Latest news with #ArtMartynuska
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remodel or replace? Johnstown considers 'way overdue' options for nearly century-old Public Safety Building
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – As the Johnstown Public Safety Building closes in on the centennial anniversary of its dedication, the structure appears headed toward one of two fates over the coming years. City officials expect to either rehabilitate the facility to make it a clean, modern and structurally sound home for the police and fire departments. Or the structure could be rejected, razed and replaced with a brand-new building somewhere else in the city. Johnstown City Council's ultimate decision about what to do will, in large part, come down to money. A rehab is estimated to cost $10 million or more. Constructing a new building would likely top $20 million. Right now, Johnstown has $5 million for the project – $2.5 million apiece in federal American Rescue Plan Act for COVID-19 pandemic relief money and in state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant funding. 'One of the drawbacks we have there is the funding stack,' Johnstown City Manager Art Martynuska said. 'We have a little, but not enough to do even a remodel.' Public Safety Building | Downtown Johnstown Public Safety Building on Washington Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The building, 401 Washington St., was constructed and equipped at an approximate cost of $500,000, according to a Johnstown Tribune article from 1926. Work was done throughout 1925 – the year carved in stone on the front of the building – and 1926. It was formally dedicated Dec. 16, 1926. Sine then, the building has served as home to the fire and police departments that have protected city and regional residents in day-to-day times of need and during major events such as the 1936 and 1977 floods. But the building is now in disrepair. In recent years, the city has done mold remediation, water-proofing of the basement with new drains and sump pumps, and HVAC improvements to make it 'a little bit of a safer facility,' as Martynuska said. 'That's what we've been doing – patching it,' Johnstown City Councilman Ricky Britt said. 'Patches here, patches there. After a while, you don't have anywhere to put a patch. You can only patch it so many times.' Britt said 'the old building has served its use' and 'that the project there is way overdue.' 'We've definitely got our usage out of it,' Britt said. 'Hopefully we find the proper location and come up with the right amount of funds to build a new building.' Britt is among a group of city officials who support a new structure. That would involve finding a site, possibly dealing with floodplain issues in the downtown, and likely needing to knock down the current building so it does not become yet another vacant property in the municipality. Others, including City Councilwoman Laura Huchel, favor upgrading and modernizing the existing structure. 'I feel and think, based on some contributions from the planning commission, that the Public Safety Building can be rehabbed and retrofitted to be exactly what Johnstown needs out of a public safety building,' Huchel said. 'It's a very large building. It's more than we need for our current staff, so there are some rental opportunities there if we make it a welcoming space. 'The expense of doing that, while significant, does not even approach the expense of creating a brand-new building and then being faced with needing to demolish the old one.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Johnstown council approves keypad systems for city properties
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The city of Johnstown plans to soon have new keypad security systems installed at its properties. City Council approved hiring Iron Data Works for the project during its regular monthly meeting Wednesday. City Manager Art Martynuska said the keypads will be installed on the Johnstown Public Safety Building, City Hall, city garage, two fire stations and possibly Sargent's Stadium at the Point. 'It's another security level,' Martynuska said. 'We always look at homeland security-type situations, so this gives us better access control. It's one of the things that's highly recommended.' Each employee will receive a personalized entry code. 'Currently it's a hodgepodge across the city of keys, fobs,' Martynuska said. 'This is all going to be a keypad system that will be centrally controlled. We'll know who accesses, when they access.' Work is expected to begin in August or September. The project is being funded with American Rescue Plan Act money.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Johnstown officials update downtown makeover plans during address
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — The annual State of the City Address, delivered by the Johnstown Mayor and the City Manager, touched on several projects, such as the Main Street and Central Park redesigns, as well as other plans, such as a new municipal website. Frank Janakovic, the Mayor, and Art Martynuska, the City Manager, discussed many subjects during their hour-long presentation Thursday at Ace's in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, according to our media partners at The Tribune-Democrat. Martynuska focused on providing updates on the Main Street and Central Park projects. The remakes are part of a larger initiative that will also include work on the Johnstown Train Station, the Johnstown Inclined Plane and the Downtown Intermodal Transportation Center. The U.S. Department of Transportation's 'Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity' discretionary grant money supplied more than $24 million for the projects. The renovation of Central Park is expected to start later this year and be completed in 2026. An original design was done by a New York City-based architect with assistance from a local firm, with the local firm taking the lead on the project now. Johnstown has also made changes to its code enforcement, with Laurel Municipal Services set to join in enforcement with city code officers and firefighters. There are also plans to either repair the Public Safety Building or construct a new building entirely, with renovations expected to cost $10 million and a new building priced around $20 million. Janakovic, in his third and last term as mayor, touched on developments made over the past years that have contributed to the city's improving economic condition. Specifically, he pointed to the city selling its sewer system to the Greater Johnstown Water Authority, with the money then used to shore up the police, fire and municipal workers' pension funds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Johnstown City Council accepts winning bid for playground work, plans upgrades at Sargent's Stadium
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Upgrades are expected to soon be made to Sargent's Stadium at the Point and two Johnstown neighborhood playgrounds using federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. New concrete will be put down in the Point's outfield area, while an awning will be installed by the entrance to create a TV display location. A batting cage will also be incorporated. Meanwhile, at the Wood Street playground in the Hornerstown section of town, basketball hoops, playground equipment and borders will be installed, along with asphalt repairs being done. Significant changes will be made to the skate park at the Bheam School playground along Fairfield Avenue in the West End. Up to two pickleball courts and a bike ramp will be installed. The asphalt center will be replaced with grass. The existing walking path will be repainted. 'The city's just kind of moving forward with trying to start and finish some projects this year, particularly in our parks and our playgrounds and those sorts of things,' Mayor Frank Janakovic said after the construction contract was awarded Wednesday during a special meeting of Johnstown City Council. 'We have an optimistic look of moving forward with a lot of these projects being completed this year.' Straw Construction, from Somerset County, came in with the winning bid of $391,970. All six council members present voted to have Johnstown City Manager Art Martynuska execute the agreement. The funds are from the more than $30 million the city received in ARPA money for COVID-19 pandemic relief. 'It's been our process since we got the ARPA money that we allocated a good chunk of it toward playgrounds. … We've been redoing playgrounds with the ARPA money, Minersville (playground) was worked on,' Johnstown City Councilwoman Marie Mock said. 'We're going to just keep moving along.'
