Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on housing development
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As neighbors watched from nearby Scott Street homes, officials preparing for the newest housing development overseen by Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity on Scott Street held a ceremonial groundbreaking.
Rain started to fall, and umbrellas were handed out by volunteers and staff, while there were miniature tents covering the officials and shovels with their tips dipped into the dry grass.
The site will soon be prepared for construction to create six, single-family dwellings, each one with driveways that will front Scott Street. On one side, a pocket park, with and some trees and flowering growth, will be designed, and it will be closer to Oliver Street.
"Lycoming County and the City of Williamsport have been good to us," said Duane Hershberger, president and CEO of the Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity, which is working with the individuals who will occupy the homes. He also credited First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania for its contribution and Larson Design Group, which skillfully prepared the subdivision.
"We are full of gratitude for the support we have," he added.
The event could not have made much sense unless Hershberger described the history of the neighborhood's evolution. Fifteen years ago, those attending the ceremony would have been at the end of the former Brodart warehouse, he said.
Through a vision of former city and county leaders, the Brodart Neighborhood Improvement Plan went into effect about 10 years ago. Through it, the neighborhood has had streetscape work done to it, its neighbors were able to see demolition of the old warehouse, clean up the soil, begin a process whereby owners and rental owners could improve their properties and the final piece of the puzzle -- construct housing.
With such a long-awaited occasion, many in the community, including members of City Council, and Lycoming County commissioner Scott Metzger were on hand for the groundbreaking.
History in the making
"We stand here today as a completion of the vision of leaders of this community a dozen or 15 years ago," Hershberger said, who credited the efforts of former city engineer John Grado, an advocate for housing in the community.
One of the last meetings the neighborhood improvement plan group had was when Grado spoke about the vision for the Scott Street property, Hershberger said.
Grado said it would be vacant for a while but eventually there would be housing.
In fact, the warehouse was demolished and cleared and it became the site of Memorial Homes, the apartments in the 1600 block of Memorial Avenue that will be to the immediate north of the housing site.
The Faith and Women Builds
Knowing there were members of the faith-based community at the gathering, Hershberger read a sacred text in both the Jewish and Christian tradition: "I will create new Heavens and a new Earth. They will build houses and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
"No longer will they build houses and others live in them or plant and others eat, my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands."
"Every key that we hand over, that is not the completion, that just says we have so much more work to do," said Tammey Aichner, executive director of the United Churches of Lycoming County.
"With our Faith Build, each one of you has a part to play," Aichner said.
Laura Kriger, who has a passion for housing, construction and DIY, was on hand.
"When Duane asked me to be a part of this project, I could not say yes fast enough," said Kriger, who is team leader of the Women Build, a Realtor for eight years, and executive officer for the West Branch Susquehanna Builders Association since December 2021.
"The goal of the Women Build program through Habitat is to empower our women to help families, build strength, stability and independence," she said.
Habitat has a unique ability to provide hands-on learning to women in a comfortable, non-intimidating environment, "so they can succeed in changing their communities," Kriger said.
The Women Build team will be working with the Drummond family.
"Our relationship with Habitat has been going on for many years now," Mayor Derek Slaughter said, just before getting into the heavy equipment on the site.
"The impact that they have in the community, the volunteers, especially in this day and age when getting volunteers is so difficult to come by, we really appreciate all of the work that Habitat has done in our community here on Scott Street and throughout Williamsport as a whole in this region," Slaughter said.
"We look forward to this Women Build and this Faith Build," Slaughter said. "This whole block, obviously, is going to transform the neighborhood with the homes that you all build and the impact you have on families."
Design plans indicate the single-family dwellings will each front Scott Street with driveways that lead to the homes. The pocket park is a small area for resting and viewing that will be closer to Oliver Street, based on the plans.
For anyone interested in donating or showing their support, the Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity website has a link to the Women and Faith Builds.