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The past few years have been tough everywhere, including here in our hometown. The pandemic has taken its toll on families, health, employment, business, restaurants, schools, retail and more.
Whether directly or indirectly, COVID-19 affects all of us in some way.
I moved here 40 years ago and Wyoming Valley is definitely home. It’s where I live, work, and volunteer to help our community move forward. I love it here, but when I first arrived people questioned why I’d want to come here of all places. I heard it all: there’s nothing to do, the weather’s lousy, there’s too much crime and corruption, etc.
There are problems everywhere, but it seemed the people here were taking negativity to the extreme. There will always be those who continually believe the sky is falling, but over the years I’ve seen more people take a positive approach and participate in making Wilkes-Barre, the Wyoming Valley and Luzerne County an area that is attractive to individuals, families, students, businesses and visitors.
It truly is heartbreaking to see businesses close. The reason often cited is the downtown workforce is mostly working from home, so they are not frequenting the shops and restaurants like they did when they were working at their offices. That’s obviously true.
Others are hesitant to come downtown because of crime, safety concerns and the street population. These are symptoms of not knowing the truth. Wilkes-Barre is more than safe, especially in the downtown. Yes, there are homeless and other people in need here just like there are in every city in America. Do you think Philadelphia, New York, Allentown, Reading and Pittsburgh don’t have these issues? Of course they do, but that isn’t closing down their communities.
Wilkes-Barre is hard at work on these issues. Social agencies, shelters and church groups are helping, but most of the people on the street are harmless to the public. Crime and drugs are also real, but they are not happening downtown anywhere near what the perception is. Check the statistics. Wilkes-Barre is a hundred times safer than Philly, New York or Pittsburgh, but that has not in any way prevented those cities from flourishing.
Let’s improve the perception by focusing on the positive things that are happening right here in Downtown Wilkes-Barre.
The historic train station that has been an eyesore for decades is being completely renovated into beautiful offices and our County Visitors Bureau. It’s now back to being a beautiful entrance into the city. This is a major improvement of a dormant property and we should all be proud of restoring this historical site to its previous stature.
Despite some closings, let’s concentrate on the even more positive things happening. There are now three former bank building high rises and one former law office building being completely redone as new, beautiful luxury and semi-luxury apartments. Downtown Wilkes-Barre’s residential population saw a 38 percent increase between 2010 and 2020, and there are new residents living in The Bank (former Citizens’ Bank building), PNC Bank Building, Luzerne Bank Building, the former Sterling Annex, and the former Rosenn, Jenkins and Greenwald Building. All having new life as upscale apartments. These folks moving in must eat and shop to furnish their homes, buy food, clothing, medicine and other household items.
This growth is amazing for a market our size.
There’s also a new hotel being built on Northampton and South Main Streets. There is going to be a high-end hotel at the old Sterling site. It’s been delayed due to pricing and supply chain issues, but it is coming and will be a jewel entering Wilkes-Barre from the West Side. Our downtown restaurants, despite losing foot traffic on workdays, are thriving at night and weekends. This proves to me it’s possible to not only survive, but thrive in Downtown Wilkes-Barre.
Let’s keep it going. We’re one of the few mid-size areas with two beautiful, clean, well-run private colleges in the middle of our downtown. That’s extremely important for the future of our workforce. What an absolute gift. They need a thriving downtown to attract the best and brightest students and are working with the city and others to that end.
A business incubator, a business accelerator, a jewel of a riverfront, a top-shelf levee trail system with miles of beautiful views, a new ice rink on Public Square, Circle Center for the Arts, Fine Arts Fiesta, the beautiful Kirby Center, great Diamond City Partnership programs, and Mayor George Brown, an amazing partner on creating a better city for everyone.
There’s so much to like and take pride in here. Be excited about what we have, and enjoy all Downtown Wilkes-Barre offers to everyone.
Robert Borwick is an area businessman and Chair of the Board for the Luzerne County Visitors and Tourism Bureau.