Gazette The Centre County
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E S INTO TH INSIGHT D CBICC ALS AN INDIVIDU E ISSUES, AR ES THAT ACTIVITI
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May 201
May 8-14, 2014
ING ADVERTISNT OF SUPPLEME
MIC TY ECONO RE COUN DRIVING IN CENT GROWTH
Look inside for the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County’s inaugural print issue of front + Centre. Read about “success stories taking place in your own backyard.”/Inside
Volume 6, Issue 19
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College Avenue construction set to begin Monday By BRITTANY SVOBODA bsvoboda@barashmedia.com
STATE COLLEGE — A 100-year-old water line on College Avenue between Heister and Atherton streets will be replaced starting Monday, May 12. At no time is College Avenue expected to be completely closed down and it is expected that construction will be done by mid-August. Construction is predicted to take place Mondays through Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Sundays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The schedule is subject to change based on factors like weather. However, State College Borough Water Authority Executive Director John Lichman said the goal is to get the job done as quickly as possible. According to Lichman, the water authority has had many meetings with the Downtown State College Improvement District and the Borough of State College to discuss dates when construction cannot take place. These dates include May
26, July 3-4, July 10-13 (Arts Festival) and student move-in weekend at the end of August. How to safely excavate and keep the existing line in place is something the water authority has been asking themselves, Lichman said. The current plan is to limit construction to one block at a time. Traffic will be funneled in and out of that block, he said, but lane closure won’t be determined until construction actually starts. At times, all lanes of College Avenue might be functioning. At others, it might be down to one lane. Charles DeBow, the borough’s parking manager, said that parking on College Avenue will not be greatly affected. “The way construction is planned out,” he said, “we will lose a minimal amount of parking.” At any given time, a maximum of two blocks of parking will be down, which only factors to be about 15 to 20 spaces, he said. “It will not have a major impact,” DeBow said. “We’re not too worried about congestion.”
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
ROADWORK AHEAD: College Avenue construction will begin May 12 to replace a 100-year-old water line. Borough officials say they are hopeful the work will not cause widespread traffic and parking problems. He also stressed that there will be plenty of available parking in the garages throughout the entire construction period. Those who park downtown for only a short period of time can do so in any of the parking garages, which is free for the first 30 minutes, DeBow said. Work to replace the water lines from Atherton Street to Coral Street and on Beaver Avenue has already taken place, DeBow said. Replacing the line from Heister Street to Atherton Street is the last part
Bellefonte market evokes bygone era
of the loop. “It has exceeded its useful life,” Lichman said of the 3,000 feet of line that will be replaced. At this point, he said it makes more sense to replace the entire line instead of chunks at a time in order to keep the area sustainable and save money. There are no plans or prints from when the line was originally put in, Lichman said, so it us unclear what will be found Construction, Page 6
Schlow Library forced to shut down for week By KAREN DABNEY
correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — Deep cuts in state funding have forced Schlow Centre Region Library to close for one week. From Monday, May 12, until noon on Monday, May 19, the
doors will be locked, and all the staff will be furloughed without pay, from the high school pages to the director. Schlow Library is asking the public to join its postcard campaign and rally to show elected officials why they should Schlow, Page 6
By CHRIS MORELLI
editor@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — The days of mom-andpop grocery stores have come and gone. The friendly neighborhood market has been replaced by big box supermarkets that offer everything under the sun. In Bellefonte, however, the mom-and-pop approach is ready to make a comeback. Belle Market, located at 206 W. High St. in downtown Bellefonte, opened its doors this week. The store features everything from deli meat to frozen foods and all that comes between. Theresa Lyons is the general manager of Belle Market. “We want to offer an option for shoppers,” Lyons said. “We also want to support our Belle Market, Page 6 Opinion ............................. 7 Health & Wellness .......... 8, 9
CHRIS MORELLI/The Gazette
DOORS OPEN: Beth Whitman, left, and Theresa Lyons, right, have teamed up to open Belle Market, a new grocery store in downtown Bellefonte. The grocery store features a full deli as well as homemade baked goods and bulk items.
Education ................... 10, 11 Community ................ 13-18
Mother’s Day .............. 19-22 Sports .......................... 23-29
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
TOUGH TIMES: The Schlow Centre Region Library will be forced to close its doors for a week starting on Monday, May 12.
Arts & Entertainment .30, 31 What’s Happening ..... 32, 33
Group Meetings .............. 34 Puzzles ............................. 35
Business ...................... 36, 37 Classified .................... 38, 39