City springs to life

The effort to boost Lebanon County's economic prospects is well under way in the city of Lebanon, which is the center of numerous revitalization projects. One is the Blueprint Communities Project, spearheaded by Lebanon Mayor Bob Anspach and Lebanon Valley Farmers Bank President Andy Marhevsky. It

Another project is the brainchild of local advertising executive Bill Kolovani, who pledged $10 million to revitalize Lebanon's downtown. Last month, he opened the first of six or seven renovated buildings, the Logan House, which is the new home of BK Advertising and Kolovani's Men's Store. Another Kolovani project of note: the relocation of Lebanon Farmers Market to its original home, in the Market House on Eighth Street. The project is scheduled for completion this fall, but already storefronts are being shored up on Eighth Street near the market.

Kolovani also wants to lure a hotel chain to downtown. He hopes to have a hotel built by 2008 to the tune of $10 million, with another $10 million going toward the construction of an adjoining complex that would house a parking garage, shops and offices.

"It's going to take 10 years, but I could see Lebanon being one of the 10 best places to live in, up there with Charlottesville (Va.), Annapolis (Md.) or Providence (R.I.)."

Another bright spot for the local economy is the recently opened Lebanon Rails Business Park, on the north side of town. The 130-acre park, which connects to the Norfolk Southern rail-freight system via its own rail line, is home to Valspar Corp. The paint manufacturer expects to hire 127 employees within a year. The park could create as many as 1,300 jobs once fully occupied.

A key economic engine for Lebanon County is the Lebanon Valley Expo Center and Fairgrounds, which sits on 77 acres just south of city limits and boasts 44,725 square feet of indoor exhibition space. It has hosted everything from 4-H shows to gospel festivals.

"We are the largest single attraction in Lebanon County - we are to Lebanon Valley what the Hershey complex is to Hershey," Expo Chief Executive Officer Dennis Grumbine said. "Economically, what we do here enhances the economic environment throughout the county."

Grumbine, who contributed input to the earlier stages of the Lebanon County comprehensive plan (see "Comprehensive plan draft targets growth, development," page 16), hopes it will stimulate the development of a tourist-friendly infrastructure near the expo.

"We need the support of new restaurants and hotels and motels to be able to accommodate overnight guests," Grumbine said. "I think the entire community, as well as the investment community, understands that infrastructure needs to grow the way our facility is growing. You can't take an expo like this and plop it down in a cow pasture without that kind of support."

The expo is conducting its own economic-impact research that he hopes will back his recommendations for the comprehensive plan.