by Imogen Wirth-Granlund
My role as Field Services Specialist takes me all around Pennsylvania. I am constantly inspired by the progress made by dedicated managers, community leaders, and volunteers, especially as they face new challenges. In light of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s (PDC) conference theme, “Embracing Change,” join me on a journey across the Commonwealth, highlighting poignant examples of communities embracing change. For photographs and perspectives from my travels, I invite you to follow PDC on Facebook!
Hazleton: Embracing a Youthful Direction
During my third week at PDC, I accompanied Julie Fitzpatrick on a site visit to Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress (DHAP) for a Community Branding Workshop. Over the past sixteen years, Hazleton’s Latino population has dramatically grown as a result of immigration and relocation. Once predominantly a coal mining town with a small, long-standing Puerto Rican community, Hazleton has seen an influx of Mexican and Dominican immigrants, as well as Dominican Americans from New York and New Jersey.
Lifelong Hazletonians and newcomers engaged in an emotional discussion regarding cultural tension and discrimination. Collectively, they described Hazleton as “diverse” presently and envisioned it as “integrated” in the future. Making this distinction between the existence of diversity in a community’s demographics and the idea of a unified, diverse populace led stakeholders to determine that their brand’s audience will be Hazleton’s youth.
Acknowledging that the city’s youth go to school together, share common interests, and get along while the adult residents tend to insulate themselves, DHAP is partnering with local teachers to engage youth to develop the downtown’s vision and brand.
Shenandoah: Celebrating Diversity in Heritage
Known for its Eastern European heritage and the home of Mrs. T’s Pierogies, Shenandoah has also experienced an increase in its Latino population, which includes Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Central Americans. Learning English as a second language shaped Main Street Manager Mary Luscavage’s understanding of the immigrant experience. Growing up, she spoke Italian at home, and later studied English and Spanish in school. Mary’s conversational Spanish sometimes includes Italian when she cannot find the right word—the commonality of Romance languages has enabled her and downtown business owners to understand each other. She relies on Spanish-speaking volunteers to aid her in translating bilingual outreach materials to capture cultural nuances.
DSI organizes Shenandoah’s Heritage Day and Parade of Nations, an annual event that pays homage to the ethnicities that comprise the borough today. Participation of Latino residents has increased the number of countries represented in the parade to twenty. Following the parade, a street festival features ethnic foods ranging from kielbasa to guacamole, honoring the traditions and unique flavors of all Shenandoah dwellers. A recent mural memorializing hometown hero Corporal Anthony Damato, an Italian-American who gave his life to save his fellow troops in World War II, depicts the Parade of Nations to represent the community members of Shenandoah.
York: Embracing New Technologies
The Board of the Salem Square Community Association (SSCA) recently reorganized and its leadership includes more neighborhood residents than ever before. New Board President Dommonick Chatman has cultivated community partnerships with an array of local and regional stakeholders, including Johnson Controls and Harley Davidson. Currently, SSCA is developing a trade school concept, targeting at-risk young adults aged 18 to 24 and formerly incarcerated adults. In addition to traditional trades, such as metalworking and carpentry, a unique collaboration with the Fortress Initiative plans to bring robotics classes to residents of York.
Inspired by “The York Plan” of World War II, the Fortress Initiative envisions small cities and rural areas as integral to the United States’ future success in industry. Harnessing the power of new technologies, such as robotics and artificial intelligence, The Fortress Initiative envisions a human-centered workforce supplemented by “cobots.” The term “cobot” refers to the ability of robots to work alongside of human laborers, enhancing their capacity (rather than replacing them). Therefore, in partnership with SSCA, the Fortress Initiative aims to train York residents to program robots and use them effectively in various industries.
Bellefonte: Changing the Way We Work
The Bellefonte Keystone Community Development Association (BelleKey) operates SpringBoard, a business incubator in its downtown. Across the street from scenic Talleyrand Park, it attracts entrepreneurs who have outgrown their home offices, particularly female business owners. A former bar renovated by Centre County, the facility has eight desks and shared amenities, such as a kitchen, conference room, office machines, and sound-proof telephone booth (so conference calls do not disrupt other members). However, for its first four months in operation, SpringBoard housed only one tenant.
To grow its membership, the SpringBoard Advisory Committee ran a “Five Dollar February” promotion, enticing potential clientele with a $5 trial membership for one month. After the trial period, most businesses opted to join at the highest membership level, giving them access to a dedicated desk space with a locking drawer. Members transitioning from home offices cited increased productivity due to the physical separation of their home and work spaces. Access to a professional conference room for client meetings has enhanced the legitimacy of businesses that previously held meetings at coffee shops. Office camaraderie, small business workshops, and an adjacent babbling brook make SpringBoard a serene and supportive environment to jumpstart the careers of aspiring entrepreneurs in Bellefonte.
Wilkinsburg: Changing the Conversation
Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation (WCDC) positively impacts the community it serves via small business support, physical improvements, and vacant property remediation. The planned mixed-use rehabilitation of the historic train station adjacent to the Martin Luther King Jr. Busway will transform the downtown. However, the borough admittedly struggles with violent crime. While leading a litter survey with WCDC’s Green/Clean/Safe Committee prior to the borough-wide volunteer clean-up, I encountered “God Not Gunz” protesters. Often the media casts a spotlight on crime in low-income communities, overshadowing the good things happening—so how do we change the conversation?
Social media’s democratizing effects amplify the messages that communities give about themselves. Over the past few years, WCDC has galvanized its community deploying the tagline “Good All Over” in conjunction with the hashtag #GoodAllOver. Appearing on street banners throughout the business district and on the windows of a vacant commercial space WCDC is renovating, “Good All Over” references the borough’s vintage parking tokens inscribed with the phrase. On Instagram especially, WCDC partners like Hosanna House and Wilkinsburg businesses like Tip Type and Leona’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, as well as the youth-led Wilkinsburg Student Union, use the hashtag to identify positive action taking place. Perusing Instagram search results for the hashtag #GoodAllOver overwhelmingly presents a photographic record of the community’s strengths.