PENNSYLVANIA Plaza project takes shape

The committee is looking for state or federal bucks to help complete the project.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A key piece of the Courthouse Memorial Plaza project near the Lawrence County Government Center has come into place.
The private committee working on the project recently bought the vacant three-plus-story brick apartment house on East Washington Street, formerly owned by the Eva Call estate, said Tom Shumaker, committee chairman. The building was demolished early last week.
The private-public partnership to create the memorial plaza is in its sixth year, and 16 parcels have been acquired, Shumaker said.
Triangular shape
The project is in the shape of a triangle, bordered by Countyline and East Washington streets and moves up the hill from the intersection where the two meet.
To date, 14 of the 16 properties were purchased through private funds, Shumaker said.
He said there is one remaining parcel at the northern tip of the triangle, which is vacant, that could be part of the project. He said the inclusion of that property is optional.
Shumaker said there are also two houses fronting East Washington Street, at the southern end of the project, that are also optional.
"That means these parcels, while desirable, are not essential to moving the project forward," said Shumaker, who served as a Lawrence County commissioner from 1972 to 1980.
Shumaker said the committee's next move will be to seek state or federal grant funding for planning and construction.
He said the final plan has not been established, but it is the committee's intent to feature open green space with an appropriate memorial that will enhance the appearance of the county government center.
Open area
Shumaker said he always had a difficult time giving directions to the center to people outside the area because it was not visible from the main thoroughfare. That area is clear now, and the building visible from the street.
He said acquiring the remaining parcels will depend on the generosity of local donors or state and federal grants. Shumaker said the committee has kept all the property in private ownership so it can be used as a matching source of revenue if the county does get state or federal money to work on the plaza.
When Shumaker approached county commissioners on April 14, 1998, about the project, he said the idea was to beautify the area and make the courthouse more visible to traffic.
Preliminary plans called for extending Milton Street to East Washington Street for a better flow of traffic and eliminating other dangerous intersections in the area.
New Visions of New Castle, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to beautifying the city, and its director Roger Smith, are also part of the project.
Funds
Shumaker added that the city of New Castle also has helped by providing Community Development Block Grant funds to help raze some of the buildings.
County Commissioner Dan Vogler said the county has not contributed any money to the project, but he wants to work with the memorial plaza committee.
"In our current fiscal condition, it would be very difficult in the short-term to earmark any money for it," he added.
Shumaker said he hopes to see the project completed in his lifetime, but he already views it as a success.
"We have eliminated blight. There were some dilapidated buildings and some were boarded up. We have opened the view of the courthouse to East Washington Street traffic," he said.
cioffi@vindy.com