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In this update:

• Hazleton Office Opening Soon
• Community Partnerships Key to Tamaqua Revitalization
• January Argall Report: Fighting Blight and Improving Housing Opportunities
• PA Farm Show Set for Jan. 7-14
• Assistance Available for Organizations Aiding PA Veterans
• Taking Time to Stand with Law Enforcement Officers

Hazleton Office Opening Soon

Rep. Dane Watro and I stopped by our new joint office at 145 East Broad Street in Hazleton today. As you can see, my side of the office is still under construction, but Rep. Watro’s office is open to the public.

I will be providing future updates once it’s fully open. Until then, please feel free to contact any of my other offices if you need assistance with any state-related issues.

Community Partnerships Key to Tamaqua Revitalization

The blighted Tamaqua Train Station of the 1970s.

The fully restored Tamaqua Train Station, now featuring an excellent restaurant and periodic train excursions! Photo by Donald R. Serfass

In the recent newspaper feature story on “Today’s Tamaqua” by Frank Andruscavage and Jacqueline Dormer, Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt summed up the secret to the Tamaqua area’s success: “It’s a group effort. We have a community partnership that works very well together…. We’re doing what we do for the benefit of the community, not for the glory.”

My parents, Jack and Miriam Argall, purchased this Arlington St. “half a double” in 1965 for $9000!

My letter this week to the Pottsville Republican Herald stressed how so many local community volunteers have worked with me to breathe new life into the Tamaqua area. The bipartisan revitalization efforts now include successes I could not have imagined when I was growing up in our “half a double” on Arlington Street in the 1960s and 70s, including saving the 1874 railroad from demolition and transforming it into a successful restaurant and the site of passenger train excursions.

The Bischoff Inn will be opening soon at the site of the former 1800s Conrad Bischoff Planing Mill and Furniture Factory.

Here’s the BEST part: Ask anyone involved in the area’s revitalization efforts, we’re not slowing down, we’re picking up the pace, with many more ideas now moving from the “someday we should/concept” phase into actual realities!

January Argall Report: Fighting Blight and Improving Housing Opportunities

The January edition of my local TV program features two recent events with Rep. Tim Twardzik about how to fight the creep of blighted, decaying buildings in our neighborhoods.

All of our local State Representatives and I are committed to breathing new life into our local communities to bring families, businesses, and new opportunities to the area that we are proud to call home.

This edition features a press conference in Shenandoah where we announced a $500,000 grant to demolish blighted buildings to build new housing for seniors and a bipartisan roundtable discussion with the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. Similar funds have been awarded in 18 other local communities to tear down 79 blighted buildings, with an additional 60 properties now slated for future demolition due to the funding which we obtained.

PA Farm Show Set for Jan. 7-14

The 107th Pennsylvania Farm Show – the largest indoor agricultural exposition under one roof in the nation – takes place this Saturday to Jan. 14 in Harrisburg. 

Admission is free. It features nearly 4,000 animals, 12,000-plus competitive events and exhibits, 245 commercial exhibits, and hundreds of educational and entertainment programs.

The visitor’s guide will help you plan your day, with information on hours, parking, exhibitors, food and more. For over a century, the PA Farm Show has celebrated Pennsylvania’s rich tradition of farming and agriculture’s key role in the state economy.

Assistance Available for Organizations Aiding PA Veterans

Nonprofits, veteran service organizations and county directors of veterans affairs have until Jan. 19 to apply for Pennsylvania Veterans’ Trust Fund grants for programs and services benefiting Pennsylvania veterans.

Grants will be considered in the following areas:

1. New, innovative or expanded programs or services operated by the county directors of veterans affairs or the Pennsylvania Association of County Directors of Veterans Affairs. The areas of emphasis for applicants in this category are veterans outreach, transportation services and homelessness. 
2. Veteran service organizations and nonprofit organizations with a mission of serving Pennsylvania veterans focusing on transportation services, behavioral health initiatives, homelessness, and employment and education. 

The Veterans’ Trust Fund is funded by Pennsylvanians who voluntarily donate when applying for or renewing driver’s licenses, photo IDs or vehicle registrations; purchase Honoring Our Veterans or Honoring our Women Veterans license plates; or make private donations.

Taking Time to Stand with Law Enforcement Officers

While lawmakers in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. create laws, it’s police officers who risk their lives enforcing them. On Law Enforcement Appreciation Day this coming Monday, I hope citizens take a moment to reflect on the dangerous and sometimes thankless job performed by those who protect and serve our communities.

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