goes through to the Susquehanna and goes out to Delaware. We are at the top at about 21000 feet elevation,” Mayor Randy Datsko, describes. Mayor Datsko notes, “Back in the late 1800s, Ebensburg was kind of a summer resort community for people that wanted to get out of Pittsburgh with the heat, the smoke, and all the industrial side effects of the steel mills.” “The trains would come from Pittsburgh to Ebensburg to the train station and there were quite a few summer homes here such as a house on South Center Street that belonged to a judge in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court way back when,” he continues. Ebensburg continues to be a popular summertime destination as the population swells in the summer months. Those looking for the fresh air and the moderate temperatures that only mountain towns can provide pay a visit. Ebensburg’s unique charms and historic significance are also a draw for those who come through and the welcoming borough offers an enviable lifestyle for those who have planted permanent roots. HISTORIC DOWNTOWN FOCUS About 15 to 20 years ago, Ebensburg went through a bit of a facelift, transforming the historic downtown area. “We were involved in a pretty extensive streetscape project where all the sidewalks were redone,” Denea Koss, Borough Community Development Director, points out. “There was a brick pattern lining each sidewalk on the curb, there were trees added every few blocks, and were new lamp posts that are Victorian looking to complement our Victorian era town when it was founded,” she continues. “Then we added lamppost banners which have continued.”To mark the different seasons, Ebensburg changes the decorative lamp post banners as well as rotating the banners yearly throughout the downtown core. Matching benches and garbage cans were also added throughout the downtown area to tie together the historic theme. Adding to the charm of the downtown, Koss notes that Ebensburg boasts two parks; Kimball Park located in the heart of the downtown core at its main intersection, and Evan Park, found across from the borough building which has now become a gathering place for residents and visitors as well as 165 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12 EBENSBURG, PA
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