Progress-Lewistown

Mifflin County Progress 2022

LEWISTOWN REBORN

Projects revitalize business community as habits change

GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Practically barren shelves in each depart ment, stained ceiling tiles over head and short lines at a make shift checkout.

Aug. 26, 2018, was truly one of the saddest days in Susan Mill er Knepp’s life. It was the day The Bon-Ton in downtown Lew istown was shuttered.

“I shopped at the store since I was a young girl,” Knepp, who lives in Lewistown, posted on social media. Her post includ ed photos of the store’s opening nearly a half century ago.

The Market Street location opened just in time for the Christ mas season on Nov. 6, 1969, with throngs of customers waiting anxiously to flood the new store. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was part of the pageantry.

The Sentinel described the store as a “… spacious 45,000 square foot structure (which) features the ultimate in modern shopping conveniences.”

Newspaper photos captured a bustling Bon-Ton.

Knepp’s pictures revealed the final days of one of Lewistown’s retail institutions — perhaps the last remaining one. The Bon-Ton joined fellow retailers Danks & Co., Diana Shoppe, The Hello Shop, McCrory’s and G.C. Murphy’s, all of which have left downtown Lewistown over the years.

Cindi Burnell Kearns also post ed memories: “My mom worked at McMeen’s and then The BonTon for almost 40 years.”

Kearns, a Lewistown native, now lives in Greeley, Colo.

For every memory about The Bon-Ton, there are memories about other retailers from yester year. News of new tenants filling long vacant storefronts have cre

ated reason for optimism.

The Geisinger School of Nurs ing announced it is opening a new state-of-the-art facility in the 46,660-square-foot free standing space that formerly housed the Bon-Ton for so many years.

“The downtown location has been attractive to us for the school for some time,” said A.J. Hartsock, director of operations for Geisinger-Lewistown Hospi tal. “We know our community leaders have worked hard to revi talize the downtown and we want to be part of those efforts. We hope the school can be an anchor for the downtown and will help the local businesses prosper and encourage even more to come in.

“We have had tremendous

support from the county commis sioners, Jim Zubler from DLI, Rhonda Kelley from the chamber and many others,” he added. “We look forward to being part of the downtown scene in the future.”

That news offers encourage ment to Zubler, executive direc tor of Downtown Lewistown Inc.

“I’ve never seen the downtown so attractive,” Zubler said. “It might be a different kind of use. It is two different from when the two department stores were here, which fed off one another.

“You don’t have department stores like that in many places,” he added.

The small-town downtowns of past are likely gone, but that doesn’t mean Lewistown has be

come a ghost town. To the con trary, a new generation of shops and eateries fill the storefronts.

In his book “A Mifflin County Christmas, 1920s-1960s,” detail ing holiday buying habits in and around Lewistown over five de cades, Forest Fisher of the Miff lin County Historical Society chronicles Lewistown’s past as a shopping “mecca,” the commer cial hub of Mifflin County.

In the 1930s, street directories revealed more than 60 neighbor hood grocery and general mer chandise stores in Lewistown Borough. Dozens of retail stores offered almost unlimited choices.

Fisher recalled traveling with

Downtown on the move

GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Don’t look now, but Lewistown’s down town is on the move. Most of the downtown store fronts have been filled with popular hot spots, like East End Coffee Co. and Downtown OIP and Grille, along with long-time establishments like Laskaris Restaurant.

“Finding the right place for the right business is the chal lenge,” said Jim Zubler, exec utive director of Downtown Lewistown Inc. “We work with them upfront and try to under stand who their clients are and where they are coming from.

“Once we understand all of those things then we can go to work,” he added.

That process takes time. A lot of the recent developments for downtown Lewistown have been in the planning stages for years.

“It doesn’t happen over night,” Zubler said. “Using a methodical, managed approach is absolutely critical.”

“The community is really benefiting from a nucleus of young entrepreneurs, sup ported by older corporations,” Zubler said. “We’re blessed to have these young people.

