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New Philadelphia’s mayor is looking forward to July, and not just because of the annual First Town Days Festival next week.

Joel Day says a pair of transformative projects are set to get started next month. It starts on Wednesday, July 2nd , at 1 p.m. with the groundbreaking ceremony for the 2.9-million-dollar downtown improvement project. Day says that’s funded through the state’s Appalachian Community Grant program. The work includes complete overhauls of two of the four quadrants on the square, and improvements to the third. The Courthouse quadrant will not be touched.

Mayor Day is also promoting the ribbon cutting for the model home of the “New Philadelphia Housing Plan” on Ray Avenue He says the initiative from Matt and Audra Karam aims to quickly build affordable houses by teaming with local contractors offering their services at cost.

Meanwhile, the First Town Days Festival starts Thursday, July 3rd . It’s four days of food vendors and live music, with the Grand Parade on Friday, fireworks Saturday night, and the annual car show on Sunday.

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