SCRANTON, Pa. — Revitalizing a neighborhood starts from the ground up.
That's something United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA and a team of volunteers took to heart as they pulled weeds and picked up trash in Scranton's Pinebrook section.
"We've walked down Capouse Ave., we've picked up trash, that's all we're really doing just trying to help out," said Wendi Shaver, a volunteer from Cigna.
While their main goal was to clean up the streets, they also wanted neighbors to see their effort as part of a bigger plan for the Pinebrook section.
"They might ask questions or be skeptical of what is really going on, that's why we have the pop-ups and the cleanups, to show that we're really all on the same team," said Holly Yorkonis of United Neighborhood Centers.
United Neighborhood Centers kicked off the Pinebrook Neighborhood Plan back in January. The first year involves research, talking with neighbors about how to improve the part of the city that is just a few blocks away from downtown.
"I think a lot of these old houses need to be touched up, even if just on the outside so the whole neighborhood can look a little more, the way it should. It's alright, but it definitely could use a little improvement," said neighbor Edmund Keller.
If the Pinebrook Plan sounds familiar, that's because it's similar to another revitalization project United Neighborhood Centers did along Cedar Avenue in South Scranton.
"Being a native of Scranton and seeing how far Southside has come, being at the ground level, I can't wait to see the near future, the further away future, and even ten years from now," Yorkonis added.
Pinebrook neighbors can chime in on the plan by visiting the Pinebrook Neighborhood Plan Facebook page.