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Finishing touches are being applied to the Trade and Transit II building and Midtown Landing plaza.
The grand opening of the $12 million project at West Third and Laurel streets is set for 11 a.m. Aug. 26, according to William E. Nichols Jr., city finance director and general manager of River Valley Transit. That’s also the date of Williamsport Welcomes the World, a daylong activity downtown on the eve of the Little League World Series championship weekend.
While the building will provide additional amenities for bus service and drivers on the first floor, including a small restaurant, the second-floor space will be leased by Uptown Music Collective, an amateur musical school that has about 250 students, he said.
Leading up to the grand opening, those passing by can see how the modern building and the Midtown Landing, as the plaza will be called, are taking shape.
The plaza will provide 35 to 40 spaces of parking, flexible space for downtown outdoor entertainment and events, and an area to showcase artists’ work, such as the Germination sculpture by Lycoming College professor Roger Shipley.
Interior work continues on the transit building’s first and third floors, with second-floor construction complete, Nichols said.
The surrounding “streetscape” includes new sidewalk and crosswalks, with brick overlay at the intersections, shade trees and period lighting on William, Pine, West Third and West Fourth streets.
A sports walk will be installed in coming months with medallions placed in the concrete featuring the names of those who have or will make their mark on athletics in Lycoming County. This can include athletes, coaches and teams, Nichols said.
This project required no general fund money from the city and primarily was paid for through funds from the Federal Transit Administration and state Department of Transportation, along with money from the state Office of Budget through its Redevelopment Capital Assistance grant program and a donation by the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.