Thursday marks last day to vote for Bristol Borough for revitalization grants

BRISTOL, PA (WTXF) - Last week, we told you how one local town was listed as a finalist for a small business revitalization grant. Thursday marks the final day of the voting period.

Bristol Borough is among five finalists for a half million dollars' worth of marketing, project money and grants to revitalize the business district part of a program called the Small Business Revolution.

Locals have been pumped, with voters helping to give the Borough and early lead in the voting.

However, in the final standings released by the program, Bristol Borough had fallen to second place, behind Red Wing, Minnesota.

The voting period was extended past the 9:00 p.m. Thursday deadline, until midnight.

In the late 60s, United States Steel employed 10,000 workers 8 miles from the borough. At that time the main business district was booming.

"Then the Mills closed down, the malls came up suburbia sprawled," said civic organizer Bill Pezza, "and we went into what I like to call a pretty deep sleep."

In recent years there's been a bit of the reawakening.

New townhouses are going in, and so is a new dock project. Several new stores have opened on Mill Street--the main drag.

If you'd like to help the folks from Bristol, go to smallbusinessrevolution.org and vote!