With the influx of students moving into Bloomsburg there is one eye-catching matter creating some buzz, the lack of sidewalk maintenance in town. In recent years, Bloomsburg has kept a clean and attractive environment for its residents and incoming students. This year however, students have noticed overgrown sidewalks throughout town, wondering what could be the cause. Local property owner and landlord, Matt Zoppetti, gave some insight on the matter.

Many ponder the question of who this maintenance task falls on. While some think this is up to public maintenance to handle, Zoppetti specifies it is up to the owners. “It is typically businesses, landlords, and property owners that are responsible.”

Bloomsburg resident Tori Johnson of East Eighth Street noticed the overgrown sidewalks when walking through town. Johnson stated, “I went for a walk with my dog the other day and noticed certain areas, mainly on East Street going through town, where the weeds and grass were pretty overgrown. It just doesn’t look nice. Bloomsburg is a nice little town and when you’re walking down the street and see places that aren’t taking care of the property it takes away from it.”

When asked their thoughts, another local resident, Robin Perles, stated that she felt parts of town looked neglected, going on to say that, “A lot of locals take pride in our town so we don’t want to see it look bad.”

Unkept entrances reflect poorly on not only the town of Bloomsburg but businesses themselves. This can have a negative impact by discouraging locals and other passersby from giving them their business. This is also the time of year where prospective students are visiting campus and the town of Bloomsburg, and wanting to see that a university is located in a well-maintained area. Better upkeep could have a potentially beneficial impact on the community in various ways.

Zoppetti recognized that in past years the maintenance has been better handled and says that, “this year has been tricky,” going on to say that the recent weather is playing a role. The weather as of late has encouraged quick regrowth of weeds around properties, and has made it difficult for property owners and local businesses to keep up with. Zoppetti remains hopeful that in years to come the property maintenance won’t be an issue.