‘We want this town to look great.’ How Philipsburg is combating blight, one lot at a time

For years, the Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation has been repurposing abandoned and blighted buildings and lots in downtown Philipsburg, turning them into new businesses up and down Front Street.

The PRC now has a new project on its hands after the organization was awarded a $147,000 federal community project funding grant to build a new community park along the 100 block of East Pine Street, which was once the home of two blighted buildings.

The borough bought the property in 2009, demolished the eyesore buildings and turned that space into a vacant lot.

Fifteen years later, with the help of the PRC and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., the lot is set to become a green space and a focal point for community gatherings in downtown Philipsburg.

“I fought for this funding because converting blighted, vacant lots into green spaces breathes new life into our communities and creates a safer, cleaner environment for our families,” Casey said in a PRC press release. “This restoration will create a much-needed space in the heart of the Philipsburg Historic District.”

According to the release, the park will feature improved sidewalks, outdoor seating and dining areas, overhead lighting and landscaping to screen off adjacent parking lots. The new space will also feature electrical outlets for vendors to use during special events and a small amphitheater for speakers or music.

Eric Rusnak, the president of the PRC, is eager for the project to begin, saying the park will be a much-needed addition to the borough.

“The PRC is particularly excited about this project because it responds to suggestions of downtown business owners who recognize the need for outdoor space for people to gather, relax or enjoy food or coffee from our restaurants,” Rusnak said in the press release. “The new park will provide permanent infrastructure for vendors to use during downtown events. We also remove another block from Philipsburg’s blight list.”

This isn’t the first time that the PRC has taken a project on of this magnitude — downtown Philipsburg offers several examples of how abandoned and blighted buildings can be turned into spaces that promote greenery or new businesses.

Take 104 and 110 North Front Street for example — these addresses share the building, separated by only a wall. Before 2019, the building was abandoned, left to rot. Then, in 2020, the PRC bought the property and got to work renovating the space.

It was announced soon after the building’s purchase that 110 N. Front Street was going to be the new headquarters for the corporation, while 104 N. Front Street was going to be turned into an “ARTery” — a space that promotes the incubation growth of local artists.

Rusnak said the new headquarters is nearing completion, with the ARTery following closely behind.

“We’re expecting the new PRC building to finish up within the next month or so,” Rusnak said. “It’ll be a little bit longer for the ARTery to get completed, but it’s still come a long way from what it was — expect that to start nearing completion in about half a year, or whereabouts.”

Just up the street from these two addresses is the Moshannon Valley Heritage Center, accompanied by a medical center next door — both located in a building that once was abandoned.

“We’ve come a long way since the PRC’s conception,” Rusnak said. “We want this town to look great, and I think that so far we’ve been doing a great job with that. Whenever people ask me how we do it, I always as them the question, ‘How do you rebuild a town?’ back. That’s what we’re doing here — rebuilding Philipsburg, and I’d say things have been coming together quite nicely.”

While a timeline is not yet available for the construction of the new park, Rusnak is hopeful that work can get started soon.