07-05-2025
Johnstown officials plan to update Central Park, but residents oppose
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Controversy over renovation plans for Central Park has residents not on board with the city's plan for progress.
The $6 million project, funded through federal money from the COVID-19 pandemic, will change the landscape of Central Park. The water fountain at the epicenter of the park will be taken over to Sandyvale Memorial Park, along with the deconstruction of the stage gazebo.
The city plans to add more power outlets and a brand new pavilion stage adjacent to the corner of Locust St. and Gazebo Park, sidewalk upgrades and additional seating.
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'We're going to try and maintain as much as the essence of Central Park as we can,' Johnstown City Manager Art Martyunska said.
The project is in line with Visit Johsntown's vision of revamping the landmarks to attract more visitors to the area. Executive Director Lisa Rager has seen what their strong points are and wanted to expand on other areas in town.
'We've got a lot of people enjoying those,' Rager said. 'Obviously, our history and heritage attractions are still a big draw. It's been fun to watch it develop and grow over the years.'
The project has been a huge topic of discussion by residents in the area. Some have reservations about the changes to be made by the downtown's centerpiece.
'They're getting rid of the fountain, the gazebo, these monuments, monuments to the people that died in the 1977 flood. The Civil War statue over there,' former Johnstown resident Tim Oravec said. 'All that needs to stay here. That's what gives this town what charm it's got left.'
Growing up in Johnstown, Oravec remembers hopping off the bus and meeting up with friends in the park. The memories he holds onto are a message that he says city officials are not grasping.
'People from outside the city want this park to be guarded and turned into what they want,' Oravec added. 'It seems like no one's listening to the people of the city.'
Business owners local to the park area have similar opinions on the topic, like Damien Tackett, owner of the Sweet Spot on Franklin St. He posted to his Facebook a video of himself being chained to a tree in Central Park, along with Roots Kitchen & Juicery owner George Heit.
'We thought that our voices weren't being heard,' Tackett said. 'And we were just trying to point out how big of an impact that not only the events, but the park project in general will have on downtown, the community and the business community.'
The act was to protest the renovations of the park in favor of other parts of the city that need the funding. It was also a stand to bring back the biweekly farmer's market and the annual Christmas Village.
'If you look at the sidewalks and you can see in many places, they're very barely passable,' Tackett said. 'And we have a lot of people with mobility issues. You look at playgrounds that haven't really had any true attention spent on them in years. You look at all of these blighted buildings on every corner, it could be used for something else.'
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With all the controversy and pushback officials have seen from the community, both Rager and Martyunska note that the project will be beneficial to those local and foreign to the area.
'We want to leverage the economic impact of that and get those folks spending time in and spending money in our towns, communities and in businesses,' Rager said.
'There's some things we've eliminated. There's some things we've changed. Not just for cost savings, but also for aesthetics and to make it more user-friendly,' Martyunska said.
The Central Park renovations are expected to begin by Labor Day.
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