Greensburg is hoping a new TV show can bring some star power to the city’s efforts to eliminate blight.
The city is one of many communities that applied for a shot to be featured on HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover,” which is set to premiere early next year.
“Even though in Greensburg great things are happening, we still have a lot to do,” said Ashley Kertes, director of the Greensburg Community Development Corporation. “
“Home Town Takeover” will be a spin-off of HGTV’s “Home Town” which sees hosts Ben and Erin Napier taking on renovation projects in their home of Laurel, Mississippi.
In the new show, the Napiers will take the same approach to a new setting, working to transform a town over the course of six episodes.
Greensburg’s application video, created by Steel City News, spotlights the historic architecture of landmarks like the Westmoreland County Courthouse and the Greensburg train station. It also points out the many large, blighted buildings that are financially unfeasible to renovate.
“I’d hope they could come help us with some of these old buildings that need some TLC,” Kertes said.
Lots of other communities hope for the same thing. More than 3,100 towns applied to be on the show, including Apollo, Harrison, Freeport and Leechburg.
Towns with a population below 40,000 were eligible. The application period is over.
