ORWIGSBURG — Dennis Davin, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, spoke at Veterans Community Memorial Hall in Orwigsburg on Thursday and liked what he saw.
“It would have been a shame to tear it down,” he said of the structure at 300 Grove St., dedicated in 1950 in honor of all veterans.
While Davin had visited Schuylkill County before, he had never visited Veterans Community Memorial Hall or the borough.
“I like it. It’s a beautiful little town,” he said.
Funds from DCED and donations from businesses, individuals and others made the project to restore the building a reality. It was closed in 2010 because of safety issues and reopened in February 2013.
Davin, who was appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2015, spoke for about 40 minutes and answered questions at the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Davin was coming to the county to discuss community revitalization and had plans to stop in the borough. Orwigsburg Borough Manager Robert Williams contacted chamber executive director Bob Carl previously, who in turn talked to Sen. David G. Argall’s office about the visit. Davin also stopped in Pottsville, Mahanoy City and Tamaqua.
Local and state legislators were among the 77 people who attended the breakfast in Orwigsburg. Argall, R-29, introduced the secretary to the crowd.
He said they were going to look at “the good, the bad and the ugly” in Schuylkill County.
“Mr. Secretary, welcome to Schuylkill County,” Argall said.
Davin spoke about some of the different programs DCED has, what it looks for in considering funding for efforts and the role of DCED.
“Our goal is to find a way to make projects happen,” Davin said.
He said when deciding what projects get funding, a variety of factors are examined, including if there is consensus for the effort.
“We are committed to making impactful investments,” he said.
Before he left the building, Davin was given a tour by Williams.
“It’s a great day for Orwigsburg,” Williams said.
Orwigsburg Mayor Barry Berger said the day was one to highlight what the borough has to offer.
Greg Stewart, president of the Orwigsburg Veterans Memorial Development Task Force that was established in 2005, said about $1 million has been contributed to the project from grants and other efforts. Of that, about $675,000 came from DCED. About $750,000 is estimated to be needed for items yet to be completed. Included in that is work to the outside parking lot, stormwater management, an outside patio, finishing the veterans room and new bleachers.
Carl appreciated that Davin visited Schuylkill County and Orwigsburg. Carl said when he was a child, he played in the building during summer recreation programs.
The effort by the community and funding for the project is “a really good story,” Carl said.
Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess said the project is worth it.
“This is a fantastic project,” he said.
Hess said Davin was going to visit the Schuylkill Trust building and the Thompson building in Pottsville. Davin also visited the Tamaqua Train Station and the former Kaier’s Brewery in Mahanoy City.
“Secretary Davin witnessed firsthand the ‘good’ — downtown Orwigsburg and the efforts in Tamaqua — the ‘bad’— various blighted properties in Pottsville — and the ‘ugly’ — Kaier’s Brewery in Mahanoy City — one of the county’s worst eyesores,” Argall said.
State Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, said he was thankful the Davin visited the area.
“Seeing the county firsthand gives him a better understanding of our communities’ needs and will hopefully give our communities a leg-up the next time they apply for funding,” Goodman said.