A vacant lot at the corner of Central Avenue and Bond Street in Johnstown's Moxham neighborhood, once home to blighted townhouses, is expected to be reborn as a green space, with several neighborhood companies stepping up to help fund the project. Officials and company representatives gathered at the newly cleared property on Thursday, November 12, to mark the milestone.
The site at 1-15 Bond St. is expected to soon be converted into a welcoming green space, according to The Tribune-Democrat. The Johnstown Redevelopment Authority took ownership of the property and led the demolition effort, clearing away townhouses that had sat blighted near Bridge Street, Central Avenue, and the historic Johnstown streetcar and bus barns.
Who Showed Up and Why It Matters
Those on hand Thursday included Johnstown Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Mark Critz, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies President Mike Kane, North American Höganäs Operations Manager Tom Lavis, and V&S Korns Galvanizing General Manager Jamie Pond and Sales and Marketing Manager Dave Sheehan. Representatives of the organizations announced that V&S Korns Galvanizing had taken ownership of the land, with plans to install a sign for the business and complete landscaping next spring.
Kane said the old townhouses had been targeted by the agency for razing, and he described the demolition as eliminating an eyesore and removing a public safety hazard at a highly visible intersection. The redevelopment authority handled the ownership acquisition, the legal steps, and the work of bringing partners on board, the report notes.
Businesses and Foundation Contribute a Combined $100,000
Businesses and Foundation Contribute a Combined $100,000 Three neighborhood businesses and the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies together contributed $100,000 to the project. Pond said the project will improve the appearance of three business buildings in the area and demonstrate community reinvestment.
Critz said local business participation in projects like this is extremely important. Lavis described North American Höganäs' involvement as a matter of corporate stewardship and an obligation to improve the neighborhood, saying the company wants the area to be a place where people want to work, be seen, and feel safe. He added that removing the blight is a step toward improving the neighborhood overall.
Part of a Broader Moxham Push
The Bond Street project lands amid a string of investments in Moxham. North American Höganäs has a continued presence and investment in the community, according to the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, while vacuum truck manufacturer GapVax has recently expanded its own Central Avenue facilities in the neighborhood. The authority is also working to transform former Bethlehem Steel parcels into an urban industrial park elsewhere in the city.
Nearby, the former Moxham Bus Barns are being eyed for a Höganäs powdered-metals manufacturing operation expected to bring 20 new jobs to the Johnstown area, according to WJAC-TV. That redevelopment has drawn a $200,000 award through Pennsylvania's Industrial Sites Reuse Program, according to WJAC-TV. The planned environmental work there includes soil and groundwater testing, indoor air sampling, and installation of five groundwater monitoring wells.
Back at the Bond Street site, the plans are more modest. V&S Korns Galvanizing now holds the land, with landscaping targeted for next spring.
