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In this Update:
Construction Begins at Temple’s Student Apartments in Tamaqua
To all of you who didn’t believe that Temple University would build dental student apartments in downtown Tamaqua, construction has begun on the former Scheid’s Department Store (or more recently, Tire Pros), with scaffolding recently erected in front of the historic 1916 building. Additionally, the Tamaqua Dental Education Clinic and Center has received its accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation for advanced and allied dental education programs, so that this fall, Temple’s first ever small-town location on Center Street will expand access to this life-saving care across Carbon, Luzerne, and Schuylkill counties, training the next generation of dental professionals. Twenty dental students, living here and providing quality care, helping thousands of people— this may be some of the best news in our region in a long, long time. If you don’t believe me, take a walk through downtown Tamaqua—but watch out for the construction equipment! Carbon County Legislative Update
I recently attended the Carbon County Legislative Update, hosted by the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation. I shared with those in attendance that like many of them, I grew up here in this region—it wasn’t always easy, but I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. We didn’t realize it at the time, but my friends and I were living the American dream in what we called “half-double” houses just a few hundred yards from the coal mines that stretch from Tamaqua to Summit Hill. We also learned the importance of education from our moms and dads, who often lived from paycheck to paycheck and still helped pay for college. We learned how to stretch minimum-wage paychecks in high school and college as much as humanly possible. That’s why, when someone calls me at one of my local offices, we do our best to help people resolve problems, large and small, every day. I discussed the progress we have made since that time, including the ongoing efforts to breathe new life into our older communities across Carbon County. This ongoing revitalization includes working with Rep. Doyle Heffley, the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, and local leaders to encourage visitors to visit Jim Thorpe AND many other communities across the region. Biking and hiking trails have also proven to be one of the keys to Jim Thorpe’s ongoing revitalization successes, so Rep. Heffley and I have been assisting with the development of a new Anthracite Connector —12 communities across 30 miles, from Jim Thorpe and the Panther Valley to Tamaqua and Pottsville to connect with the Schuylkill River Trail. One of the fastest-growing, new issues here, like in the other counties I represent, is the need for additional housing. In all the counties I represent, the #1 issue was once the need for more jobs. Thanks to the work of so many, we’ve made a lot of progress—but a growing workforce means a growing need for more housing. Rep. Heffley and I worked together to secure a state grant to renovate the historic Schwab School in Weatherly, with 30-apartments in a blighted building that sat vacant for over 30 years. In addition to these efforts to breathe new life into our older buildings, Rep. Heffley and I worked with local leaders to find funding for façade upgrades on First Street in Lehighton, with three already completed and nine on the way. For the buildings which are less historic and much more deteriorated, Rep. Heffley and I are continuing to work with the Carbon County Commissioners and their Demolition Program to fund this important program. We have a real gem in Jim Thorpe, but we all need to continue to work together to spread revitalization efforts and visitors into our other communities. Around the District
I was invited to serve as the keynote speaker for the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce’s Red-Carpet Breakfast. During the event, I highlighted the continuing growth of the Hazleton region, from jobs, to housing development, and blight remediation—including the downtown Altamont Apartments and the Hazle Township Airport Beltway’s 300 housing units, in part thanks to state grants Rep. Dane Watro and I secured, in addition to state funding for the demolition of the blighted Matuella’s Dairy. I also discussed funding for the Hazleton Area School District, the sixth largest school district and one of the fastest growing districts in PA, and our efforts to save Penn State Hazleton, a vital economic development and workforce engine for the Greater Hazleton region. Over 5,400 people submitted responses to our legislative survey last year, with more than 96% responding in support of our local Penn State campuses. Read more about the event here.
Rep. Dane Watro, Haeden Yough from Senator Lynda Culver’s office, Alex Flynn from Rep. Jamie Walsh’s office, and I met with the Hazleton Area Girls Basketball team and presented them with official citations to celebrate their PIAA District 11 Class 6A championship. Congratulations to all on the successful season!