“We continue to look at pro grams that assist them in better ing their businesses,” he added.

Mike Buffington, a proper ty investor for a handful of multi-use properties within downtown Lewistown and the

Sentinel photo by JEFF FISHBEIN

Once home of department and discount stores, downtown Lewistown today offers a new generation of shops and eateries.

PROGRESS – MIFFLIN COUNTY

A full plate as group marks 30th year of serving region

LEWISTOWN — Local non-profit Community Partnerships (RC&D) has a lot cooking this fall as it works toward its mission of “strengthening commu nity through creative part nerships” in the organiza tion’s 30th year.

The group’s partner ships take many forms and include the Wild Geese: Flock Together public art project (28 fiberglass flock members have landed in the Juniata Valley) and a business incubation project that houses The Crooked Shelf Bookshop in downtown Lewistown at Community Partnerships’ Taylor House in Lew istown.

Local residents may also know the organization through the work of volun teer local food coordinator Rosie Massie’s well-attend ed Garden to Table Series.

“It connects the commu nity when we get together,” Massie said. “You get to know your neighbor, and it makes the community a better place. Plus, we are sharing good information about gardening and its benefits.”

The free Garden to Table classes are supported by a grant through the Unit ed Way of Mifflin-Juniata and educate people of all ages on fresh food growing, preparation and preserva tion. The next class focus es on making homemade sauerkraut and is sched uled for Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at The Body and Soul Community Center in Strodes Mills.

Community Partner ships recently brought home a highly-competitive PA SHARP (Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan) grant to our area as 92 of 337 applicants were fund ed statewide. Through PA SHARP, Community Part nerships created the Blue Juniata Foodways program which explores the assort ment of food cultures and customs contained within the Juniata Valley.

Community Partner

ships outreach specialist Javiera Herrera has con ducted several video in terviews, collected recipes and organized special tast ing events in coordination with Lewistown First Fri day as part of the project. Folklorist Jade Banks has also contributed to the project’s scope and plan ning.

“Blue Juniata Foodways has been an amazing proj ect to be part of,” Herrera said. “Being able to spend time with people sharing their stories, culture, and delicious food has been magical.”

Traditional foods found in the Juniata Valley and featured to date include Chilean beef empanadas by Sergio Herrera, Edelia Ortiz’s Salvadorian pupu sas, Puerto Rican pastelil los by Ramona Cortes and deer camp venison chili by Tim and Kathryn New camp.

The upcoming Lew istown First Friday Blue Juniata Foodways event on Nov. 4 will feature another special opportunity to taste the food of local tradition bearers. Mary Anna Che noweth and Irene Arseniu will present Greek spana kopita and baklava at The Crooked Shelf Bookshop and Community Partner ships’ location at 23 N. Main St., Lewistown.

A new program in 2021, the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator (CEA) pro gram, funded by the PA Council of the Arts, allows Community Partnerships to support regional busi nesses with grants up to $2,000.

Program manager Ki ernan Schalk administers the program locally while small business develop ment centers at Penn State and Bucknell universities provide referrals for poten tial applicants. Hometown Potters Studio and Mill Street Barbershop are a few local examples of more than 20 businesses funded by CEA in the region.

“This program provides an opportunity for a busi

ness that may just be get ting off the ground, or per haps one that wants to take that next step in expanding their reach. The creative sector is a driving force in small business develop ment and this program rec ognizes that fact and seeks to assist in further develop ing Pennsylvania’s diverse economy,” Schalk said.

Many artists and art organizations are support ed by grants managed by Community Partnerships in partnership with the PA Council of the Arts. Nineteen folk and tradi tional master artists and apprentices from across PA received $75,000 while $100,000 is slated to be granted out to regional artists and organizations through the Partners in the Arts program admin istered by Schalk. Local grantees include the Juni ata River Valley Visitors Bureau and Friends of the Embassy Theatre.

