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In this update:
CRIZ: Breathing New Life into Tamaqua and Beyond, Including the Possibility of a New Downtown College for Dentists?Tamaqua welcomed the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue’s top leadership Monday to tour both the achievements and goals of the Tamaqua City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ). We showed them many of the sites that have directly benefited from CRIZ investments, including The Perla Building, Child Development, Inc. – Tamaqua Center, the Bischoff Inn, the Tamaqua Train Station, Boyer’s Food Market Complex, and Gimbel’s, a soon-to-be-open restaurant on East Broad Street. When I first drafted the “small town” amendment to the Senate’s CRIZ legislation, the goal was to help breathe new life into our smaller towns, and not reserve this valuable program solely for our largest cities. Tamaqua ultimately earned the only non-city CRIZ designation in Pennsylvania, which has allowed it to utilize state tax payments from the Tamaqua CRIZ to remain in the community for economic development. Now, many of its oldest buildings are much improved from the days when I grew up in a “half a double” on Arlington Street, thanks to the tireless work of so many throughout the Tamaqua community. While Gov. Wolf refused to allow other communities to apply for CRIZ benefits, as approved by the General Assembly on a bipartisan basis, the state is once again considering an expansion of the program. My staff and I have reached out to communities throughout this Senate district in Carbon, Luzerne, and Schuylkill Counties to consider an application, so that they can benefit, as well.
On the tour, we discussed an especially exciting proposal: establishing a dental college downtown. A few potential locations are being considered, and the currently vacant and blighted former Scheid’s Department Store has obtained state funding for new housing for the students. There is a serious shortage of dentists in our area. The planned dental college would be the first of its kind in rural Pennsylvania and would train a new generation of dental professionals—hopefully, about 20 new dentists each cycle! Stay tuned as we continue to pull this new effort together! Much-Needed New Apartments in Downtown Hazleton, Orwigsburg, Weatherly, and Pottsville
Rep. Dane Watro and I joined Hazleton Mayor Cusat this week, touring the fully renovated Altamont Hotel, a Hazleton landmark that first opened its doors in 1924. The building will soon open 68 market-rate apartments, after being closed in 2012. The developers have done an excellent job at returning the building to productive use, while preserving its history.
I hear it every day, from employers and employees—we need more quality housing. One of the best solutions to this problem is transforming old, unused buildings. In addition to the Altamont, we’ve seen successful recent restorations and much-needed new housing in Orwigsburg.
I have assisted both Pottsville and Weatherly in their efforts to bring new apartments to two additional historic buildings – the Schuylkill Trust Company building and the Schwab School. I am hopeful that the reconstruction of these classic buildings will soon begin. Preventing Flooding in Western Schuylkill County
Rep. JoAnne Stehr and I viewed a successful effort this week to reduce the number of frequent floods that have plagued the Pine Grove and Tremont area for many years, as you can see from the headlines below.
Residents and employers in Pine Grove will never forget the flooding that came after Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. This storm led to flood impacts to 90% of Pine Grove businesses, 250 jobs lost to permanent businesses closures, $40 million in total damages and substantial water pollution impacts related to flooded homes and businesses. After this crisis, a team of municipal officials, local employers, and state legislators and agencies created a plan to make these floods much less common in the future. I worked to secure almost $3 million in state funding from the Growing Greener program for this project. As a sponsor of the original Growing Greener legislation, I joined Governor Tom Ridge in signing this bill into law. This is exactly the sort of project we envisioned when working to create this program. Freeland: Improving Parks and a New Daycare?
I met with Freeland borough officials Thursday to discuss how I can assist them with breathing new life into their community. We discussed a few priority projects, including adapting the Freeland YMCA for a new daycare center and renovating the facilities at the Front Street Park and 4th Ward Park.
Rep. Watro and I also visited the MMI Preparatory School to congratulate their baseball team on winning the District 2 Class A championship. I presented the team with a Senate citation in honor of their achievements. Beaver Meadows Showcases New Memorial Park Pavilion
Beaver Meadows recently completed construction on the new and improved Memorial Park Pavilion. In the past, events hosted at Memorial Park have needed to rely on nearby homes for food preparation and restrooms. The fully upgraded pavilion now includes a kitchen, bathrooms, and more. Rep. Doyle Heffley and I helped local officials secure a state grant for $150,000 to support this project. Now, community events held at Memorial Park will have a MUCH-improved building to help serve their needs. Argall Report: Bringing New Life to the Former KME Plant in Nesquehoning
The September edition of my local TV program focuses on the renovation and reuse of the former KME Fire Apparatus complex in Nesquehoning. Breathing new life into many of our local towns, large and small, is the most important part of my job as the state senator for Carbon, Luzerne, and Schuylkill counties. This community-driven project in Nesquehoning is an excellent example. When KME closed in 2021, many of us feared it might stay empty forever. This massive plant was the economic heartbeat of the area and one of the region’s largest employers. Thankfully, local entrepreneurs stepped up to the plate. With strong support from the Kovatch family’s new generation of leaders in Kathy Kovatch Reaman and Ric Reaman, this site is now almost fully restored. The site on the west side of State Route 54 now houses the brand-new Narrow Valley Sportsplex, which features batting cages, indoor golf simulators, pickleball courts, basketballs courts, and volleyball courts, and a Bulldog Fire Apparatus plant. Reading and Northern Railroad transformed the buildings north of State Route 54 into a new passenger train platform, train maintenance, and employee training facilities. September 28: Schuylkill Haven Borough Day
Don’t miss the 36th annual Schuylkill Haven Borough Day! The downtown area of the borough will be filled with food trucks, vendors, and entertainers. Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad will be running three, one-hour round trip passenger train excursions to Port Clinton and back at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
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