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New merchants group formed
By Johnathan C. Ryan - Reporter The Lancaster News September 27, 2006 Downtown Lancaster business owners and marketers have started a merchant's association. See Lancaster, a group whose mission includes promoting downtown Lancaster, and Lancaster attorney Mandy Powers-Norrell organized the group about a month ago. Powers-Norrell practices out of a historic downtown building. The new merchant association meets twice monthly. Frank Keel, executive director of See Lancaster, said the downtown merchants association wants to establish strong lines of communication between business owners and entities that can help their businesses prosper, including Lancaster City Council. "We want to open lines of communication," Keel said. "They can tell us what they want and then we can present a voice to City Council." The reason meetings are held every other Tuesday is to coincide with council's regular meetings and to have fresh positions to present. "It will give merchants a good chance to address council," Keel said "We'll have one voice." City Administrator Steve Willis is pleased to have a proactive merchants group, which will address issues that perhaps the city isn't aware of. "There's probably lots of stuff we need to look at, but we never have," Willis said. "The city is always interested in what we can do to make things easier." Downtown parking is one issue the new association is interested in. Since merchants engage in business activity with varying time needs, there has already been a push to abolish the current parking limit of two hours along Main Street, in favor of perhaps more time. The limit on side streets of Main is three hours. "Parking, sidewalks and co-op advertising are all issues to be addressed," Keel said. Willis said current parking limits were created in response to merchants' desires in the 1980s. "That's what merchants a long time ago wanted," Willis said. "I know a couple of merchants are now interested in something longer. "The city's perspective is, it doesn't really matter to us. We just want something that pleases merchants," he added. R.D. Howell, co-owner of Howell Arts and Antiques, is hopeful more business owners will get involved in the new association. The group is relying on word of mouth and fliers to inform downtown business owners about the meetings. "We get to present a united front to See Lancaster," he said, about the benefits of participating. "They, and council, can have an up-to-date view of what we're thinking." The next meeting will be at 8 a.m. Oct. 8 at the Springs House. Keel said for interested downtown business owners to just show up to be involved. For details, call See Lancaster at 286-1145, and ask for Linda Adams, or press 40 for administrative assistant. Powers-Norrell wasn't available for comment. Contact Johnathan Ryan at 416-8416 or jryan@thelancasternews.com Article © The Lancaster News, reprinted with permission.
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