Presque Isle State Park is one of Erie’s largest tourist attractions, bringing in over 4 million visitors annually, and driving business to Waldameer Park and Water World, the bayfront, and other local hotspots. Despite the revenue Erie receives from this level of tourism, the park’s surrounding neighborhoods, including Forest Park, Kelso, and Tracydale, have in recent years faced declines in median household income, rising poverty rates, and unsatisfied infrastructural needs.
After visiting the Jefferson Educational Society in May of 2025 to discuss this issue with citizens, Seth Trott returned on Monday (August 17) to give a year-one-recap of the newly formed Presque Isle Neighborhood Network (PINN), a 501(c)3 community-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and revitalizing neighborhoods surrounding Presque Isle State Park through partnerships, community-building, local events, and advocacy.
Trott, as president of PINN, presented “Building the Presque Isle Neighborhood Network: A Working Blueprint for Sparking Revitalization Organizations” at the Jefferson Educational Society as part of its Community Conversation series, which is meant for residents to hear directly from leaders of local organizations and gain a deeper understanding of initiatives and projects that contribute to Erie’s growth and development.
The Presque Isle Neighborhood Network has a footprint stretching across Millcreek Township in census tracts 105 and 124 and are composed of smaller, close-knit neighborhoods, which are home to over 2,700 households — translating to roughly 5,100 residents — and 250 businesses.
The area has faced economic concerns as Trott reported 19% of children and 17% of seniors in these neighborhoods living in poverty in 2024. Additionally, the safety and quality of infrastructure in these areas have been a matter of consideration, with a lack of streetlights, crosswalks, and sidewalks making residents feel uneasy, he remarked.
PINN’s focus in the past year, according to Trott, has been on community outreach and gaining insights into the wants and needs of residents and businesses in the area.
One method PINN used to connect with the community was hosting events. In the past year, PINN held three events – a Presque Isle beach clean-up day, a Halloween Trunk-or-Treat at Waldameer, and the Forever Curious Festival, which attracted a few hundred seniors for a day of learning at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center.
Additionally, PINN spent the year conducting a survey campaign, through which it received feedback from 413 residents and 74 businesses in the area.
The resident responses were centered on four general topics: neighborhood safety, better streets and infrastructure, housing affordability and economic development, and third spaces.
About a third of residents reported feeling unsafe at night in their areas, though nearly all agreed that they felt safe during the day. This was related to the need for better streets and infrastructure, with many residents citing the need for sidewalks, crosswalks, and street lighting to be installed in these neighborhoods.
A similar interest was reported in the responses gathered from businesses, as one of the largest concerns reported was a decline in foot traffic, caused by inaccessible and unwalkable areas causing businesses to lose customers.
Another common survey response among residents was the desire to create more green spaces and to focus on public placemaking.
“The area is very decentralized. There’s not a lot of community engagement around there,” Trott explained. “They want more places to gather in that community down there, and to meet and see each other.”
This sentiment was reiterated in focus groups held by PINN, as among the many themes discussed in these groups were the desires to improve parks in the area, create and improve third spaces, improve accessibility, and make more connection for businesses in the area.
“We saw that businesses wanted more connection to each other,” Trott said, “They want to be able to work together on different projects, more collaborations.”
Whether that collaboration would be through a local business gift card program, a business directory, or loyalty programs remains to be determined. With a board composed entirely of volunteers, PINN has little capacity to meet many of those requests, Trott stated.
“One of the things that came out of these discussions was the idea of a temporary public-private partnership, where the township would create a community plan position,” Trott said.
Such a position would likely be housed in the Millcreek Planning Department and would be funded both by PINN and Millcreek Township to operate for two years and accomplish the goals set to improve the area.
After the completion of this position, PINN aims to become independent from the township, and to serve as a model for other areas hoping to revitalize their own communities, Trott says.
As PINN continues raising the funds needed to enact this vision, the organization will remain focused on community outreach projects, connecting businesses, and creating partnerships with other local development organizations.
To learn more about the Presque Isle Neighborhood Network, click here. To find upcoming events at the Jefferson Educational Society, click here.
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