Andrew Macurak – 4/18/07

This page was last updated on April 22, 2007.

Revitalizing older towns; Andrew Macurak; Beaver County Times; April 18, 2007. An editor’s note alleges, “The writer is an urban studies major at the University of Pittsburgh.”

Does anyone care to guess what likely represents the predominant economic, political, and social leanings of students and teachers of “urban studies?”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Spending my early childhood in Aliquippa, I heard many people complain about the town’s decline. They blamed the collapse of the steel industry and they spewed ignorant racial remarks. However, no one examined his or her own actions.

“The decline of Aliquippa, and every other mill town in Beaver County, is the fault of every single one of us who left them.

“If one looks at the excessive construction of commercial and residential properties in the municipalities bordering Aliquippa, even in spite of the population losses projected for them, and it becomes obvious that enough money and people remain in the area to sustain neighborhoods and business districts.”

[RWC] Who defines what is “excessive construction?” If the same construction were happening in Aliquippa, would it still be “excessive?”

“We all just chose to pull our dollars out of Aliquippa and invest them elsewhere. We left diverse urban communities in favor of new, homogenous subdivisions off Chapel and Maratta roads, without sidewalks or anything within walking distance for our children.”

[RWC] In addition to urban studies, perhaps Mr. Macurak should study local history. Since I used to live there, I’ll use Aliquippa as an example.

If Mr. Macurak considers blacks living in one area and whites living in another, then I guess you can say Aliquippa was a “diverse urban community.” When my family moved from Plan 12 to Center in the late 1950s, Center’s “face” differed little from that of Plan 12.

Mr. Macurak also ignores the racial violence of the 1960s. When riots broke out in Aliquippa schools in the late 1960s, my parents and I were never happier we went to St. Titus and Center schools.

Mr. Macurak also ignores these communities were built in and for a different time. When these communities grew up, few people had personal transportation and had little choice but to “shop at the local grocer” regardless of the expense or lack of selection.

Regarding the “without sidewalks or anything within walking distance for our children” comment, that wasn’t true when we moved to Center. Within walking distance of our newly built house were a grade school, two country stores, Hank’s Frozen Custard, a gas station, Little League fields, et cetera.

“We spent our money at the Beaver Valley Mall and every other identical plaza filled with the same chain stores we could shop at in any city instead of patronizing local businesses.”

[RWC] “Every other identical plaza?” When BVM was built in the late 1960s, it simply meant we didn’t need to go to Pittsburgh or to distant Pittsburgh suburbs when we wanted to shop at Horne’s and Gimbel’s.

“We voted with our feet, and we voted against Aliquippa - and Ambridge, and Rochester, and Beaver Falls.”

[RWC] We didn’t vote against anyone or anywhere. We voted for what made our lives more convenient, less expensive, and/or gave us more choices.

“Governments in Beaver County need to work across jurisdictions to encourage development and reinvestment in our existing urban spaces and to reduce the bureaucracy that blocks it.”

[RWC] Other than excessive taxation, I’d sure like to hear an example of government bureaucracy blocking “development and reinvestment in our existing urban spaces.” Indeed, politicians throw money at these things all the time.

“Politicians need to ensure that organizations intended to revitalize our communities remain accountable to the people and to their missions.

“And what can we do? Buy those old Victorian fixer-uppers instead of building new McMansions, shop at the corner grocer instead of the big box everything mart, and grab a cup of coffee at a local cafe instead of that other place.”

[RWC] Why?

“We chose to allow our historic communities to deteriorate, but we can just as easily choose to restore them.”

[RWC] I truly mean no offense, but isn’t referring to “Aliquippa - and Ambridge, and Rochester, and Beaver Falls” as “historic communities” engaging in a bit of hyperbole?