We Are A Family

WE ARE A FAMILY

by Teresa M. (Terri) Cooney

Guest Contributor

This past Friday evening, November 6, 2015, at the Austin Volunteer Fire Department Hall, something extraordinary happened, but for the residents of the Austin area, it was nothing new.  One of our own needed help and, as always, we answered the call.

Tootsie Stuckey

Gloria "Tootsie" Stuckey, a lifelong resident of Austin, has, for decades been one of the ladies who phones neighbors and organizes dinners for bereaved families after funeral services.  NEIGHBORS then make the food and deliver it to the location of the dinner.  No one is reimbursed for this; it is purely a donation of love and friendship.  It's done quietly, with no fanfare, no publicity.  You see, IN Austin, that's WHO WE ARE and that's WHAT WE DO.  We take care of our own.  In truth, we are one big FAMILY.

Mrs. Stuckey recently lost the use of her home due to water damage and her insurance didn't cover as much as it should have, so we came together to help her and raised over $5,000 for her.  What's extraordinary about this is that the Austin area has fewer than 1,000 people.

Like a family, we sometimes bicker, but when disaster strikes, we pull together and we do whatever we can to help.  It simply doesn't occur to us to be any different.

I have lived in Buffalo, NY, Palmyra, NY, Port Allegany, PA., and Fairmount, IN. in the past and now I'm back in my hometown and I'm glad.  Although I have seen and been part of organizations that help those communities, I have NEVER experienced a commitment to one's neighbors as I have experienced in Austin.  For us, it is personal, handed down from generation to generation and that is what makes the Austin area unique and such a great place to live.  Regardless of religion or political affiliation or any other outside influence that would otherwise divide us, Austin is an exemplar of what all communities should strive to be.

I am grateful and proud to live here again, among my family and friends and I know our unique spirit of caring will continue far into the future.

Note: This article is also posted in the Austin Boro News Blog at www.austinboronews.blogspot.com.

The Story Behind The Present Day Gazebo

The story below appeared in the Wednesday, May 14, 1997 issue of the Potter Leader-Enterprise and is  written by Bob Hooftallen. Bob graduated from the Austin Area School District, Austin, Pennsylvania. Upon graduating from AASD, he  attended the Pennsylvania College of Technology Penn State and now owns the weekly newspaper The Endeavor.

I have included the article below which reveals Mr. Hooftallen's wit and humor.

The Gazebo in front of the Old Community Building in 1947

Note: The E.O. Austin Home Historical Society maintains the Gazebo.

Route 6 Connections October/November 2015

CELEBRATING FALL AND GETTING READY FOR THE NEW YEAR The fall season is always popular along Route 6. This year we featured all thesenses in our promotions, advising travelers to get out of their cars and enjoy our trails, diners, and fall festivals across Route 6. We shared spectacular pictures from our CVB partners on our Facebook page that resulted in a reach of over 10,000 and Visit PA tweeted about fall foliage tours on Route 6 several times. All of these promotions resulted in our interactive activity spiking greatly during the week of October 11-17. Let's keep the momentum up! The trick with social media is to post fresh new material in a consistent manner. We can't do that without all of our partners feeding us stories and pictures. Please review the list of story themes for the next six months and send us some material. Send pictures and information toparoute6@verizon.net. Immediate needs:       -What's New for 2016 -Stories on the authors and writers who lived along Route 6 2016 Themes:    January - Places to hibernate in the winter February - Getaways at romantic and historic resorts March - Maple Month: A Natural Factory Tour April - PA Route 6 Artisan Trail - Using Nature to Create Art May -Rise of the Bucktails and other Civil War Connections June - Pedaling Across Route 6 SHOP SMALL - SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY Would your business benefit from increased traffic on the biggest shopping day of the year? PA Route 6 Alliance is looking for businesses to participate in our SHOP SMALL SELFIE event on Saturday, November 28. The program is open to all our Artisan Trail members and retail shops. There is no cost; other than you need to be open on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. And there is no travel - you stay in your store. PA Route 6 Alliance will promote all participants, encouraging shoppers to take selfies with owners, employees or unique finds and post them to our Facebook page. All participants will receive a poster and tent cards. To participate in this promotion, fill out this simple form and send back to the PA Route 6 office by November 13th. Encourage your neighboring stores to participate as well. We will send out all material and start promoting the SHOP SMALL SELFIE event in mid-November. RAILROADING HISTORY AND HERITAGE CELEBRATED ALONG ROUTE 6 US Route 6 in Pennsylvania has many sites and attractions that tell the story of transporting goods and people over the rails. Recently five railroad based attractions participated in an advertisement in a special section of AAA World - Midatlanic on Pennsylvania Railroads. The sites included the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad, the Kinzua Skywalk, the Shay locomotive and Barnhardt log loader at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum,Steamtown National Park and the Stourbridge Line in Honesdale. Besides exposure to AAA World's 4.5 million readers, the ad has resulted in over 500 direct requests for more information. NEW MAGAZINE FORMAT GUIDE ANNOUNCED FOR 2016 Based on recommendations from AAA Travel Agents and the PennDOT Welcome Centers staff, the PA Route 6 Alliance had partnered with Beagle Media to publish a new magazine format guide for 2016. Beagle Media of Wellsboro is the award winning publisher of "Mountain Home" magazine. The new magazine will serve as a travelogue moving from west to east along the Route telling the interesting stories and featuring the "don't miss" sites of the Route 6 Heritage Corridor. The Convention and Visitor Bureaus across Route 6 will conduct the ad sales. Look for advertising information to come from your local CVB. Ad deadline will be in January. The publication will be released March 1, 2016. HERITAGE COMMUNITY FEATURE WARREN PARTNERS FOCUSING ON IMPROVING TRAFFIC TO DOWNTOWN The Warren Downtown Partnership has been meeting monthly to educate themselves on what makes a downtown successful with the hopes of developing a plan based on effective proven techniques. Guided by the PA Route 6 Alliance and using the webinars from the Roger Brooks International Destination Development library, the stakeholders group has been able to identify what the downtown is doing right and where they need work. Members of the stakeholders group include businesses, organizations, city employees, and both the Warren County Visitors Bureau and theWarren County Chamber of Business and Industry. The next step is to address short term issues, identify long term goals and develop a brand. This is just one o f the services that the PA Route 6 Alliance provided to our communities. For more information, contact our office. TWO GRANT OPPORTUNITIES The Multimodal Transportation Fund provides that opportunity for our municipalities, local transportation agencies and business community by encouraging development and innovation to create a safe and efficient transportation network. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) started accepting applications for the $40 million available in Multimodal Transportation Fund grants for the coming fiscal year on October 3. The program is open to municipalities, counties, school districts, councils of government, businesses, non-profits, economic development organizations, public transportation agencies, transportation management associations, ports or rail/freight entities. Grants through the Multimodal Transportation Fund can be used for the development, rehabilitation and enhancement of transportation assets to existing communities including streetscape, lighting, sidewalk enhancement, pedestrian safety, connectivity of transportation assets and transit-oriented development. PennDOT will evaluate applicants based on safety benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency, and operational sustainability. Applications for Multimodal grants are due by December 18 and PennDOT plans to announce the grant recipients in early 2016 for the funds that will be released in July 2016. For more information on the program,  click here.   DCNR C2P2 Grant Workshops: The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, is offering aworkshop to prepare applicants to meet the requirements of ourCommunity Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2). The 2016 Grant program opens January 20, 2016 and closes on April 13th, 2016. This workshop will assist community leaders, consultants, board members, and park and recreation professionals interested in learning about resources available to plan, acquire, and construct public recreation and conservation areas in their communities.  Register for a workshop in your Region. Northwest Region, Franklin, PA-Thursday, November 5th, 9a-12p Northeast Region, Nanticoke, PA-Thursday, November 12th, 9a-12p North Central Region, State College, PA-Thursday, November 18th, 9a-12p Various Locations throughout the Northern Tier-Coudersport, Bradford, St. Marys, Warren. Live and Interactive TV-Tuesday, November 24th, 10:30a-12p.  Click here for details.

