00:08 - Senator Gene Yaw.

00:10 - Williamsport is part of your legislative district.

00:13 - What sets it apart from other parts of the state?

00:18 - Oh, I think what sets.

00:19 - Williamsport apart from other parts of the state.

00:21 - We we have everything.

00:23 - We obviously.

00:24 - Will probably talk about Little League World Series, but.

00:27 - We've got significant industries. Like.

00:29 - I mean, engines.

00:30 - We have significant.

00:32 - Arts.

00:34 - The community Arts Center is a 2200

00:39 - seat art deco designed in the 1920s refurbished.

00:43 - So we.

00:45 - Have a program called First Friday where there are.

00:48 - 50 some vendors. I think.

00:51 - The first Friday. Of.

00:53 - Every. Month that line the streets of.

00:55 - Winn Sport and.

00:56 - It's a community event and it's turned out to be just.

01:00 - A great. Event.

01:01 - It's vendors, food vendors.

01:04 - People that are selling, selling goods.

01:08 - It's a little. Bit of everything.

01:11 - So let's talk more about the drivers of the economy in Williamsport.

01:14 - Lycoming Engines, for example.

01:15 - What are they doing there?

01:17 - Why? Coming Engines is the.

01:20 - Largest producer.

01:22 - Of Piston?

01:24 - General aviation. Aircraft. Engines.

01:27 - They are the premier builder of.

01:30 - That type of engine in.

01:31 - The world.

01:31 - And it's the only domestic manufac.

01:34 - Sure.

01:34 - Left about 600 employees there.

01:39 - They have significant

01:41 - general aviation engines like.

01:44 - For a long. Time.

01:45 - Lycoming Power powered all the Piper Cubs.

01:48 - But they. Also power other.

01:51 - General aviation.

01:52 - They have significant defense. Work.

01:55 - Now at this point.

01:56 - And Lycoming engines are used in drones.

02:01 - Now, I know natural gas drilling is big up that way.

02:04 - What has that done for the local economy?

02:08 - First of all, the gas

02:09 - industry has been assimilated into the wind.

02:12 - Sport, fabric or the. The economy.

02:16 - People ask me that question all the time and it's like,

02:18 - I don't even think about it anymore.

02:20 - And I thought, I think most of the other people don't think that much about it.

02:24 - You see a lot of. Pickup trucks around.

02:27 - But it has been. A.

02:29 - Tremendous boom, quite frankly.

02:32 - For. The.

02:33 - Wind sport, Lycoming County, for that.

02:35 - Whole. Central part of the state.

02:37 - So you said that natural gas drilling has been woven

02:40 - into the fabric of Williamsport.

02:42 - Does that mean that all the legislative challenges have been resolved by now?

02:47 - Most of them have

02:48 - been, but there's always anything that's environmental.

02:52 - Or where the environment's.

02:54 - Involved.

02:55 - It's always people need to watch it.

02:58 - And but I think that the the gas companies.

03:02 - Have done a really pretty good job.

03:03 - Of trying to protect the environment and live within the rules.

03:08 - Now, speaking of energy, now, this is a little bit about history in Williamsport.

03:12 - This is interesting.

03:13 - And this has to do with the transportation of oil.

03:16 - I understand the first modern pop pipeline

03:19 - that carried oil flowed into Williamsport in 1879.

03:23 - And just how significant was that accomplishment?

03:26 - That was it's really neat when people talk about pipelines today and when they.

03:32 - Started and everything.

03:33 - But the one that went. From Cory Ville.

03:36 - To. Whim sport and it. Was done to.

03:38 - Short circuit. The.

03:40 - Power of John D Rockefeller and.

03:43 - Standard Oil, who kind of had a monopoly on.

03:46 - On oil production.

03:47 - In Pennsylvania.

03:49 - And some people. Got together and said.

03:51 - We don't want to deal with them and we don't want.

03:55 - All of our oil to.

03:56 - Be shipped. By rail.

03:58 - So we're going to run this pipeline.

04:00 - The amazing thing is it was laid in 90 days.

04:04 - And of course, this was before.

04:05 - We had things like cell phones.

04:08 - So we didn't have drones, we didn't have airplanes.

04:10 - So it was done in the wintertime and it was 110 miles.

04:16 - And looking back on it and thinking about people laid a pipe on top.

04:20 - Of the ground, one.

04:21 - Hundred and ten miles in the dead.

04:23 - Of winter, using.

04:24 - No none of the modern machines that we have today.

04:28 - Eventually, the pipe was. Buried.

04:31 - In one of.

04:31 - The more.

04:32 - Interesting things it's in still in use today, it as a conduit.

