Home improvements

Helga Sanso and Richard Speary say improvements to their Scott Street house were possible because of a Brodart Neighborhood Improvement Project.

It has made the couple much prouder homeowners than before the improvements.

They are looking for other neighbors to share a similar experience and get help improving their properties.

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The couple shared their success story Wednesday while attending the fifth Brodart Neighborhood Improvement Project meeting at All Saints Church on Beeber Street.

Since starting with the program, they've had an estimated $12,000 worth of improvements done on their house, projects they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.

'We're switching from oil to natural gas,' said Sanso, adding they've lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years and haven't see this much improvement since they've been residents.

Speary and Sanso described how they've received help through STEP Inc., which eventually connected them with home improvement contractors who have installed a furnace, water heater and deck railing, and hardwired smoke detectors.

Sanso and Speary joined about 25 others who listened to information from officials with the city and county, STEP Inc. and Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity personnel.

Natural gas impact fees and grants from the state Department of Community and Economic Development are being secured by Lycoming County and Williamsport governments to tackle homeowner improvements.

About 150 properties surround the former Brodart warehouse at 1609 Memorial Ave. Of those, 53 percent are rentals and aren't part of the grant program

now, but efforts are underway to try to secure funding for rental properties.

The grants and projects became possible when the warehouse was razed to make room for a 72-unit housing complex known as Memorial Homes.

So far, $550,000 of $2.4 million has been allocated to the neighborhood.

'The city has acquired funds through the gas drilling money that is required to be available for housing needs,' said Kim Wheeler, a county planner with the Department of Planning and Community Development.

'We want to address rentals,' she adding, saying the application for a grant on facade and exterior improvements to rental properties has been 'bumped back to July 2015,' but the county and its partners want to continue to apply for the grant that would include rental properties in the scope of the projects.

After the informative discussion, some of the crowd walked around the neighborhood.

They looked at streetlights that are going to be installed and areas where lighting could be added, including the middle of blocks between intersections.

'It's a deterrent to crime,' said Linda Lockcuff, who lives at the corner of Stevens and Scott streets.

She took the walk with her two younger grandchildren and considered addition of lights to be a crime-fighting tactic.

She also said the meetings are informative and provide literature and maps to show every step that is undertaken.

'It's nice to keep updated,' Lockcuff said of the improvement project meetings.

Brian Regan updated attendees by describing his plans to renovate the former Daniel Webster Elementary School building at Memorial Avenue and Beeber streets.

Regan and a business partner will transform the building into the Olivewood Complex, which will have 12 apartments and a small office for his engineering consulting business.

The building used to be occupied by members of the Islamic Center, which Regan said is seeking opportunities to buy property and renovate buildings closer to Williamsport Regional Medical Center.

The meeting also included updates from Lycoming Engines, the industrial plant on the northern edge of the project area, along Oliver Street.

Scott Witmer, a plant spokesman and senior manager for environmental safety and facilities maintenance, discussed the plant's intentions and ongoing efforts to add privacy fencing along locations such as Memorial Avenue and Demerest Street and to add exterior lighting and remove unused buildings.