Young citizens are also impacted by a Communi ty Partnerships program as local Project YES stu dents are given a variety of extracurricular ex periences and field trips through after-school and summer programming.

Trips include activities at the Palmer Art Museum, Little Buffalo State Park, The Arboretum at Penn State and many local busi nesses and organizations. This Community Educa tion program is made pos sible through a partner ship with the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 and the United Way of Mifflin Juniata.

“The first 30 years of our organization have seen many people con tribute to our mission and we’re grateful to them all,” executive director Sam Price said. “We’re going to continue to do our best to make the community stronger.”

For more information about Community Partner ships, visit cpartnerships. com and follow the organi zation on social media.

Valley Street project moves on

authority work complete;

ready to start in 2023

GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams @lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Save your stamp — Craig Bubb already has heard your complaint about the ongo ing work on Valley Street.

“No one likes to see holes in a brand-new roadway when the water or gas com pany tears up the street,” said Bubb, executive direc tor of the Mifflin County Municipal Authority.

“It’s a point of conten tion,” he added. “Just like you can’t predict when a water main is going to break. We tried to plan our improvements ahead of the main road resurfacing project.”

In this instance, MC MA’s Valley Street work was coordinated with an upcoming project in volving the Pennsylvania Department of Transpor tation. MCMA had to be finished on Valley Street prior to the spring for a sep arate job being performed by the PennDOT, which is replacing the entire street from its base, as well as re placing curbing, sidewalks and storm drains.

That job will require complete closure of Valley

Street from Valley Street/ Oak Street intersection to Five Points.

“When it’s done, it will be a brand-new Val ley Street from Ort Valley Road to the Five Points,” said Bubb of the PennDOT project, which is expected to take the “biggest part of 2023” to finish.

“Valley Street has been an awful road to drive on for 10 to 15 years,” he add ed. “This will give the main artery — going toward to Burnham and those areas and heading out to Elec tric Avenue — a complete facelift.”

Bubb talked with Penn DOT inspectors through out his project, which wrapped up on Oct. 13.

“They are looking to mobilize in late winter or early spring,” Bubb said. “They are hoping for a start date of April 1, pend ing the weather.”

The Penn DOT project includes utility and side walk work, with water line and utility work being addressed through coordi nated work and cost shar ing with the borough and local utilities, said Marla Fannin, community rela tions coordinator with Pen nDOT.

Since this is a PennDOT Connects project, the mu

nicipality has been contin uously involved in the proj ect process, she explained. PennDOT Connects makes the planning process for projects of this type more collaborative with borough and local utilities involved to ensure their needs are being met.

The project was bid in late August at $5.4 million, with $2 million of that com ing from the Bipartisan In frastructure Law.

The contractor will be Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. of State College.

In preparation for that PennDOT project, MCMA replaced one mile of aged 10-inch waterline that Bubb said had been in stalled prior to 1900. They also installed a new water main and replaced seven fire hydrants and 150 cus tomer service connectors to the newly installed wa ter line.

There are still a few items, mostly cosmetic changes, for MCMA to com plete.

“For the most part, we’re done,” Bubb said. “We wanted to get the road pass able for winter.”

Trying to work over the winter months would have been difficult with the weather, which is why it was completed in the fall.

& Joyce Hockenberry

Workforce challenges facing rural employers

NICK FELICE President/CEO, MCIDC

As has been common place over the last three years, almost all compa nies and small businesses are struggling with ade quate staffing. Looking at our local labor market, there are many job oppor tunities for individuals with the matching skill sets and who are willing to work.

In particular, our manu facturing community has been hard hit. Most have had a difficult time maxi mizing the output capacity of the facilities they oper ate. One industrial park occupant shared with me their operation is at 65 per cent production capacity.

While this might be appeal ing to production workers, figuring you might not have to work as hard, longterm ramifications could pose a threat to a compa ny’s longevity. To maintain this lev el of output, the current employee complement of ten faces mandatory over time. While the increased income is generally wel comed, it takes a toll on workers who have families. Also, burnout is a real pos sibility.

