For Lemont residents, the recent construction along Pike Street may have felt as if it lasted forever—but the streetscape project has been in the works far longer than some likely realize. The project’s impact is expected to address long-standing safety issues and set the stage for further improvements to the historic village.
According to Mike Bloom, assistant township manager for College Township, the original planning for the Lemont streetscape project “goes back a significant amount of time.” In 2018, after years of discussion, the township received a multimodal transportation grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for roughly $1.15 million to move the project forward. This left the township to provide another $400,000 for the $1.5 million project.
“Once the funding was secured, the project could move forward,” says Bloom. “It went through design with no problem.”
Final plans for the streetscape project were presented in early 2020. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, slowing construction. “We did encounter some supply chain issues,” says Bloom, “… but most of [the delay] was associated with just trying to make sure that we had a safe worksite for the employees with the contractor.”
Once things were able to move forward, the first phase of the project—which included preliminary work, such as waterline work, gas line relocation, and similar efforts—was completed in 2021. Then, the township began the current phase of the project in May 2022, christened “the Pike Street Traffic Calming Project.” This second phase is the most significant and comes with the most benefits to residents and visitors, as it includes sidewalk additions, delineated parallel parking, curbing, and more along Pike Street, “ultimately with the goal to try to calm down traffic and make Lemont a little bit more accessible for folks not in their vehicles,” says Bloom.
The good, the bad and the (eventually) beautiful
The Lemont streetscape project is one that many agree addresses some of the primary concerns of residents and businesses alike.
Bloom says, “Lemont … is a critical piece of College Township. It’s really one of the core neighborhoods. It also has a central business district. … Pike Street carries a significant amount of traffic, which is good, but it also limits the accessibility for folks that are trying to take advantage of a central business district, as well as the adjoining residential areas. It became critical that we … make sure that you could continue to get traffic through there, but in a safe manner that opened up the accessibility for pedestrians to be able to cross the roads, access the businesses, park in the district, and take advantage of all the services that are there.”
Susan Smith, chair of the Lemont Village Association board and resident of Lemont since 1968, notes that pedestrian safety has been an issue in the village for decades. She points to the new sidewalks and slower traffic as the largest benefits to come from the project, which includes sidewalk “bump-outs” to help prevent speeding. She also referenced the new trees planned to line Pike Street. Originally, she says, the plan was eight adolescent maple trees to round out the streetscape, but, she adds with a laugh, “I thought, I wanted to see the trees in my lifetime, being 82. I would like the trees a little bit bigger.”
As such, Smith and the Lemont Village Association board began a special tree fund to supplement the township’s money dedicated to the project’s tree plantings, so as to plant larger—and more expensive—trees in the spring.
Marie Doll, executive director at the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, has, similarly to Smith, witnessed the evolution of Lemont over the years. The Art Alliance has called Pike Street home for nearly 55 years, offering exhibitions, classes, children’s summer camps, and more. She likened the pre-construction Pike Street to “a racetrack between College Avenue and 322,” so she also looks forward to the street’s slower speed and updated look and the Lemont Village Association’s trees, while hoping the added parallel parking will allow for more visitors and easier attendance for Art Alliance events.
However, while the project’s intentions are good, that doesn’t mean it didn’t come without its challenges. Bloom admits that the ongoing construction has been a “disruption to [residents’] way of life and disruption to their business.” However, he also notes that “they have continued to persevere and College Township really appreciates their patience with that.”
It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by others. Doll says the construction “wasn’t easy, but it didn’t influence [the Alliance] negatively,” in part thanks to the dedicated Alliance instructors, students, and artists who made the effort to attend events and remain part of Lemont’s arts community regardless of the extra work required around the construction.
She says, “Financially, we couldn’t have just canceled everything we were doing just because it was hard to get here. We really appreciate the instructors and the students and everyone that gave the extra effort just to get here and get back home. … And I must say the engineer from College Township and the guys working on the project have always been very respectful and helpful, and they understand that it is a problem for us and they help in any way they can.”
For the Lemont Village Association, Smith references the difficulties some experienced attending the association’s events due to the related road closures. She also says, “I know houses that … were affected by the dust and by the dirt, but it’s a small price to pay for having a really safe street.”
Jenny Conway manages The Gallery Shop, located next door to the Art Alliance’s space. Even with the project’s added parking, she worries about not having enough parking for both Lemont residents and visitors, noting the potential need for a community parking area.
Both Conway and Doll reiterate their thanks for the broader Centre County community’s continued support of Lemont businesses and organizations during the construction process. Conway says the shop “really appreciated that our customers made a giant effort to get here and support us.”
Doll, meanwhile, relates a successful event during the construction. She says, “We had an opening the other night. It was raining … and just a terribly dark, spooky night. We had a good crowd and it was great. We were closed and doing Zoom [events] during the pandemic, so it’s just great to be able to see everybody again and for the artists to be able to get together and have a show.”
More construction to come?
Originally, the township aimed to complete the second phase of the project by the end of October 2022, but further delays arose, requiring the project to continue to the end of the year.
Looking toward the future, Bloom anticipates further action in spring 2023 to address planting and landscaping. Additionally, the township plans to commence a corresponding project from Dale Street to College Avenue, working on curbing and other issues in 2023. He calls the project “not as intensive” as the Pike Street streetscape work.
He emphasizes, “College Township has appreciated the folks in Lemont and their patience and perseverance through this project and hopes they appreciate the final project once it’s opened up. … I think it’s going to be a pretty significant improvement to the core community.”
Lemont residents and Centre Countians at large who appreciate the charm and history Lemont adds to Happy Valley can contribute to the Lemont Village Association’s tree fund by sending a check to the association at P.O. Box 546, Lemont, PA 16851. Donations are tax-deductible. If a family or individual donates $500, they can request a small plaque to be erected with a tree to recognize a person or organization.
The LVA also has its eye on replacing the village’s original black street signs and is in the process of creating a self-guided walking tour booklet with photographs and descriptions of the village’s more than 60 historic properties. Smith says she expects the walking tour to increase pedestrian traffic once it launches in late 2023—and the streetscape project is just one part of the puzzle that will make visiting and seeing Lemont on foot a more enjoyable and safer experience. T&G
Holly Riddle is a freelance writer for Town&Gown. This story appears in the January 2023 issue of Town&Gown.
