Mechanicsburg battles blight by transforming sinkholes into green spaces [Video]

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Even on a gloomy day, a newly-developed green space is brightening the Mechanicsburg community.

“It’s been fabulous,” said Nori Hoffman, the manager of the Messiah Lifeways Senior Center, which is located at the intersection of Portland Street and Railroad Avenue. The property is owned by the borough.

Outside the senior center, there used to be a sinkhole.

Thanks to a $110,000 grant from the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authority Community Development Block Grant Program, the borough has changed that.

“[We] tore down the barbed wire, tore down the fencing, filled it up with dirt,” explained Luke Arnold, the borough’s environmental programs coordinator.

It’s now a space that senior center members, and others in the community, can enjoy.

“My members are so excited, they’ve been coming out sitting at the picnic benches, enjoying the …