Rep. Watro and I co-hosted a concealed carry seminar in West Hazleton. We had more than 30 people join us to learn more about how to safely and lawfully exercise our Second Amendment rights. Special thanks to Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce for leading the presentation.
I was recently invited to visit the Vytal Plant Science Research (VPSR) STEM Lab in downtown Hazleton to meet with local high school students participating in hands-on STEM research and discuss future job opportunities in this region. To learn more about VPSR, please contact my office.
Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, Rep. Doyle Heffley, Carbon County Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, and I attended the Lehighton American Legion’s Last Man Standing Dinner to honor Chester G. Frantz, a 100-year-old WWII Veteran from West Penn Township. Born in Palmerton and raised in Summit Hill, Sgt. Frantz’s US Army memories remain very vivid of his service during the Central Europe and Rhineland campaigns and the Battle of the Bulge. He received several commendations for his service, including the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and a Bronze Star. I will NEVER forget how the entire room quieted when Mr. Frantz saluted the flag as our honored World War II veteran! Read more here about the ceremony here.
Between events this past weekend, I biked 13 miles on one of my favorite sections of the Delaware and Lehigh Trail between the Weissport office that I share with Rep. Doyle Heffley and Glen Onoko, just north of Jim Thorpe.
The very old, historic canal locks along the Lehigh River serve as a great reminder that America’s economy began right here, in our hometowns!
Beth and I attended the 1874 Tamaqua Train Station Restaurant’s 10 Year Anniversary Celebration to congratulate John & Melanie Ross and their entire staff on this milestone. The Tamaqua Train station was once a symbol of blight in Tamaqua. For decades, the walls were caving in, the windows and doors were boarded up, and the roof leaked. However, many local people came together to transform an abandoned wreck into the pride of the community and the home of the Tamaqua Station Restaurant. This location will be even more lively later this year, with 20 dental students living just across the street and hundreds of patients visiting the new downtown clinic each week. Here’s to our best wishes for the future! Locust Lake Update
Here’s the latest on the ongoing upgrades at Locust Lake: Shower House Upgrades: PPL has completed the electrical hookup for both shower houses, allowing contractors to finish nearly all remaining work. Facilities are expected to be open by Memorial Day! Full Hookup Campsite Upgrades: Work continues to install the new electric kiosk for full hookup campsites. The availability of these sites is yet to be determined. Focusing on Our Local Communities: Meet McAdoo’s Mary Labert
Welcome to the latest edition of “Focusing on Our Local Communities,” where we interview, on a bipartisan basis, a key local leader in one of the 102 municipalities that I represent in Carbon, Schuylkill, and Luzerne counties. This week, we focus on McAdoo Borough Councilwoman, Mary Labert. A Republican, Labert has been a member of borough council for 20 years. Labert is a McAdoo native, graduating from McAdoo High in 1958, marrying her high school sweetheart Vincent. Labert first worked as a bookkeeper in a department store in Hazleton before being hired as the McAdoo Borough Secretary in 1976. Labert was elected to council in 1996. “I just wanted to always give back to my community and work hard for the citizens here in McAdoo,” said Labert. “To this day, I’m honored that the people of our town elected me. I just love our town and that’s why I never left.” Labert serves as the president of the McAdoo Lions Club and is a member of the committee that plans the annual McAdoo Halloween Parade. She is a past member of the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, where she served as the director for Schuylkill County. She is proud of the work that council has been able to get done for the community. “We have been able to pave some of our busiest streets and we’re still working on that. We’re doing it bit by bit, but we’re getting it done,” said Labert. “We were able to purchase a new police car and a borough work vehicle. We’ve been able to upgrade our parks, and I’m very proud of our Adopt-A-Flag program where we honor our veterans that have fallen and that are still with us.” Quote of the Week
“The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.” – Ronald Reagan |
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