100-Acre Solar Farm Planned Near Pa. Turnpike

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Franklin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ROXBURY, PA — A seasoned wind farmer is planning to build one of the largest solar farms on the East Coast in northern Franklin County.

Orion Renewable Energy Group LLC, based in Oakland, Calif., plans to lease parts of three hay and crop farms just south of the Blue Mountain Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) and reap the sun’s rays.

The 14 megawatt project in Lurgan Township would be more than twice the size of Pennsylvania’s largest (6 MW) solar farm currently under construction in East Drumore Township, Lancaster County.  Covering about 103 acres, the photovoltaic panels would produce enough electricity to power 2,000 to 2,500 homes, according to Ed Shoener of Shoener Environmental, Dickson City.

“This is a sunny spot in Pennsylvania,” he said.  ”There is a market for renewable energy in Pennsylvania.  It’s a good place to tie into the power lines and the Roxbury substation.”

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-solar-farm-pa-turnpike-0828-20120829,0,3432039,full.story

Clearfield Borough Close To Agreement On Riverfront Project

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Clearfield County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Clearfield Borough is close to an agreement for the development of the riverfront project.

At last night’s borough council meeting, borough Solicitor F. Cortez Bell III reported the borough is close to coming to an agreement with the Clearfield County Economic Development Corp. for it to become the developer of the project.

The borough has received a $5 million Redevelopment Capital Assistance grant from the state to develop commercial and residential properties and a riverwalk between the Nichols Street and Market Street bridges in downtown Clearfield.

Read more: http://www.theprogressnews.com/default.asp?read=31400

Lock Haven’s Piper Airport To Get $977,708 For Runway Project

Piper PA-40 Arapaho in 1974 in Lock Haven, PA I took this picture in 1974 in Lock Haven, PA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HARRISBURG, PA - The William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven is one of 27 airports across Pennsylvania that will improve facilities and enhance safety with a piece of a $12.6 million investment of federal and state funds.

The airport at the east end of Lock Haven will receive $977,708 for runway work, according to an announcement by Gov. Tom Corbett.

The rehabilitated runway will be only 75 feet wide, which is regulation size, according to the city. It is 100 feet wide righ tnow, and the project will narrow it by 12.5 feet on each side.

Lighting also will be upgraded and the lights relocated as the runway is narrowed so they remain close to the runway’s edge. The city’s local match for the work is roughly $60,000.

Read more: http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/538597/Piper-Airport-to-get—977-708-for-runway-project.html?nav=5009

Sunbury Seeks Resident Input On How To Spend CDBG Grant

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SUNBURY, PA – Several more blighted properties may be torn down and new tree planting could be on the way for the city. The options were discussed at a public meeting held before Monday’s council meeting to discuss the nearly $300,000 the city is set to receive from the 2012 Community Development Block Grant Program.

Jamie Shrawder, community development manager for SEDA-Council of Governments, in Lewisburg, informed council members of what projects the $281,210 can be used for.

City-wide tree planting was recommended by Mayor David Persing at a cost of $20,000 and Shrawder said it was part of the comprehensive plan developed by SEDA-COG, so it was eligible for funding.

Read more: http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x370172747/City-gets-ideas-on-how-to-spend-nearly-300G

Mansfield Featured On WVIA’s “Our Town” Program

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Mansfield, Pennsylvania will be the center of attention on WVIA’s ”Our Town” program on Tuesday, June 28th at 8:00 p.m.  WVIA, headquartered in Pittston, is NEPA’s public television station.

We just talked about Wellsboro’s Laurel festival recently so I thought it was pleasantly coincidental that Tioga County‘s other major town is getting some press.

Mansfield is Tioga County’s college town and the home of Mansfield University, part of Pennsylvania’s state university system.  There were 3,360 students enrolled at MU for the Fall Semester of 2006, which nearly doubles the resident population of the borough.

Unlike many towns in this part of Pennsylvania, Mansfield actually experienced population growth during the last decade.  Mansfield’s population count for the 2010 census was 3,625.  The borough is 1.9 square miles.

If you live out of the WVIA viewing area, like I do, you should be able to watch this program using Video On Demand.  This feature is found on the home page:  http://www.wviatv.org

Wellsboro’s Laurel Festival Crowd Tops 20,000

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Another example of working with what you have - Wellsboro has had a Laurel Festival as long as I can certainly remember.  This small town of 3,300 people is the county seat of Tioga County.  Tioga County is home to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and borders New York State.  Tioga County has a land area of 1,134 square miles with a population of 41,000.  The county is 84% rural. 

One thing rural Tioga County has plenty of is mountain laurel, which is the state flower of Pennsylvania.  Wellsboro has a beautiful main street, with a grass median, lined with tall, black gaslights.  Very picturesque!  A great setting for a big parade.

This year’s Laurel Festival included the annual two-hour parade, a juried crafts show and street of foods, and the Firemen’s Carnival, held across town on the annex grounds.  The parade had 65 units, including eight floats carrying 28 queen candidates, 17 bands, five fire companies, five community floats and various vehicles.

Imagine what an influx of 20,000+ people into Wellsboro for a Saturday does for the local economy.  Some people make a weekend of it.  Not bad for a town with less than 3,500 people!  This is not the only large event Wellsboro hosts but we are focusing on this one today.

Jim Thorpe: Revitalization Success Story

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I drove up to Jim Thorpe Friday thinking it would be cooler in the mountains (not) and because it is a funky place (this was not my first visit, hence I already knew it was funky).

