Lycoming County commissioners are excited to see progress on a number of fronts in the region.

Groundbreaking on maintenance to the levee system that serves Williamsport and the immediately surrounding municipalities was one such front.

“The Williamsport levee system is the second-largest in the state,” Commissioner Scott Metzger noted, adding that a 2018 comprehensive plan identified potential deterioration of the levee as the “single greatest threat” to economic development in the area.

Metzger credited a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce as pivotal in the improvements happening.

Metzger also noted that ridership at the Williamsport Regional Airport is steadily increasing.

“With the new leadership at the airport, they are working on other airlines,” Metzger said.

Commissioner Marc Sortman said it’s “exciting that we have some change happening.”

Sortman noted the announcement of Bass Pro Shop’s anticipated arrival and job creation in manufacturing sectors as avenues of progress in addition to the levee and airport.

While Sortman said he’s “excited to be part of the team,” he emphasized that recent progress is driven not by government but by the initiative of the private sector.