Like it or not, all of our large industries are con trolled by out of county, state or country concerns. This is not new. As rural communities, we covet new money flowing into our local economy. These

into the system providing our restaurants and coffee shops with the revenue needed to exist, and hope fully make a profit. For these corporations, our lower cost of doing busi ness and workforce is a ma jor attraction. Our major manufacturers have bene fited for decades from our strong and willing work force.

However, in a postCOVID world, we have wit nessed some changes that don’t bode well for busi ness as usual. Government attempts to see to the needs of the people appears to have compromised a once willing and engaged work force.

Many months of pan demic relief funds, through enhanced unemployment, tax credits or outright grants has created a depen dency from which some workers are finding it hard to re-emerge. Beyond the monetary benefits, fear of illness contributes to the negative perceptions of in teracting with others. Both have retarded a once ex tremely willing workforce.

I don’t mean to be the harbinger of bad news, but if our workforce does not re-emerge, I fear decisions made miles away will be detrimental to our coun ty’s economic long-term outlook. Managers have fiduciary responsibilities to whatever business they administer. If the efficien cy and profitability of an operation begins to wane, decisions to close down or

move become a stark real ity.

The recent closure of General Electric’s Mate rials Inspection division is a reminder. While the decision was not based en tirely on lack of workforce availability, a board from hundreds of miles away made the call to shutter the building. This took place even after the construction of a $13 million state of the art lab and training center three years earlier.

Workforce availability has and will continue to be the No. 1 concern in eco nomic development. Labor experts speak of barriers to employment. The two most prevalent are child care and transportation. Many companies have adjusted work hours, shift rotations and offer part and full-time positions.

Increases in base pay have also been implement ed by many businesses. Companies have also put attendance and referral in centives in place, as well as less restrictive hiring practices. Even with all of the flexibility and accom modation being offered by employers, trained and willing workers are fewer and far between.

Perhaps the answer consists of weaning unem ployed individuals from the financial goodies put in place over the last three years and compelling them to re-enter the workforce. I certainly hope universal work ethic and responsibil ity comes back in style.

Facade

GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams @lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — When Amanda Moeller decid ed to pull the trigger on a construction project at her downtown Lewistown office building, she got more than she bargained for.

Moeller, the owner of State Farm Insurance located at 28 E. Third St., planned to tear down a dilapidated garage to make way for additional parking.

After learning about Downtown Lewistown Inc.’s Facade Improvement Pro gram from Rhonda Kelley, executive director of the Ju niata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, Moeller decid ed to expand the scope of the work to include additional renovations.

“I was able to do more now instead of doing it little steps,” Moeller said. “With everything that Rhonda and the chamber have done to bring people in, it’s really starting to revitalize our downtown.”

Moeller was one of nine downtown Lewistown busi ness owners that completed rehabilitation projects using funding from the program.

Moeller hired contractors to install four new awnings, paint the building’s shutters and doors. She also had a new patio and window in stalled, along with landscap ing work.

“It’s totally like night and day,” Moeller said.

That work made a huge difference on the exterior, but it also came with a hefty bill of $10,639. Fortunately, Moeller qualified for a $5,000 reimbursement grant from DLI.

“These reimbursement grants are intended to utilize a minimal amount of public funding to leverage signif icant, long-lasting, visible and appropriate improve ment to commercial and mixed-use properties in the downtown,” said Jim Zubler, executive director at DLI.

As a stipulation of the grant and in compliance with Lewistown Borough, when the project is complet ed, the exterior of the prop erty must meet code.

DLI provided a maximum $5,000 matching grant for each facade improvement project. DLI’s reimburse ments matched the invest ment of the business or property owner. These proj ects were made possible in part by a $50,000 allocation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Econom ic Development and support from DLI’s Board of Direc tors.

