State, local officials tour site of former Martin Shirt Co.

SHENANDOAH – State legislators joined county and borough officials Monday, touring the site of the now-razed Martin Shirt Co. factory in Shenandoah.

State Senator Dave Argall (R-29) and Rep. Dane Watro (R-116) visited the site, one of dozens of blighted and vacant properties torn down around the county in recent years.

Many of the demolitions have been funded through the Schuylkill County Demolition Program, which in turn is funded through state grants secured by Argall and Schuylkill County’s legislative delegation.

“We’re thrilled to be at this stage, and this was a much larger project than many of the demolition projects that we’ve done,” Argall told the Sentinel.

Argall and Watro were joined by Schuylkill County Commissioners Larry Padora and Gary Hess, and members of Shenandoah borough council, including Joe Boris, Mike “Zeckie” Uholik, Diane Korenda, and Joe Gawrylik.

The Martin Shirt demolition cost $169,000.

Martin Shirt, abandoned since the mid-1990s, is one part of a larger complex that once was the Shenandoah Abbatoir, a meat-processing plant built in the days before widespread refrigeration.

Borough Manager Tony Sajone and former Code Enforcement Officer Mark Pronio worked to acquire the complex and set the stage for its demolition.

About Author

Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home.

See author's posts