Vision Together 2025 looks back at work done, looks forward to new projects
Dec. 15—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Since 2015, Vision Together has been shining up a rust-belt town by cleaning sulfuric streams, beautifying blighted lots and addressing needs of Johnstown's populace.
Now approaching 2025, the grassroots, nonprofit community revitalization organization is encouraged to see downtown Johnstown with restaurants, arts organizations and a rebranded identity as an outdoorsy city — with clean streams.
But there's still work to be done before the organization's target for realizing more positive change in 2025.
Vision Together 2025 held a community meeting at the Holiday Inn Johnstown-Downtown on Thursday to look forward to plans in 2024 and review some of the work completed in the past year by its 423 volunteers who've organized into capture teams that focus on specific projects.
Barb Zablotney reviewed her capture team's "wheelchair wash'n tune." The second annual event held at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center at 301 Napoleon St. provided wheelchair cleaning and repair for 20 people, including residents of downtown Market Street Commons and Vine Street Towers.
"Insurance doesn't cover repair until a wheelchair breaks," she said. "This is a need for many of our residents that is often overlooked."
Johnstown City Councilwoman and West End capture team member Marie Mock highlighted numerous beautification projects her group has accomplished in Johnstown's West End neighborhood and said the group has plans in 2024 to begin maintaining five more lots with a grant from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies.
"There's no magic to it. We are plain old people who see something and want to fix it," Mock said.
Vicki Truscello, president of the Roxbury Civic Group, spoke about upgrades to Roxbury Park from flower planting to raising funds for hockey rink repairs, and most recently, implementation of speed monitors to increase safety along Franklin Street.
"Our mission is to keep the integrity of the neighborhood going," she said.
Vision Together 2025 health and wellness committee co-chair Angie Berzonski outlined the committee's partnership with several medical and social service agencies to produce a concerted effort addressing mental and physical health of the region's populace as well as early childhood education and job training.
The committee has funding secured for the next three years to offer families services aimed at supplementing early education.
"Our goal is to have each child reading at or above their grade level by third grade," she said.
Vision Together 2025 President Bill Polacek said Johnstown has come a long way, with Vision helping along with many government officials and nonprofit partners.
"When we started Vision in 2015, things were in bad shape," he said. "The city was on the verge of bankruptcy; people were leaving town; the Conemaugh River was a sulfur creek; there was a defeatist attitude. But everybody got together and decided we are not victims here; we can take over our own destiny."
Going off script from his prepared remarks, Vision Together 2025 Executive Director Rob Forcey spoke about the organization's lofty goals and why he works toward them.
"How long will Vision be together? A hint — the "2025" will go away, and it will just be "Vision," Forcey said. "People ask me why I do this — I'm a father. I want my children to have a better life than mine. Vision's work is not for the city; it's for the children. There are great things coming in 2025 and beyond that."
Russ O'Reilly is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @RussellOReilly.
