Millions of dollars are being spent to renovate the Windber School District, including Windber Stadium, and now folks hope to be able to fill some of the empty stores, which has them asking, “Why not Windber?.”

“Since I was a little girl Windber was a very safe and friendly community.  It was a community where there were shops you could go to.  You didn’t have to go out of Windber to shop.  You didn’t have to go out of Windber for recreation.  You didn’t have to go out of Windber for fun,” says Dr. Joan Foy-Albright, who is part of the “Why not Windber” campaign.

Albright still has pride in her community.  Some of the stores have gone away over the years, but now the area is working to recreate itself.

“We’re trying to transition from the 20th century to the 21st century, and I think we’re doing that,” John Venzon of the Economic Development Committee adds.

All of it is part of their campaign called “Why not Windber?.”  It is spin-off from their Economic Development Committee.  They believe there is a lot of opportunity coming to the area, so why shouldn’t folks want to come?

“You never know who may like what they see and want to set up shop here,” says borough manager Jim Furmanchik.

The campaign wants to make improvements at the local park and highlight the what makes Windber great, including the Windber Medical Center, Iron Horse Complex, and the renovations being done at the schools and at Windber Stadium.

It’s a community effort, and Albright says that includes the kids, “When the children from the high school are growing up, they’re the ones that are going to be running Windber.”

Albright says she got involved in the campaign because her son wanted to open a business in Windber.  They say the community may not be what it once was, but they are trying to showcase what they can be once all of their projects are complete.  They have no timeline set for the end of the campaign, but say there will be continued growth.