Non-Skid Tape Applied to School Path Bridge by Volunteers

Today, Angie and I finished applying non-skid tape to each of the planks on the School Path Bridge.  Nevertheless, keep in mind that the galvanized decking is very slippery when wet and when ice forms on the deck.

Angie Fowler

I have been blessed to have married a hard-working women.  Here are some pictures of Angie blowing the leaves off the path today.

When you see Ed Vossler Sr, let him know how much you appreciate his keeping the brush cut on the path.

Thank you.

Major Road Improvement to Austin Dam Memorial Park

The Austin Dam Ruins

The road leading to the Austin Dam Ruins from Route 872  has been covered with a hard surface.

Below are some pictures I took yesterday:

Entrance to the Austin Dam Memorial Park north of the Dam Ruins off of Route 872

The Austin Dam Ruins in the Background.

Parking area at the Austin Dam Memorial Park

Austin, Pennsylvania, Has a Logo

Mayor Jimmy Setzer

When it became apparent that the administrative offices of the Austin Borough would be moving to the former Northwest Savings Bank building on Turner Street, Mayor Setzer began planning for the move.

One of the first items which caught Mayor Setzer's attention was the need for a borough sign to replace the signage of Northwest Savings Bank as their framework still remained in front of the building.

It wasn't long into the sign replacement planning phase that he realized the Borough of Austin had no logo. So, Mayor Setzer approached Mrs. Michele Rodich, the Art Teacher, of the Austin Area School District, asking if she would have her students work on a logo for our community and she agreed. Six student designs were selected as finalists.

Thereafter, Mayor Setzer presented the six designs to the Austin Borough Council and asked each to select their favorite. The design prepared by Laine Robinson, a senior at the Austin Area School District, was selected as the favorite by the majority of Council.

Left to right: Mayor Jimmy Setzer, Principal Jerry Sasala, Laine Robinson, and Mrs. Michele Rodich, Art Teacher

The panther is the school's mascot, the dam ruins are the remains of  the 1911 dam/flood disaster which nearly destroyed the entire community and the American flag.

AASD Student Creates Community Logo

Laine Robinson's design depicting a Black Panther Head, the Austin Dam Ruins, and the American Flag, has been selected as the Logo for the Borough of  Austin, Pennsylvania.

Laine is a senior at the Austin Area School District and the daughter of Angel Rees and Shane Robinson.

Pictured below is her winning design:

The black panther is the school mascot and the dam ruins are the remains of the 1911 dam/flood disaster which destroyed much of  the Community of Austin

 Laine on left holding her Certificate of Appreciation and Mrs. Michele Rodich,                      AASD Art Teacher on the right

Angel Rees, Laine's mother, on left and Laine Robinson on right

Laine plans to pursue a B.S. degree in biology and a M.S. in zoology upon graduating from the Austin Area School District next June.