'At 5 o’clock, Latrobe is a ghost town,' councilwoman laments as city looks to enliven downtown

As Latrobe’s leaders discuss ways to improve the city, one of the issues they’re trying to address is the lack of nightlife downtown.

“I think the big problem is at 5 o’clock, Latrobe is a ghost town,” said City Councilwoman Dawn Vavick. “Everybody leaves. There’s nobody downtown.

“Shops close very early. We need restaurants for people to come in, and a (craft) brewery.”

That was one of the ideas voiced during a portion of this week’s city council meeting devoted to a discussion of quality-of-life issues.

Heather Cuyler, a planning consultant with Pittsburgh’s Pashek+MTR, led the conversation as part of a study overseen by a local Be My Neighbor Committee. The study is aimed at developing a vision and strategy for the future of the Latrobe area and identifying related projects to pursue.

“What we’re trying to figure out is, what does the future look like for Greater Latrobe?” Cuyler said, adding that the study will focus on “issues that might need to be solved in the next five to 10 years.”

That effort has been underway for about two years, and Cuyler has met with community stakeholders including officials from nearby Saint Vincent College in Unity.

“Consistently, I have heard that (restaurants) all close down at 6 or 7,” she said. “There’s nothing to do after that. The college students don’t have a place to come to.”

Some downtown merchants and eateries have joined forces to offer themed Latrobe Shop Hop Night retail events, usually from 4 to 7 p.m on the first Wednesday of the month.

Councilman Jim Kelley suggested the college’s trolley — built on a bus chassis and modeled after the scaled-down version on the late Latrobe native Fred Rogers’ children’s television show — could be used to bring students into town.

But Cuyler said: “There has to be something for them to do” once they get off the trolley.

She said ideas to explore include attracting Saint Vincent students to activities at the city’s parks and cultural events in town while encouraging internship placements for the students with Latrobe businesses.

Latrobe native John Maher said the Latrobe Art Center and the cafe it shares space with at Ligonier and Main streets are among bright spots that have attracted people downtown and “seem to have a little bit of a buzz.”

He also wondered whether some areas in Latrobe could be redeveloped for light industry.

“When you have people who have access to a living wage, people fix their homes up, they shop and they spend money,” Maher said.“Good jobs mean a good town.”

In another potential issue to be addressed, Cuyler said she has heard comments indicating “some people aren’t real comfortable walking in town at night.”

“Perception is everything,” Latrobe police Chief Richard Bosco acknowledged.

But he added: “The safety of the city is intact. This city is very strong and vital in its infrastructure. The part that we’re lacking is the essence to attract people for long-term stays.”

He said he has met with local stakeholders who discussed the idea of engaging an event planner to coordinate activities in town.

Kelley suggested providing opportunities for pop-up merchants to come into town.

Maher’s wife, Judith, said she would like to see more indoor recreational and fitness activities in Latrobe that are within walking distance for older residents.

The Be My Neighbor study eventually will result in a formal report, Cuyler said. She said interest in making walking trail connections to the city is among topics that have come to the forefront based on meetings with stakeholders and more than 150 responses to a community questionnaire.