Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal — Pennsylvania — May 10 - 23, 2013 — 13C
www.marejournal.com
Lehigh Valley Chapter www.crewlehighvalley.org Commercial Real Estate Women
2013 L ehigh V alley B oard of D irectors
CREW LV Takes Preview Tour Of Easton’s Crayola Factory
P resident M aureen O’M eara H ampson M owrer K reitz A gency (HMK) P ast P resident & N ominating C hair T ina K isela , SCSMS, SCMD P resident E lect C hrista K raftician , AIA, LEEDAP S pillman F armer A rchitects S ecretary C atherine (K ate ) D urso F itzpatrick L entz & B ubba , P.C. T reasurer C ynthia M erritt , CPA B uckno L isicky & C ompany C orresponding S ecretary P am M orris L iberty P roperty T rust D irectors - at -L arge K elly B erfield , E sq . T he D ietrick G roup LLC J essica G entile N orth S tar C onstruction M anagement , I nc . P olaris P roperties , I nc . S ponsorship C ommittee T racy Y adush , RPA NAI S ummit P rograms C ommittee N icholas H ewes , AIA MKSD A rchitects , LLC M embership C ommittee K aren C ooney D uerholz B oyle C onstruction I nc . 2013 C ommittee C hairs
Easton, PA — About 30 members and guests of CREW Lehigh Valley enjoyed a May 1st preview tour of the Crayola Factory, a hands-on discovery center that attracts visitors to Easton, PA from across the United States. Temporarily closed for a renovation that will feature 18 engaging stations on four floors, the remodeled facility will re- open May 24. Easton Mayor Sal Panto kicked off the presentation, recalling how during the 1991 recession he approached Crayola with the idea of creating the attraction to help build traffic to the downtown. Crayola was then conducting tours of the actual factory, which could cause production disruption. As the then president of League of Cities, Mayor Panto was instrumental in securing a $50,000 state grant to conduct a feasibility study. Although the Mayor lost the next elec- tion, the plan moved forward, with the new attraction housed across fromCenter Square in space formerly occupied by Orr’s Depart- ment Store and Farr’s Shoe Store. Back in office in 2008 on a platform of promoting the arts and entertainment to boost the city’s economy, Mayor Panto helped develop a plan to free up more space at the Crayola Factory by relocating the Canal Museum and a McDonald’s franchise. The Mayor esti- mated that approximately 1.4 million dollars generated for the Easton City budget can be attributed to Crayola Factory activities. Ken Duerholz, RA, vice president of Boyle Construction of Allentown, PA, dis- cussed the construction challenges of the renovation and expansion. Realizing the importance of the tourism magnet to the local economy, he scheduled work to begin in December in areas previously occupied by the Canal Museum and McDonalds, keeping the building in operation. The facility shut down completely after the Martin Luther King holiday. “Each of the four floors was divided into sub-spaces for scheduling,” noted Ken. “It was kind of like a coffee table puzzle in which we shifted workers around to get the job done.” With construction substantial complete by April 1st, exhibit consultants worked their magic throughout the building until the late May reopening.
The afternoon concluded with a tour conducted by Crayola Marketing Man- ager Kristin Luise explaining the exhibits being finalized.
Ken Duerholz, RA, LEED AP, Vice President of Boyle Construction.
Sal Panto, Mayor of the City of Easton.
C ommunity S ervice J ody K ing , CCIM CBRE, I nc P ublicity C ommittee T ina R oseberry SSM G roup
SPONSORS Gold: Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C.; Liberty Property Trust; PennCap Properties; Servpro of Easton Bethlehem & Whitehall Patron: NAI Summit; Boyle Construction; Pennoni Associates; Langan Engineering; Northstar Construction Contributor: HMK Insurance; Spillman Farmer Architects; MKSD Architects; Sperry Van Ness Imperial Realty; Campbell, Rappold, Yurasits LLP Friend: Barry Isett & Associates; National Penn Bank; Ondra-Huyett Construction;
Regan, Levin, Bloss, Brown & Savchak PC; Buckno, Lisicky & Co.; CBRE; Greater Reading Economic Partnership; The Dietrick Group; J.G. Petrucci Co.
For Membership Information Contact Karen Duerholz at kcduerholz@boyleconstruction.com
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