Mifflin County Wireless, located at 101 E. Market St., was another business that took advantage of the fund ing.

Cody Wian, president of Mifflin County Wireless, wanted to purchase and in stall a new sign as well as LED lighting and paint the overhang of the business. That bill came to $11,800.

“The reimbursement of $5,000 was able to help us fo cus money into development of other areas of our Internet service for rural residents,” Wian said.

Work was also completed at the Monument Square

Center, 3 W. Monument Square. The exterior of the building was repainted, along with painting over of graffiti on the wall and downlighting was repaired.

“It is so exciting to ob serve the renaissance cur rently taking place in down town Lewistown,” Kelley said. “After the closing of the Bon-Ton and the vacat ing of some other key build ings, it seemed as though our downtown was on a downhill slide. It is a joy to see it grad ually regain its footing.

“There have been sev eral contributing factors to this resurgence, one of which is the many facade improvements,” she added.

“Local investors have taken advantage of facade grants offered through Downtown Lewistown Inc., with funds received from the Keystone Communities Program, and have made improvements to structures, many of which were vacant for years.”

This was the first round of the program. Now, that work has been completed, Zubler hopes other business and property owners might uti lize the available funding to make improvements.

“There was a flurry of ac tivity to end the program,” Zubler said. “That was con cluded at the end of April. We have applied for funding from the Pennsylvania De partment of Community and Economic Development for additional funding of facade rehabilitation.

The funding is only ap plicable to work completed on the front of the building, Zubler said. Some facade projects, which are still in various stages of comple tion, were not approved be cause “they were not able to complete all of the require ments,” Zubler said. “They still substantially improved the property.

“We are taking very com prehensive looks at the prop erties within the downtown and this particular program is also aimed at properties that border Valley Street, which is a gateway into the residential neighborhood, East Third Street and Chest nut Street,” he added.

A maintenance agree ment is also required for applicants ensuring compli ance with property mainte nance and retention of the improvements proscribed by the program.

“It’s also an incentive for the property owners to boost

their investments,” Zubler said. “We heard from a num ber of property owners that because the facade program was available, they extended what they intended to do.”

Regardless of the work, the downtown and its busi nesses benefit from the last ing improvements.

Along with code enforce ment, the property owners must adhere to guidelines established by the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation to “respect the historic character of the properties,” Zubler said. “Property owners must fol low these guidelines and we are working with them to bring about major impact.”

Greenhouse

GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams @lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Ron Shelan only visited Lew istown once, while serving in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 1965.

It certainly made a last ing impression.

Nearly 60 years later, the Texas native is providing quality and affordable hous ing to residents of Mifflin County. Shelan is the owner of Heritage Home Proper ties in Lewistown.

“I’ve redone all of these places,” Shelan said. “So many of the buildings were total derelict inside and out.”

After graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1965, Shelan moved to Philadelphia to work for his cousin to manage a research and testing laboratory.

In 2005, Shelan decided to try his hand at property management because he believed Mifflin County properties were good invest ments.

“I parachuted from heav en to Lewistown,” he joked. “Good things have hap pened here, and the commu nity unites wherever I’ve been to.”

Shelan, who owns about 90 properties in the borough — mostly historical proper ties, within close proximity to downtown — was present ed the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce Pride Award in 2015. The award is given to the busi ness that has made notable physical improvements to their facility of properties.

Eight years later, Shelan is still turning dilapidated Lewistown properties into upscale housing.

He discovered Lewistown while stationed at Fort Indi antown Gap. He used to fre quent Lewistown and State College.

Shelan wanted to make a difference in Lewistown. He also felt he could continue in this line of work no matter where he lived.

He invested in Lewistown because it was the county seat with “wonderful high ways around it” that put it within proximity to bigger cities like Harrisburg and State College.

“All these reasons made me go to Lewistown,” Shel an said. “I also felt the prop erties were undervalued beginning in1972, primarily because of the flood.”