Jim Thorpe is the county seat of Carbon County.  Carbon County has a total land area of 387 square miles and 65,249 residents, based on the 2010 Census (a population density of 171 persons per square mile).  Jim Thorpe’s population was 4,804 (2000 census) with a land area of 14.5 square miles (mostly undeveloped, obviously).  Carbon County borders Lehigh County to the south and Luzerne County to the north.

Jim Thorpe was originally two towns across the Lehigh River from one another – Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk.  The two towns merged and adopted the name Jim Thorpe, after famed Native American Olympian Jim Thorpe who is buried in the borough.  Originally, what is now Jim Thorpe was a railroad and coal-shipping center.  Like many Pennsylvania towns, Jim Thorpe found itself on the downside of post-industrialization and languished for many years.  Becoming Jim Thorpe was the first attempt to boost the local economy.  This offered only limited success and so the town leadership needed to find other means of ramping up their economy.

Today, Jim Thorpe is a bustling small town that has become a destination using its natural surrounding, its heritage and some good marketing. 

Jim Thorpe has capitalized on being a former railroad town.  You can take an awesome train ride along the Lehigh River.  During the trip you learn about local history, play games and answer questions.  It is very enjoyable and affordable.  Asa Packer and his son Harry Packer have mansions in Jim Thorpe.  Asa’s mansion is a museum and Harry’s mansion is a B&B.  Asa Packer founded the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Lehigh University.

Jim Thorpe is a river town.  The Lehigh River runs between both sides of town.  Taking advantage of being a river town, Jim Thorpe offers whitewater rafting on the Lehigh. 

Jim Thorpe is also a mountain town.  It’s called the “Switzerland of America”.  Taking advantage of being in the mountains, the town offers mountain biking and hiking.  They threw in paintball just because.  And don’t forget the Anthracite Triathlon, paying homage to being a coal-shipping center and part of the Coal Region.

Jim Thorpe is a historic town, full of 19^th century architecture.  One can see examples of Federalist, Greek Revival, Second Empire, Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque.  St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, the Carbon County Courthouse, the Packer Mansions, the Train Station, the Hotel Switzerland, historic Broadway, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Building and the Carbon County jail are some of the architectural attractions in town.

Jim Thorpe is so cool.  How cool is it??  Jim Thorpe was listed as number 7 on Budget Travel magazine’s America’s Coolest Small Towns in 2009.

Downtown Jim Thorpe is full of restaurants, bars, boutiques and stores of all kinds.  No empty or blighted buildings.  Everything is clean and neat.  There is signage every where so you can find your way.  There is plenty of cheap parking…you have to pay but it is only a few dollars for the day.  There is plenty of foot and vehicular traffic coursing through the downtown. 

Great family fun abounds in Jim Thorpe!  To learn more about Jim Thorpe or to plan a visit to Jim Thope, I suggest you study their website so you can make full use of you time when you visit!  http://www.jimthorpe.org/

Metropolitan Harrisburg Ranks In Top 20 Percent For Gross Domestic Product Growth

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Statistics were released for gross domestic product growth in U.S. metropolitan areas for 2009.  Harrisburg ranked 74^th showing a 2.7 percent growth rate in 2009.  Metropolitan Harrisburg’s GDP for 2009 was $28 billion dollars.  Prior to the recession Harrisburg’s GDP grew by 9 percent in 2006.

Lancaster was the next metro area in South Central Pennsylvania on the list at number 104.  Metropolitan Lancaster showed a slight decrease for 2009 but before the recession was growing.  Lancaster’s 2009 GDP was $18.5 billion dollars.

York came in third at number 129.  Metropolitan York also showed a slight decrease for 2009, like Lancaster, with a GDP of $14.7 billion dollars.

Lebanon came in fourth (sometimes Lebanon is also combined with Harrisburg).  Metropolitan Lebanon was 333^rd on the list with a GDP of $3.5 billion.  Lebanon had a modest gain in 2009 of .6 percent.

An Example Of A Path For Pottstown

Oil City, PA is remaking itself into an Arts Community.  Something that Pottstown says it would like to be.  This community, which is half the size of Pottstown and in an economically challenged part of the state, is putting its money where its mouth is. 

Like Pottstown, Oil City was once an industrial community that has lost much of its industry.  Unlike Pottstown, it is much further away from a major city (90+ miles to Pittsburgh and 60+ miles from Erie).   The median household income in Oil City is $29,060 vs. Pottstown’s $35,785.  The household income for Oil City is $36,149 and Pottstown comes in at $45, 734.  Despite these challenges, Oil City is determined to reinvent itself to bring life back into the downtown and attract business.  Oil City offers relocation incentives to artists, and I really do mean financial incentives, to entice creative people to relocate there, start a business and buy a home.

Recently, our illustrious Zoning Board flatly denied a creative couple a variance to buy a home and operate two businesses out of said home.  A retail store and a by appointment only tattoo business.  Evidently we are too highfalutin to permit a by appointment only tattoo business in this “burg” so we said, “Nope, don’t want your kind in these parts.”  Thereby losing property taxes, the opportunity to fill a vacant home and discouraging artists from coming to Pottstown.  This couple heard Pottstown was the place to be, the bee’s knees etc…. Guess we showed them, didn’t we?  Wonder what they will tell their creative friends about Pottstown now!

What would Oil City do (WWOCD)?  Take a gander at their relocation incentive package and see for yourselves!

http://www.artsoilcity.com/relocationincentives.htm

I hope somebody on Council or in Borough Hall reads this incentive plan and checks out their website.  It would be time well spent!