Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Sec. Rick Siger stopped by the City of Pittston for a walking tour of the city on Tuesday. From left: PA State Rep. James Haddock; City Mayor Michael Lombardo; Sec. Siger; PA State Sen. Marty Flynn; and Pittston City Manager Joe Chacke.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Officials outline city’s recent improvements, planned projects
Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger, far right, glances at the sign for the City of Pittston’s future $40 million seven-story high rise/American Theatre tentatively slated to be completed by 2027.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Mary Kroptavich, front right, points out The Slope Amphitheater to Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger during a tour of the city on Tuesday. From left: Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo; Sec. Siger; PA State Rep. James Haddock; Kroptavich; and PA State Sen. Marty Flynn.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger toured the City of Pittston on Tuesday. From left, City of Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo; Sec. Siger; and PA Sen. Marty Flynn.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
City Mayor Michael Lombardo leads Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger on a tour as they walk past the city’s Tomato Festival lot.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PA State Sen. Marty Flynn addresses the meeting at the City of Pittston’s Capt. TJ Hromisin Conference Room prior to the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger touring the city. From left, City of Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo; Sec. Siger, Flynn; and PA State Rep. James Haddock.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON — Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger toured the city’s downtown area on cold Tuesday morning to get a better idea of how Pittston has been growing through state, local and private funding.
Siger met with city Mayor Michael Lombardo and his staff, along with State Sen. Mary Flynn and State Rep. James Haddock, at City Hall. They outlined what the city has done over the last two decades and discussed improvements and projects yet to come.
After the meeting, Lombardo, Siger, Flynn and Haddock embarked on a walking tour from City Hall to some of the city’s infrastructure improvements, starting with the Slope Amphitheater, down the Art Trail Loop and into the Tomato Festival lot.
From there, the tour stopped at the site of the proposed $40 million American Theatre/seven-story housing and retail tower site at the corner of Market and Main streets.
The tour then moved forward past the proposed four-story parkade, which will be located between the privately owned 150,000-square-foot Waterfront Warehouse project and the theatre/housing complex.
The parkade will be complete with parking, housing and retail.
Siger said he was excited to see the improvements to the downtown area and often refers to the City of Pittston as a role model for other towns and cities in the Commonwealth.
“Part of our strategy for economic development in Pennsylvania is, Main Streets matter; they are the living rooms of our communities,” Siger said. “It doesn’t matter if you are in downtown Philadelphia, whether you’re in Pittston, or whether you’re in a rural area in the northern tier, what Pittston has done is coupled that focus on a Main Street with a great plan and really strong leadership at the state level, at the local level and the professional level in the city and I think that mix is something I will take back (to Harrisburg).”
“We look at Pittston as a real model on which other cities can base their own Main Street, Elm Street efforts, and I’m excited about that,” Siger added.
Mayor Lombardo had the chance to fill in Siger on many of the projects in the city with the help of economic development from the state, city and private investors such as the Waterfront Warehouse as well as upcoming projects and proposed projects.
“We saw a lot of projects today that the state has backed financially in a significant way, including this building (Waterfront Warehouse) we are standing in right now,” Siger added. “The things we want to back financially from the state are things that we feel fulfill a local area’s strategy that improve the quality the life for the residents and from that prospective there’s a lot to like what Pittston is doing here.”
