Civil Municipal Magazine - Nov 2023

39 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 11 BLOOMSBURG , PENNSYLVANIA Kessler emphasizes the tremendous talent in the region and his passion for providing opportunities for people to accomplish amazing things. He says the agency’s partnership with Commonwealth University is critical, pointing to the successful hires they’ve made from the marketing department, stressing that great people are readily available in the area. “This is a hard-working community full of people who are willing to put the time in to be good at what they do, who are looking for that opportunity. Organizations are not going to have a hard time finding great people here.” Tanner Dilg, a Bloomsburg native and the Owner-Operator of Fourth Taco, a local culinary gem, reflects on the town’s charm and his attachment to it. He notes that while neighboring towns have received recognition for being some of the nicest places on the East Coast, he sees Bloomsburg as equally appealing. “I did leave, and I went to Philadelphia, not so much because I didn’t have an opportunity here, but to learn more about the world and how I could expand my business and my specialties,” he explains. “I’ve always loved it here. There’s no real other place that I would want to call home.” Building for the Future Drew Barton, Principal at Livic Civil, and a Bloomsburg native, provides an overview of the various infrastructure and development initiatives in the community. He details the town’s focus, which includes the repaving of over 10 miles of roads, leveraging a modest annual funding pool of $250,000 with additional resources from private entities, resulting in a total investment of approximately $1.2 million for paving projects in a year. The town has also undertaken projects to revamp public parking lots within the Main Street business district, with plans for potential future additions like electric Photo: Tina Mart Photography