He used profits from West Coast investments that he made since 1969 to finance his investments in Mifflin County.

“With this I was able to finance everything in Lew istown,” Shelan explained. “That’s where the money is coming from. I’m constantly rehabilitating.”

Shelan also helped the la bor force by “training a lot of people using skills” from his team. “I had to start my own business, which needed contractors and subcontrac tors,” he said. “It helped the job pool.”

Many of the investment

properties Shelan pur chased were total renova tions.

“We had to gut most of them,” he said. “There was no modern piping or electri cal. We tore it down to the hull and built it back up in side and out.

“Things can get anti quated as far as codes were concerned,” he added. “The re-construction was quite challenging since the trades men built very special build ings here in Lewistown between 1880 and 1940. So, I tried to preserve the past as much as possible.”

He is thankful he discov ered Lewistown, but he also did value the time he spent in larger cities, like Phila delphia.

“I’m not going to say I had my Phill (fill) of Delphia, but I loved Philadelphia,” Shelan joked about the City of Brotherly Love. “I have nothing but pleasant memo ries of Philadelphia and the rest of Pennsylvania.”

He is also fortunate to have made sound invest ments over the years.

“A lot of good things have happened around the coun try, including Lewistown,” he said.

Shelan credits communi ty leaders for helping Lew istown get back on track af ter some tough times. “I’ve seen so much happen,” he said.

He invested on the down

town Lewistown perime ter and concentrated from there, continuing on North Grand Street up to Ridge Road.

“I’ve tried to make these areas considerably better,” he said. “It was a section that needed improvement and thought the location was special.”

Shelan believes he also benefitted from others in vesting in the community, such as Geisinger-Lew istown Hospital’s recent announcement about open ing its School of Nursing in downtown Lewistown in the former Bon-Ton department store as well as the opening of manufacturing plants like the First Quality Baby Products.

“Lewistown is grateful for having me help partic ipate by investing in the community,” Shelan said. “So many buildings are Her itage-type homes. They need to be resuscitated and reha bilitated. We just continue to go forward.”

His investment in the community continues. He renovated the Victorian building across from the Juniata River bridge that serves as a gateway to down town, the former office of Dr. Dawe and many others.

“I prefer not to sell any of my properties,” he added. “As I hang onto them as I buy them for a reason in or der to help the community.”

Trail’s goal is to create community connection

GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@ lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Con nections have meant many things to Lew istown over the years.

The Mifflin County Kid Connection comes to mind. Possibly, connect ing trains and buses or even various businesses with that word in their name.

Jim Zubler, executive director of Downtown Lewistown Inc., believes completing the connec tion of the Juniata River Trail system from Rec Park to Victory Park will enable Lewistown to reap the benefits for years.

“Looking at the ame nities that young people want, outdoor recreation ranks very high on the list,” Zubler said. “Get ting this segment done, which incidentally, is part of the 911 Nation al Memorial Trail, is a leaping off point for even more extensions of the trail system.”

Plans have been in the works for the unfinished trail for decades — at least spring 2000 — before Zubler came to Mifflin County when DLI was es tablished.

“The charter plan for DLI laid out a goal con necting Rec Park to Victo ry Park,” he said. “From that point to where we are today, there had to be a plan for where the trail would be routed, and funding had to be secured to make those improve ments come about.”

Looking back over the many stages of the proj ect, the first step was con necting Rec Park to South Main Street.

Montgomery Avenue Extended, a new street developed by Lewistown

Borough, received feder al funding for enhance ments which would also double as a trailhead. The costs of these im provements could then be matched with state fund ing for this segment.

“The street simply did not exist before 1998,” Zubler said. “The goal was to enhance that, es tablishing a parking lot at the intersection of Montgomery Avenue Ex tended and South Dorcas Street.