04:37 - For fiber optic cable.

04:39 - Now, tell me more about the special

04:41 - technological advancement that was represented by this pipeline.

04:45 - In other words,

04:45 - it not only ran over a great distance, it went over mountains as well.

04:49 - That was the big deal. Then it had pumps.

04:52 - It was the first time that anybody used pumps to.

04:56 - Pressurize.

04:56 - The line and pump oil uphill and down and that distance.

05:03 - So when this pipeline came into existence in 1879,

05:06 - what did the existence of this pipeline mean to building up the community?

05:10 - It must have been almost an overnight change.

05:13 - It was.

05:14 - And that I think one of the things that happened.

05:16 - As a result of the.

05:17 - Pipeline, too, was the beginning of the I believe it.

05:20 - Was the Redding Railroad.

05:22 - And so all these these things involving.

05:25 - Energy are all tied. In. Together.

05:28 - In this. Whimsical hub.

05:30 - In the.

05:30 - Central part of.

05:31 - The state.

05:31 - And it was really quite interesting.

05:34 - So a fiber optic line is running through this oil pipeline today.

05:39 - It's almost ironic.

05:40 - It is ironic.

05:41 - I mean, and it's a use of something.

05:46 - It's well. Over 100 years. Old.

05:48 - Now, I understand that Williamsport has the reputation of being

05:52 - it was the lumber capital of the world.

05:54 - And maybe that's hard to relate to nowadays.

05:57 - So talk about how Williamsport

05:59 - earned that title and just how big that business was.

06:02 - Well, at one point.

06:06 - History says that there were five. Sawmills.

06:10 - On the river

06:12 - right in the wind sport area.

06:14 - And what happened is.

06:16 - There was an area.

06:17 - Of Lycoming County called the Black.

06:18 - Forest.

06:19 - And Black Forest was.

06:20 - Called that because the the pine trees and the.

06:23 - Hemlock trees were so.

06:24 - Thick that the sunshine.

06:26 - Never got to the ground.

06:28 - It was black all the time.

06:30 - So what happened is that.

06:32 - Area was clearcut.

06:34 - And the logs. Were floated down the river.

06:37 - To the sawmills.

06:38 - And that's what it was at that point in in the 1800s.

06:44 - And the history of Williamsport, the wind sport had more millionaires per.

06:50 - Capita than any.

06:51 - Other place in the world.

06:52 - Of course, then there's a.

06:54 - Section of town called.

06:56 - Millionaire's Row, where all these people built these.

06:58 - Tremendous houses.

07:00 - And they're. Still in existence today.

07:02 - One of the challenges is keeping them.

07:05 - Improved.

07:05 - And keeping them up to date and just.

07:08 - Preserving. Them. But that was.

07:13 - The result of that clear cutting.

07:16 - Environmentally, a lot of people think that that's bad.

07:19 - The result. Of it was it opened.

07:21 - Up the ground.

07:22 - And now today it's. Been replaced. By.

07:26 - Our Pennsylvania hardwoods.

07:27 - Mm hmm.

07:28 - So the environment had a way.

07:29 - Of correcting or.

07:31 - Correcting its own. The issues there.

07:34 - So the nearby Susquehanna River acted as a free conveyor belt for these trees?

07:39 - It did.

07:40 - And many places in the river, they had these think.

07:45 - Cribs where the log booms were actually.

07:48 - Anchored to them.

07:49 - They were made. Out of.

07:50 - Lumber and. Stones and them.

07:52 - And they were kind of a hazard on the river.

07:55 - And I remember as a boater, I.

07:58 - Visited some of those things.

08:00 - With the prop several times until I learned where to go in the river.

08:03 - But they've all. Been removed. Now.

08:06 - But they. Were.

08:08 - And we're talking.

08:09 - About something that maybe within the last 15, 20 years is when those.

08:14 - Log ships were removed from the finally removed from the river.

08:18 - So let's consider educational opportunities in Williamsport.

08:21 - You have Lycoming College there, and what are they doing there?

08:24 - Lycoming College.

08:26 - I'm a.

08:26 - Graduate of Lycoming College

08:29 - by the student body of about 1500.

08:32 - Is a liberal arts.

08:33 - School.

08:34 - The interesting thing about Lycoming College's

08:37 - it's its history goes back to 1812.

08:41 - I mean, that's really I mentioned this.

08:44 - Somebody has said there must have been Indians here in 1812.

08:48 - I mean, not no disrespect, but that's how long ago.

08:52 - There's a couple hundred years. Ago. Yes.

08:54 - And it became associated with the Methodist

08:57 - church, I think, in the mid 1800s.

