SUNBURY – The Senate Majority Policy Committee, chaired by Sen. Dave Argall (R-29), will visit Sunbury next week to review successful strategies to fight the spread of blighted, decaying buildings in communities large and small.
The public hearing, hosted by Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-27), will take place on Monday, Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Northumberland County Administration Center, located at 399 Stadium Drive in Sunbury, PA.
“Blight affects us all by lowering our property values, straining the real estate market, hurting our schools, breeding crime, and posing a serious threat to our safety and well-being,” said Argall. “Gathering input from local officials in the trenches of this fight will help us craft new legislation to tear down or repair even more of these buildings.”
“I’m thankful to Sen. Argall and the Senate Majority Policy Committee for bringing this important discussion on blight to the 27th Senatorial District,” said Culver. “I’m also deeply appreciative of the panelists who will be sharing their expertise and insights with us. Blight is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences for our communities, and I’m hopeful that this hearing will lead to productive solutions.”
Monday’s workshop discussion will feature the following testifiers:
- Brianna Apfelbaum Kula, Esq.;
- Mike McLaughlin, Shamokin Mayoral Blight Task Force;
- Derrick Backer, City Administrator, City of Sunbury;
- Lisa Dooley, Town Manager, Town of Bloomsburg;
- Patrick A. Mack, Deputy Executive Director, Housing Authority of Northumberland County;
- Meghan Beck, County Commissioner, Northumberland County;
- Jennifer Wakeman, Executive Director, DRIVE (Driving Real Innovation for a Vibrant Economy);
- Mary Beth Dougherty, Statewide Blight Task Force;
- Aaron Zappia, Director of Government Affairs, Pennsylvania Housing Alliance; and
- Edward B. Manning, Chairman, Shamokin Area Economic Development Authority.
The hearing will be livestreamed on the Senate Majority Policy Committee’s website.
CONTACT: Jim Brugger