rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com
TROY — Troy Chamber of Commerce met via ZOOM on Wednesday, Jan. 6, at noon.
The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and the approval of the November and December meeting minutes.
Elizabeth Card gave the treasurer’s report, stating that there is currently $34,994 in the regular checking and $5,621.13 in the money market. She also said all invoices have been paid in full.
The car show is still planned for 2021. Committee member Veronica Seymour said that she will be getting in touch with Jim Blackwell and working on dates for the car show.
The budget for 2021 will be discussed by the committee and voted on at the next meeting.
Elizabeth Card spoke about the date planned for Christmas decorations removal, which is planned for Jan. 17, weather permitting.
Robyn Cummings asked about the status of the replacement of a town pole, which had decorations and a Hometown Hereoes banner placed on it. Zach Gates said he would follow up with borough manager Dan Close on the matter.
New meetings have been scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month. Luckily, no holidays conflict those dates. No locations are planned yet, due to COVID restrictions.
Bradford County
Tourism Agency
Robyn Cummings spoke about the passport program, saying that due to COVID it was postponed, but this year, they plan to start that in the first quarter.
She said that BCTA also did a joint piece with the Heritage Region and the Endless Mountains Business Bureau, focusing on outdoor recreation. It will be another guide. Cummings also said that the agency is in great financial health and because of that, they would like to do some spending to get people to Bradford County.
“It’s more of a resource guide for the next couple of years,” she said. “The annual guide is in print right now and will be hitting shelves soon. We are glad to be moving forward.”
Finally, Cummings spoke of progress on the train car. “We are working on this in conjunction with the arts council. We’re excited to start off the new year and get our events and organizations back up and going.
Elizabeth Card reminded members that it is now time for membership renewals.
The Troy Rotary Club reported that they are currently meeting online. They also noted they have been busy working on supporting local restaurants on Facebook, with a gift card giveaway. The district conference is scheduled for May at the Deane Center in Wellsboro. Gates asked if local Troy businesses could be highlighted at the meeting, as it is crucial for them to have the support during this time.
The Lions Club spoke about their Christmas basket program, citing it was a success and now completed. They submitted a letter to the chamber of commerce, read by member Veronica Seymour, to chamber, thanking all of the local donations that helped make the event possible and a success this year. They were able to work around COVID restrictions, and even a snow storm. With the drive through pickup, they were able to help 398 kids, 425 adults, and 218 families total.
Seymour also reported on behalf of the Troy Sale Barn, stating that the Sale Barn now has an “charitable donation” through Amazon Smile.com.
Susan Storch spoke about the Allen F. Pierce Library, saying it is open and doing OK. She said they had a great Christmas sale and they are continuing their book club through ZOOM. They are also doing online story hour for children.
“We are making adaptations to better serve our community,” she said.
Sarah Gates added on that with a membership to the library, you have access to power library, which is online.
Scott Snow spoke about the gas industry briefly. He said currently, they are working with 700 wells and are hoping to increase production. They are also trying to maintain community outreach and be more involved within the community. He also noted their leasing program in Tioga County near state lands in the Blossburg area.
Sarah Gates started off old business with speaking about the drive through Santa event, which took place in the parking lot above the high school. She said 57 children in total attended the event.
“It felt good, and it went really well,” she said.
Though the scavenger hunt was not as successful, Robyn Cummings said she had “laid the foundation down for next year,” in hopes that it will be more successful. “Sarah, you knocked it out of the park,” said Cummings.
Robyn went on to discuss the downtown decorating, stating it was a great event and she hopes that it will be “bigger and better” next year.
Cummings also thanked Veronica Seymour for the hard work she put in creating goodie bags for the children for the drive through event.
COVID grants were discussed, with Zach Gates reporting 6 applications, all of which received $500 grants. Though the application period is currently closed, chamber discussed the option of re-opening it at a later time because “these times are uncertain.”
Chamber also discussed 2021 elections and committee chairs.
President is Zach Gates, Vice President is Veronica Seymour, Treasurer is Elizabeth Card and Secretary is Rachel Heitzenrater.
Committee heads:
Person/Business of the Year - Trish, Lee
Hometown Christmas - Sarah Gates
Budget/Finance - Zach, Veronica, Elizabeth
Membership - Amy, Michelle
Events - Bonnie Seeley, Robyn, Rachel
Car Show - Veronica
Merchandise - Elizabeth
Hometown Heroes - Zach
Advertising/Publicity - Stephanie
Website/Social Media - Veronica
The next Troy Chamber of Commerce meeting will be Wednesday, Feb. 3 at noon. It is unclear whether it will be in person or via ZOOM at this time.