president in 2018.
Thrush holds a B.A. from Shippensburg University in Geography and Land Use; interned at the Borough of Chambersburg and Downtown Chambersburg Inc.; held a position as County Planner for the County of Bedford; spent six years in the Franklin County Planning Commission, and holds of a number of municipal planning and place economics certifications.
This week, Thrush expanded that base of knowledge, completing a 75-hour Community Revitalization Academy (CRA.)
The training is a series of five, two-day workshops based on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program and the five-point approach of the Pennsylvania Elm Street Program. It is designed for first-year Main Street and Elm Street managers, as well as other revitalization professionals.
Maria Wherley, network relations and conference coordinator for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, calls the Main Street Approach a community-driven, comprehensive strategy to revitalize downtown and neighborhood business districts throughout the United States.
The Elm Street program uses a similar, integrated method to rejuvenate Pennsylvania’s older residential areas bordering main streets and central business districts.
