I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that some of Tyrone’s vacant buildings are recently being addressed ever since the borough’s new Code Enforcement and Zoning Officer, Mr. James Metzgar, began to prowl the borough neighborhoods. Regardless, it is really great to see some of these buildings in town have something done to them.
Nothing against Mr. Tom Lang of course, who Metzgar took over for, because Tom got the ball rolling on many of these issues, such as the Lincoln School building. I commend, as all of us should, Jim for following through with his enforcement and Tom for beginning the process.
It’s not just the YMCA and Lincoln School, but also the old Jones building on the corner of 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, and the pizza shop that housed Mario’s and D’Ottavio’s. That doesn’t include the many homes in violation and the junk cars laying around in people’s yards that Jim is also addressing.
Come to a borough council meeting sometime and view the agenda packet. Guess who’s section of the agenda continually contains the most pages? I don’t think that’s something Jim’s flaunting or proud of, but I do think it shows that there’s some serious cleaning up to do within the borough limits. Perhaps with the borough’s cleansing, it might influence some neighboring townships and boroughs to do the same.
Some people might think that Jim’s taking his job too seriously or that he needs to slow down a bit, and I bet he’s even ticked off more than a few people. Well, I suppose you are entitled to your opinion, but that’s like asking your child’s educator to teach half-way, or have your banker only count half of your money.
I like what Jim is doing. I think it’s good for the borough. How couldn’t it be? It’s not like he changed the rules or implemented new standards; he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing – enforcing the Property Maintenance Code.
I’m not a firm believer in this whole I-99 corridor thing, where some say Tyrone’s going to turn into this booming metropolis because of the growth of the interstate. I suppose it’s possible. If it is, our borough would want to make our town as attractive as possible, to not only businesses, but also people who may want to move to Tyrone. Having a bunch of vacant buildings and plighted houses and apartments isn’t real attractive.
Before we start thinking about hotels and McDonald’s or whatever, we need to start addressing what we already have here in Tyrone. So what if Lincoln School gets demolished. Logan School has been taken down, had a larger Sheetz store built on the property, and the previous Sheetz location now has a larger Kopp Drug – that’s progress. It’s turning old into new. Same with the old Adams School building.
The YMCA building falls into the same category. If all goes well in Mr. Glenn Ray’s plans, he will be turning old into rejuvenated. The guy has some big plans for that place, and he has the tools and the business sense to make good of the project. And while I’m on the subject of Glenn, go check out his warehouse sometime up at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue. You name an item you need, he probably has it in his warehouse – and I bet he or someone in his office will be more than willing to offer you a price no one can beat.
But anyway, I digress. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the borough is turning a corner in the effort to clean up our community. With everyone working together, our small town could be very inviting for businesses and people looking to live in a Hometown, USA type of place.
If we solve the flooding problem, the sky will be the limit. Of course, there’s always wind turbines to blow our streets dry. I know a company that would be more than willing to find a place for them.
That’s just my opinion.