With a foothold estab lished to connect Rec Park with Victory Park, the county and borough moved ahead on an ex tension of the existing walking path in Victory Park west to the Juniata Concrete plant — the S.H. Rothermel Walking Trail, a 3/4-mile multi-purpose recreation trail extended from the end of Victory Park to Crystal Springs Avenue along the Juniata River over the area com monly known as the “Tow Path.”

The Rothermel Trail opened in November 2018, supported by nearly $500,000 in state funding.

Department of Communi ty and Economic Devel opment Secretary Den nis Davin said that day, “This trail is going to be a great source of fun and exercise for Mifflin Coun ty residents and visitors.”

The project includ ed the construction of a 10-foot-wide walking path, signage, solar light ing in the parking area, benches, trash recepta cles and ADA accessibili ty upgrades.

“Trails provide a closeto-home connection to nature and recreation that is always free and affordable,” Department of Conservation and Nat ural Resources Deputy Secretary Lauren Imgr und added. “The Juniata

River Trail also provides public access to the river and a safer route to Victo ry Park.”

Officials agreed with Zubler that the trail pro vided a boost for Lew istown’s economy as well. Encouraging healthy rec reation and providing ac cess to the river attracts outside visitors and rais es the quality of life for residents in the area.

The cost of the project for the trail segment from Montgomery Avenue Ex tended/Rec Park to South Main Street was $130,000 in state funding matched with the federal dollars and a contribution of land value along the segment. Lewistown Borough also contributed its own labor and materials to repair the formerly abandoned railroad bridge over Kish Creek.

The next step was con necting Victory Park to South Main Street. PEN NDOT also aided with this connection providing a pedestrian crosswalk across Route 522/22 that now connects the twoblock section of West Wa ter Street to the Juniata River Trail.

The final piece that awaits completion is an extension from the ce ment plant to the Fire Academy property. Coun ty and public officials are looking at creative ways to finish this project us ing available local, state and federal funding. Once completed, the current and rebranded “Three Chiefs Trail” will total 3.1 miles.

Zubler believes the trail is vital to the future of the Juniata Valley, not just Lewistown Borough.

“We are now looking at further segments or extensions to other ar eas within the borough, neighboring towns and beyond,” he said.

his parents to visit rela tives in the Harrisburg area in the early 1960s, then being taken to Christ mas shop at new discount department stores, like E.J. Korvette in Camp Hill.

“This was a new experi ence, the store itself was a destination, before the term was generally known. A wonder to see with large spacious aisles, extensive displays and almost un limited choices,” he wrote.

The vigorous commer cial life of the downtown had its end in sight by the later 1960s. A steady shift in buying habits was taking over, as down town stores tried to adapt during the redevelopment era of the late 1960s and ’70s.

The Bon-Ton entered downtown Lewistown in 1957 with the purchase of McMeen’s. The Bon-Ton was a popular store desti nation on the classic radio show “Fibber McGee and Molly,” which aired from 1935-1959, a program that was heard on local radio during the war years and after. The sole surviving department store of the downtown shopping dis trict, The Bon-Ton, closed in 2018, ending a 118-year run for a major retailer on Market Street.

Groundbreaking for the Greater Lewistown Shop ping Plaza took place in 1966, Fisher said. Advertis ing at the time touted 1,000 free parking spaces for shop pers’ convenience at holiday time. Flyers and newspaper inserts for shopping plaza businesses began to appear at holiday time.

In recent times, many specialty shops and busi nesses have filled a niche locally, responded to a need for personal service and contact with custom ers. History teaches that times change. How we view that change, for good or ill, is a personal reflec tion, Fisher said.

“You certainly can’t go back. You just have to continue to forge ahead,” Zubler said. “When I look at the larger proper ties that we had vacant and how they’re going to be used, it’s an exciting time.”

Zubler says change doesn’t happen overnight.

Businesses don’t just close up shop one day and have a new one open up the next day. At times, progress is slow as much happens out of the public’s eye.

