Once the Downtown Improvement District meets its membership requirement and receives funding, tour buses may become a common sight on College Avenue.

The State College Borough Council will give the DID $75,000 for each of the next three years if the group membership makes up half of the downtown's square footage, said Tobi Sky, DID membership coordinator.

The DID -- a task force comprised of downtown businesses with the goal of promoting and improving State College --reached the 49 percent mark Wednesday, Sky said, adding that she is certain the group will reach its goal by the end of the month.

Task force members have been sending letters to downtown businesses asking them to join, said Gary Moyer, DID chairman and owner of Moyer Jewelers, 100 E. College Ave.

The DID members are required to pay a $250 initial fee and dues for a minimum of three years at 10 cents per square foot, Sky said.

One of the DID's ideas to encourage shopping downtown is to use tour buses to bring visitors to stores and area attractions, Moyer said. The idea is still in the planning stages.

Other programs the DID may implement include special events and beautification efforts, Sky said.

The group also wants to work more closely with the organizers of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, Moyer said.

Developing better relations with the University is another goal, Sky said.

The University has pledged $25,000 for each of the next three years if DID meets the borough's membership requirements, she said.

"It's important for (the University) to have thriving neighbors and not a ghost town," she said. There will be a student position on DID's board, she added.

The DID is also planning to implement a coupon program, in which downtown businesses would validate parking passes from borough parking garages, Moyer said.

Local politicians are optimistic that the group will help downtown businesses.

Council member Bill Welch said efforts to promote the downtown area will help businesses compete with other shopping centers.

State College Mayor Arnold Addison agreed, saying he supports the DID because the vitality of the downtown business community is important to the borough.

"It's important for the downtown to be alive and not have empty storefronts," Addison said, adding that he is glad the council will fund the group.

But Sky said getting the necessary funding is just a milestone for the organization.

"We still have a long way to go," she said.

The DID is looking for a full-time director, said Norm Brown, a task force member and manager of the Student Book Store, 330 E. College Ave. A personnel committee is putting together a job description and starting to advertise the position, Brown said.

Although the position probably will not be filled by April, Brown said the group hopes to have a director by midsummer.