Showing love for Glen Lyon

NEWPORT TWP. — Driving through the Glen Lyon section, township Manager Joseph Hillan pointed out pristine sidewalks under construction on both sides of West Main Street and random empty lots no longer containing decrepit structures.

“Look at the difference,” Hillan marveled.

Six years ago, the Economic Innovation Group had identified Glen Lyon as the most distressed community in the state — a designation officials said was largely based on the number of vacant, blighted properties.

Hillan detests this past characterization, describing it as a “bad rap.” Regardless, he said there’s no way a distressed label should be applied to Glen Lyon these days based on a series of improvements.

In the last four years, 28 eyesore properties have been demolished in Glen Lyon — 24 by the township and four by private owners, he said. Another 14 are targeted for future removal.

The mile-long sidewalk and curbing project was covered by a $1.398 million allocation Luzerne County officials announced in 2018 from a community development business loan fund no longer in high demand.

Township code enforcement also has been cracking down on property maintenance violations, Hillan said.

Residents agree

Relaxing on their welcoming front porch, West Main Street residents George and Theresa Van Dyke said the erasure of rundown structures and addition of new sidewalks have had a ripple effect on the neighborhood.

More people are walking and stopping to chat with neighbors they did not know before, they said. Their own regular strolls frequently stretch out because they end up pausing to greet other passersby and getting into lengthy conversations.

They notice more children biking and playing on the sidewalks because they are now smooth and uninterrupted.

“We’re getting to know more neighbors,” Theresa said. “People are circulating more. There are more interactions with these sidewalks than I ever saw before.”

The couple also notices more people sprucing up their properties. Theresa admired a new porch constructed on a nearby house and said the township’s enhancements are motivating many.

She also feels safe in her community.

“I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want a lot of people coming here,” she said, laughing.

Growing up in the township, Hillan recalled weekend activity outside many houses in his childhood as property owners swept and scrubbed porches, cut grass and cared for plantings.

“That’s what I want to instill in people moving into the neighborhood. I want to get pride back,” he said.

George also was raised in the township and said Glen Lyon was once a coal mining “boomtown” and destination, with two movie theaters, a bowling alley, skating rink, multiple churches, clothing stores and other businesses.

Scenes of Glen Lyon appeared in the 1948 film, “The Miracle of the Bells,” inspired by Glen Lyon native Olga Trotzski, who is buried in one of the township’s numerous cemeteries. A movie poster hangs in the township building with the names of movie stars Fred MacMurray and Frank Sinatra in bold lettering.

Also hanging there is a photograph of the Susquehanna Breaker No. 6, built in 1885, that once hulked over the community.

The Van Dykes started contemplating settling in Glen Lyon when his mother died in 2006. They purchased their residence in 2009.

Compared to living in upstate New York, they were attracted to the township’s affordable houses and significantly lower taxes.

But George said the “memory factor” also was alluring. Taking in the warm July weather, he flashed back to the aroma of church picnic food that once permeated Glen Lyon on many summer days of his youth.

“I have connectivity,” he said.

Every morning, he pauses to smile at a photo of his mother, Geraldine, on a military hometown hero banner in front of his house honoring her work as a U.S. Army nurse during World War II.

More than 171 hometown hero banners have been sponsored throughout the township since it started the program last year.

Next door, Ian and Victoria Bennett were outside with their three children, ages 2, 3 and 4.

The Bennetts recently relocated from New York, sold on the wooded sections of the area that allow opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The Van Dykes praised Ian’s work improving the landscaping at the rental property.

In turn, Ian commended Hillan and other township officials for their work, saying they are “making a difference.”

“The town has changed so much in the short time we have lived here,” Ian said. “I love it.”

Hillan informed them they will soon be able to stop at a new coffee shop on their walks. The business is set to open in a West Main building that once held a shoemaker business and later a pizza place.

A Nanticoke developer also obtained a zoning variance from the county last month to convert the former Pulaski School on South Market Street into a luxury loft and apartment building with up to 33 units, according to Hillan and records. The vacant school is 55,000 square feet.

The developer also obtained a special exception to place up to 200 storage units and a small office structure at the 3.4-acre site, records show.

Other neighborhoods

Hillan said he and township commissioners are united in their effort to revitalize the entire municipality, with the hope increased warehouse construction in the South Valley area will draw more residential and commercial growth to the township.

Township officials also are waiting to see what happens with another potential project within the township. In 2021, Houston, Texas-based Nacero Inc. announced a plan to build a $6 billion manufacturing facility on the site of a former coal mine in the township and Nanticoke that would produce clean gasoline made from natural gas and renewable natural gas, generating thousands of jobs.

Venturing out of Glen Lyon and into the Sheatown neighborhood, Hillan highlighted the conversion of the former Kirtland M. Smith Public School into apartments. That building was constructed in 1930.

Townhouses also will be constructed in this complex along Robert Street, he said.

Buzzing through the Wanamie section, Hillan gestured to the township recreation facility, which will receive new pickle ball, basketball and tennis courts through the use of COVID-19 recovery funding.

Hillan enjoyed the bump-free pass down Main Street in Wanamie, which has been repaved with funding intended to help compensate for the closure of the State Correctional Institution at Retreat in the township. Some county officials are still interested in exploring a takeover of the former prison to house the county prison.

In the township’s Ridgeview section, a Butler Township developer has been constructing new homes.

“There are a lot of good things happening in the township,” Hillan said.