SCRANTON -- Members of a neighborhood watch in Scranton overcame a big hurdle this month. The group purchased a vacant property in the city's west side and plans to turn it into a community center:
While many people pass the plain building on Washburn Street in Scranton and see decay, members of the West Scranton Neighborhood Watch see potential.
Rooms there could be a learning center; the warehouse in the back is perfect for a multi-purpose gym. That's what West Side Neighborhood Watch president Karin Foster thought when the property went up for sale five years ago.
"The Boys and Girls Club is wonderful, but we don't have that presence in the community and it's not quite the same when they're getting bused over to the other side of town," Foster said.
The group thought the neighborhood needed its own community center. The building was purchased for $140,000 using public grant money.
Additional grants from Lackawanna County will help pay for renovations.
Scranton police plan to have its west side beat officers work out of there. Any other use is up to the community.
"I think, other than church facilities and schools, I think a community building like this would really be effective to draw the neighborhood together," said Linda Cassel, West Side Neighborhood Watch.
The building has housed a lot of things, but originally it was a warehouse for L.A. Lewis Moving and Storage.
The folks who used to own this place say, in some way, it's going back to its original purpose.
"I believe it was a good thing for the community, number one, but it was kind of special to me," said David Lewis.
Lewis spent most of his time there when he was a teenager. His friends informally called the spot the "L.A. Lewis Corner Association."
"It's kind of great that the building is being turned over to the community, and our corner association kind of lives on."
Lewis hopes similar memories will be made when the community center opens. Renovations could be finished by the end of 2017.