08:59 - And then eventually that that association has changed.

09:04 - But it became it was known as the

09:08 - seminary windswept Lycoming Seminary.

09:12 - And then.

09:14 - After World War Two.

09:15 - It became.

09:16 - A four year baccalaureate college.

09:18 - Here's another place you can get an education.

09:20 - Williamsport, that's the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

09:24 - Pennsylvania College of Technology.

09:27 - You're correct.

09:28 - That it has.

09:30 - Approximately 4500 students there, has about. 100.

09:34 - Programs. And it's

09:37 - related to hands on learning in.

09:41 - The phrase degrees. That work.

09:44 - Has been.

09:45 - Trademarked by. Penn College.

09:47 - So it's kind of interesting.

09:49 - The other thing of interest about Penn College and I said about entertainment,

09:54 - the college. About 30 years ago.

09:56 - Bought an old. Theater.

09:59 - It was the Capitol Theater.

10:01 - It was an art deco built in the 1920s.

10:04 - And renovated. It.

10:05 - And it's in existence today, if you ever get a chance to come.

10:08 - It is absolutely beautiful inside.

10:10 - It was.

10:11 - Refurbished.

10:12 - Inside according to the same way.

10:15 - It was originally built.

10:16 - For example, when they started.

10:19 - Looking into it.

10:20 - It has. Horsehair plaster.

10:23 - Now, what's horsehair plaster? I don't know.

10:25 - But to find somebody to do it. Is really interesting.

10:28 - And that was done.

10:29 - That sounds like technology from another era.

10:31 - It was no interview about for complete until we acknowledge

10:36 - the Little League World Series and its home is Williamsport.

10:40 - What involvement have you had there, Senator?

10:43 - Oh, I'd go to the games.

10:46 - We've helped with some issues that.

10:49 - Matters or legal. Matters that they've had.

10:51 - And just to get people to help.

10:55 - To work in.

10:56 - In the series.

10:57 - To provide. The.

10:59 - Security.

11:01 - We had some issues one year with the state police, but it's just been amazing.

11:06 - It was founded. Originally in 1939.

11:08 - By an individual by the name of. Carl. Stutz.

11:11 - Carl Stutz daughter still lives and wins sport.

11:15 - And. The first World Series is.

11:17 - In. 1947.

11:20 - Highlights now is that

11:23 - it's been expanded to about

11:26 - I think it's 20 teams this year.

11:29 - It's from all over the world. It's a large.

11:31 - Cultural eye opener with the teams from all over the. World.

11:34 - It is.

11:34 - It's the largest youth sports program in the world.

11:37 - And obviously has an economic impact on.

11:40 - Women's sport, probably about $40 million a year.

11:44 - We only have a couple of minutes left.

11:45 - Senator, what have you worked on?

11:47 - Legislative Lee recently that benefits the people of Williamsport?

11:53 - Well, we've done some things, certain.

11:55 - Grant programs.

11:56 - Involving the levy that's that's always an issue there.

12:01 - But going back a little bit.

12:03 - Farther, I think.

12:04 - The thing that has benefited the.

12:06 - The women's sport the most. Was the. Act 13.

12:09 - That we passed, which is the impact, the monies which have.

12:13 - Been brought. Into the county.

12:15 - I don't. Even remember.

12:17 - Impact fee from natural gas. Drilling.

12:18 - Yes, from natural gas drilling.

12:20 - The city of. Windsor.

12:21 - Gets between five and 600,000.

12:24 - Dollars a year just as a result.

12:26 - Of being in that location. So that's been.

12:30 - Been a tremendous. Asset.

12:31 - The county and the municipalities get something in the.

12:34 - Neighborhood of around. $10 million.

12:36 - So that has probably looking back on it, that has probably been had.

12:41 - The greatest.

12:42 - Impact of anything that I was involved in voted. For.

12:46 - Let's close on this note, Senator.

12:48 - I understand Williamsport lays claim to the idea

12:52 - that it's the gateway to the Pennsylvania wilds.

12:56 - In other words, you have 2 million acres of public land up there. Yes.

13:00 - And is as.

13:01 - We said, recreation is very, very important.

13:04 - I mentioned the levy.

13:05 - We have a bike path on the levy.

13:07 - And obviously we have the Rails to Trails program.

13:10 - And in that goes up. Pine.

13:13 - Creek, the near the Pennsylvania wild.

13:17 - So yes, recreation. Of all kinds is.

13:20 - Just really it's critical to that area of.

13:23 - The state.

13:25 - Senator Jeanne, your thank you very much for your time.

13:28 - You're quite welcome. Thank you.