Fold Jersey Shore into the 76th State Cong. Dist.
As a resident of Jersey Shore, PA, I feel that my borough is historically and geographically linked to Avis, PA, and should be in the 76th State Congressional District along with Avis instead of in the 84th. Jersey Shore and Avis were once linked by streetcar, with Jersey Shore being the population center and Avis having the railyard and Jersey Shore Steel, major industrial employers for decades. This link is maintained today through shared history and culture, with these communities bookending the terminus of Pine Creek and its magnificent rail trail leading to Wellsboro. Recently, The New Love Center, a non-profit, faith-based food pantry a block from my home, launched a Capital Campaign to build an 18,000 square foot space along Woodward Avenue in Avis. The land for the new building has been purchased and plans are coming along well. This facility will be a hub for food distribution in Clinton and Lycoming counties. The current boundary between the 76th and 84th districts aligns with the County line between Clinton and Lycoming counties along Pine Creek, but this boundary is arbitrary, and could easily have been drawn along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River back in 1839, when Clinton County was created from parts of Lycoming and Centre counties. Only a slight adjustment to the state congressional district map would be required to bring Jersey Shore into the 76th District, in alignment with history, culture, and contemporary priorities, as embodied in the New Love Center capital campaign.