“We’re continually get ting calls from persons looking for space for their personal or professional services,” Zubler said. “Re tailers looking for space. It takes a property owner that has a vision.”

He explained these larg er spaces might need to be divided into smaller retail spaces to accommodate need.

Geisinger’s School of Nursing announcement with the “level of in vestment that they are planning for the former Bon-Ton building is sub stantial,” Zubler said. “They are creating a long-lasting benefit. Not only for their own system, but you have to look at the impact they will have for the downtown.

“They bring in nursing candidates who will have a significant impact not just on the downtown but for the whole region,” he added.

floors are residential. He, too, has taken advantage of assistance programs like the DLI’s Facade Im provement Program.

Rhonda Kelley, execu tive director of the Junia ta River Valley Chamber of Commerce, is excited to observe the revital ization currently taking place in downtown Lew istown.

“After the closing of the Bon-Ton and the vacating of some other key build ings, it seemed as though our downtown was on a downhill slide,” Kelley said. “It is a joy to see it gradually regain its foot ing.”

Along with DLI’s Facade Improvement Program, Kelley believes the addi tion of the bus shelter and the renovation of corner beside the Embassy The atre a few years ago have contributed to making the downtown more vital and visually appealing.

“The renovations at Fountain Square Park have also added to the pos itive impression one gets as they travel through our downtown,” Kelley add ed. “Community Partner ships’ Wild Geese Flock Together Project has add ed large fiberglass geese sculptures throughout downtown, adding color and interest for both pe destrians and those driv ing, while supporting our unique local Goose Day holiday.”

The Mifflin County Planning and Develop ment Department’s street scape project, which start ed in 2005, was geared toward making downtown more inviting to residents, visitors and investors.

“Their hope was that it would serve as a catalyst to enhance the economic vitality of the downtown area and I believe it has done just that,” Kelley said.

places. That It also served as a catalyst for starting his business.

surrounding areas, agrees.

“There’s more of a de mand than we’ve seen in years,” Buffington said.

He explained the key to attracting new businesses to downtown is redevel oping the larger vacant spaces to suit the needs of the business environment today. The 11,000-squarefoot space that housed former furniture stores Kauffman’s then Capperel la Furniture are too big for businesses looking for space today.

Buffington is working on dividing that space into four suites for new busi ness. Three of those have been rented.

“We’re remodeling them in a way that makes sense for today’s business and retail demands,” he said.

Buffington has also renovated other multiuse spaces where the first floors house commercial business and the upper

“We typically apply for that because a lot of these buildings need a little ex tra attention,” Buffington said. “I’m thrilled with the direction that downtown Lewistown is going. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen more momentum and more activity than we’ve seen in years past.”

Ryan and Lillah Cher ry, owners of the East End Coffee Co., graduated from Lewistown Area High School in 2007 and spent a lot of time in downtown Lewistown growing up.

“There was literally nothing in town for any one to do between the ages of 16 and 35,” Ryan Cherry said. “It felt kind of bar ren.”

Cherry, who graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, would meet clients for web or graphic design at fast food restau rants because they were the only suitable meeting

“I love coffee and there was no place around here to meet,” he said. His cof fee shop opened in May 2017.

He also encouraged oth ers to open businesses, including the Batter and Dough Bakeshop, Home town Potters Studio and Mill Street Barber Shop, which share the same space.

He also helps promote First Friday, where small businesses and organiza tions show their support of music, art, food and community in downtown Lewistown and the sur rounding area.

“There have been offic es there you would never know about,” Cherry said. “There’s just not a lot of retail or public places. Our shop feels lively, but there’s always room for more improvement.

“Downtown Lewistown is evolving constantly,” he added. “I’m happy we are evolving with things.”

“With the addition of Geisinger’s School of Nursing, as well as the current renovation and occupation of so many other buildings in the downtown, I see nothing but positive economic re sults on the horizon for our downtown as we see the addition of more busi nesses joining the various unique ones we currently enjoy,” she added.