Published: May 17, 2009 11:33 pm      

Downtown corner: ‘The difference is unbelievable’

As volunteers fanned out Sunday across downtown Johnstown to spruce up the city, a small army descended upon the former Revco building at the corner of Main and Franklin streets.

Within a few hours, the highly visible structure had a face-lift, including a new coat of paint.

“It looks great,” said owner Angelo DiRosa, who also operates Capri Pizza in the Revco building. “The difference is unbelievable.”

DiRosa said he was contacted a few weeks ago by Ron Repak, executive director of the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, who inquired about perhaps painting the building during Downtown Pride Day activities. Ironically, DiRosa said, he was already talking to professional painters about giving the building a makeover.

“We took it on as a project,” Repak said.

“I brought it up at our last (redevelopment authority) board meeting and I said I wanted us to participate (in Sunday’s downtown effort), but I wanted to do it in a really meaningful way.”

Johnstown Redevelopment Authority folks were joined by volunteers from EADS Group architects, the Young Professionals Group and AmeriCorps.

Repak said about 15 people were there Sunday.

Fritz Gorzelsky Contracting loaned ladders to the effort, Repak said, while EADS provided tarps and other painting supplies and DiRosa purchased the paint. DiRosa also provided Capri pizza for the volunteers after the work was done.

“Anyone who is used to seeing this building every day, like I am, is going to be amazed at the transformation,” DiRosa said.

“The volunteers who were here – Wow. You could really tell they cared.”

DiRosa spent Saturday pressure-washing the building in preparation for the work crew.

He said he was hoping to have his building painted for Thunder in the Valley in late June, but is thrilled the new look came a bit earlier than he had expected.

“A lot of my walk-in customers (today) will be talking about it,” he said. “That’s for sure.”