History, Mission, and Values
RENAISSANCE Mechanicsburg is the name of the Capital Campaign initiative formed under the wing of the Downtown Mechanicsburg Partnership. This project represents the culmination of many years of research and planning that began to take shape a full 60 years ago with the Borough’s first of three comprehensive studies.
For reasons largely beyond the control of the Borough Council or residents, a number of the plans listed here were not fully realized.
Our renewed commitment is to fulfill the vision of the residents, business owners, and all those who call Mechanicsburg home. We will:
- Revitalize downtown Mechanicsburg to be a magnet of opportunity for business, culture, and innovation
- Bring together diverse interests to create a unified vision of a vibrant town center
- Enhance our quality of life by preserving and promoting our heritage and unique sense of place
- Create a distinctive historic district
- Encourage and promote Mechanicsburg as a tourist and visitor destination
We invite volunteers to join us in this exciting transformation. Click here to contact us and get started.
Honorary Chairs
Layne Lebo
Senior Pastor
Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ
Layne grew up just outside of Mechanicsburg on a farm in Monroe Township. He and his wife Greta have been married for twenty-six years and have lived in the Borough of Mechanicsburg since 1996. They have three children, Bronte, Treyton and Kerrigan. Layne has served as a pastor at Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ for twenty-seven years and has been senior pastor of the church for the past seventeen years. Layne is a graduate of Messiah College and has master’s and doctoral degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary.
Layne has volunteered in our local community in a variety of ways: youth sports coach for thirteen years; board member of the Mechanicsburg Soccer Club; past president of the Downtown Mechanicsburg Partnership; member of the Jubilee Day planning committee for over ten years; and, as a Mechanicsburg Area School District board member. Layne and his family currently live on West Main Street in Mechanicsburg.
“Mechanicsburg has been a great place for us to raise our family. We love the proximity of our home to schools, Memorial Park and the Pool, and our local library. I’m excited about the changes that are being proposed for our town square through the RENAISSANCE Mechanicsburg revitalization project, which will continue to make Mechanicsburg a great place to live.”
Patti Herring
Community Activist and Volunteer
Patti is originally from Lancaster, PA and has lived in Upper Allen Township in Mechanicsburg since 1989. She and her husband, Rick, were married in 1985 and have four children – Christina, (married to Troy); Matt, (married to LeeAnn); Elisabeth, (married to Garth), and Josh, (a senior at Lebanon Valley College). Patti received her undergraduate degree from Albright College and a master’s in social work from Rutgers University.
She worked in the social work field in New Jersey prior to starting a family and now considers herself a “professional volunteer” with numerous leadership roles in local community organizations, including Mission Central, Operation Wildcat, and Mechanicsburg Area Foundation. She is also an active member of First United Methodist Church in downtown Mechanicsburg.
“Over the past 30 years, Mechanicsburg has been home to Rick and me and has always been home to our children. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to raise our family here. . . . and I am very excited about the proposed changes and improvements to the downtown area that RENAISSANCE Mechanicsburg will bring! It is so important for us to preserve and showcase our local heritage.”
The Walker Family
Mark and Lorie Walker, Chrissy and Matt
Walker Realty
“What is good for our town is good for business. It is an honor for us to serve as honorary co-chairs of the Downtown Mechanicsburg Partnership’s capital campaign. Improvements to the downtown corridor will be a big plus for Mechanicsburg merchants and businesses. We are so blessed to have such charming and historic buildings. If we all work together we can turn our diamond in the rough to the jewel that our town deserves to be.”
Capital Campaign Committee
John Anthony
Major Gifts Director
Scott Christ
Finance Director
Jayne Drake
Executive Director
Debra Frisco
Director of Social Media and Public Relations
Shawn Greenland
Assistant Finance Director
John Libhart
RENAISSANCE Landscape Architect
Deb McCreary
Assistant Finance Director
John Miller
Fundraising Consultant
Ed Phelan
Director of Operations
Dan Spino
Events Director
Chelsey Wirth
Marketing/Promotions Coordinator for the Partnership
Pam Zaiser
Assistant Events Director