Tarentum bids farewell to Tarena, approves construction storage facility

It’s time to take down the silver mirror ball at the Tarena.

Council on Tuesday night approved a conditional use by a Wexford-based construction company to transform the long-running Tarentum entertainment spot into a storage facility and staging area.

“We have to take the emotion out of it,” council President Scott Dadowski said. “We went through the process, and all we are approving is a request by someone that wants to use it.”

Tarena owners shut down the roller rink in 2020 because of the pandemic and have said it would be too expensive to get operations going again.

Council voted 7-0 to approve a conditional use zoning approval for Bridges & Co., which will use the building at 209 Lock St. to store tools and building equipment.

“It’s not some heavy industrial use,” said Paul A. “Gus” Marquart, managing partner for Bridges & Co. “We have heaters, toolboxes, saws and other small tools that we need to keep under cover. It’s not bulldozers and cranes.”

Bridges & Co., founded in 1982, manages construction projects across the area. The company built the Harrison Walmart and the Harmar Target.

Marquart said it’s likely that a truck will make one to two pickups a day, using a garage door that the company plans to install in the rear of the building along Plum Alley.

“He’ll show up between 6 and 8 in the morning, load the truck and drive them to the job site,” Marquart said. “He’ll pick up things to bring them back.”

Deliveries will happen sometimes on weekends and evenings.

Only a handful of people spoke during Tuesday’s public hearing, though social media has been flooded with nostalgia for the roller rink.

Resident Judith Pearson asked council to hold off on voting to see if other offers come in.

“We’ve not conducted due process,” she said. “The property has only been on the market for five months. Let’s not act hastily.”

Resident Cynthia Kramer said she would like council to impose strict conditions regarding the time of deliveries and size of the trucks to minimize disruptions to the residents who live nearby.

“I’m concerned about traffic and noise,” Kramer said.

“If we don’t put conditions on it, we can’t take it back. I’d like them spelled out to protect the community.”

Marquart said he intends to be a good neighbor, with plans to replace the leaking roof and tear down a small annex that faces Second Avenue.

“It’s not attractive and we’d like to make it look nicer,” he said.

Bridges & Co. will install a sign on the front of the building.

Tim Rapp, a member of the borough’s planning commission, said he realizes that “everybody would like to see the old Tarentum, with the movie theater and the roller rink. But that’s not gonna happen.”

Rapp said Bridges & Co. met the application requirements and it would be faulty of the borough to refuse it.

Councilman Brian Snyder was curious what kind of presence the company would have in the community since there won’t be employees eating at local restaurants or shopping in the business district.

“Are you going to commit to having a presence?” Snyder asked. “Will you get involved in community events?”

Marquart said the company is involved with clients, and it plans to support the borough.