THE TYRONE YMCA?

[Blain]

I've never been in Burley's, but from the outside it doesn't have much appeal IMHO.

They serve food. I'd think that would be right up your alley.

[banksy]

I've never been in Burley's, but from the outside it doesn't have much appeal IMHO.

They serve food. I'd think that would be right up your alley.

You must attend the Donkey Basketball games at TAHS, cause that's right up your alley.

[150thBucktailCo.I]

I have a question:

For all you people who want to save the YMCA building, how many of you actually purchased memberships or donated money to the organization annually while the YMCA was open?

I believe that a large part of the problem that the now defunct organization had was the difficulty of gathering local funding by way of selling memberships and collecting donations from the local community. The income did not match the funding needed to keep the facility operating properly. Again, a lack of support and/or demand by the citizens of Tyrone and the surrounding area. And I have been told that the National YMCA didn't exactly make it a point to assist the Tyrone YMCA financially, and pretty much focused on Hollidaysburg and SC.

On another topic:

I don't foresee a hotel ever coming to locate in the Tyrone boro. Honestly, I believe the best location for a hotel would be either in the Bald Eagle area off I-99 or right off the Grazierville Exit on the corner with 220. That large lot across the street from DeGol Lumber.

Finally:

Now, I don't know if those calling for a casino in Tyrone are being serious, but in all honesty it'll never ever happen in this area. First off, I believe it's something like $50 million for a casino license, not including all the required facility plans, strict financial plans, and traffic and feasibilty studies and such that are required along with the application even prior to being considered for a license. Finally, it all has to be studied and approved by the PA Gaming Control Board.

It'd have to be an investor or group of investors with more money than brains to make an attempt to open a casino in Tyrone or Northern Blair county. All of Blair county for that matter.

[Blain]

I've never been in Burley's, but from the outside it doesn't have much appeal IMHO.

They serve food. I'd think that would be right up your alley.

You must attend the Donkey Basketball games at TAHS, cause that's right up your alley.

Donkey Basketball. Quite a come-back. Allow me to take a moment to catch my breath.

[banksy]

I've never been in Burley's, but from the outside it doesn't have much appeal IMHO.

They serve food. I'd think that would be right up your alley.

You must attend the Donkey Basketball games at TAHS, cause that's right up your alley.

Donkey Basketball. Quite a come-back. Allow me to take a moment to catch my breath.

Careful with your mouth open....

[DonkeyHoagie]

I've never been in Burley's, but from the outside it doesn't have much appeal IMHO.

They serve food. I'd think that would be right up your alley.

You must attend the Donkey Basketball games at TAHS, cause that's right up your alley.

Donkey Basketball. Quite a come-back. Allow me to take a moment to catch my breath.

Careful with your mouth open....

Are you speaking from experience?

[Conan_the_Hoagarian]

I've never been in Burley's, but from the outside it doesn't have much appeal IMHO.

They serve food. I'd think that would be right up your alley.

You must attend the Donkey Basketball games at TAHS, cause that's right up your alley.

Donkey Basketball. Quite a come-back. Allow me to take a moment to catch my breath.

Careful with your mouth open....

Are you speaking from experience?

I'm afraid that Banksy does know from experience.

While competing in the 1985 national twirling competition he found himself on the losing end of a flaming baton.

The twirling ball of fire entered his open mouth and burned him severely.

To this day his speech is impaired.

That's why he confines much of his daily conversations to email and Tyrone forum postings.

[DonkeyHoagie]

I've never been in Burley's, but from the outside it doesn't have much appeal IMHO.

They serve food. I'd think that would be right up your alley.

You must attend the Donkey Basketball games at TAHS, cause that's right up your alley.

Donkey Basketball. Quite a come-back. Allow me to take a moment to catch my breath.

Careful with your mouth open....

Are you speaking from experience?

I'm afraid that Banksy does know from experience.

While competing in the 1985 national twirling competition he found himself on the losing end of a flaming baton.

The twirling ball of fire entered his open mouth and burned him severely.

To this day his speech is impaired.

That's why he confines much of his daily conversations to email and Tyrone forum postings.

That's not how I heard the story.

[My2Cents]

OK, I understand what all of you are saying and agree with most. Banksy, it finally sunk in about the credit card business and being recognized... I guess there won't be any choice but to get a well known chain. I was thinking of the days when Tyrone had a few hotels around.. don't remember all their names... James Hotel.. Logan Hotel... I wonder who owned them ?? I specifically remember the Logan Hotel with all it's awnings. It took up the whole corner area of 10th and Logan. They flourished in their day...always busy with people coming and going. Used to wait there occasionally for the Altoona bus to either go roller skating at bland park on Sunday afternoons, or shopping in downtown Altoona on Saturday afternoons Oh well.. I guess it's big business now days to even try to have something established. Was kind of disappointed to hear from (it think) Bucktail how much it would actually cost to even attempt getting a hotel with a Casino. I'm wondering, however... wouldn't that pay for itself in no time ?? Doesn't anybody out there know Donald ?? Can you imagine the $$$$ that would be brought into this area... Whew !!! Oh well, I thought for sure we would all get this town built... guess it's gonna' take longer than a weekend in cyberspace to do it.

[banksy]

OK, I understand what all of you are saying and agree with most. Banksy, it finally sunk in about the credit card business and being recognized... I guess there won't be any choice but to get a well known chain. I was thinking of the days when Tyrone had a few hotels around.. don't remember all their names... James Hotel.. Logan Hotel... I wonder who owned them ?? I specifically remember the Logan Hotel with all it's awnings. It took up the whole corner area of 10th and Logan. They flourished in their day...always busy with people coming and going. Used to wait there occasionally for the Altoona bus to either go roller skating at bland park on Sunday afternoons, or shopping in downtown Altoona on Saturday afternoons Oh well.. I guess it's big business now days to even try to have something established. Was kind of disappointed to hear from (it think) Bucktail how much it would actually cost to even attempt getting a hotel with a Casino. I'm wondering, however... wouldn't that pay for itself in no time ?? Doesn't anybody out there know Donald ?? Can you imagine the $$$$ that would be brought into this area... Whew !!! Oh well, I thought for sure we would all get this town built... guess it's gonna' take longer than a weekend in cyberspace to do it.

I think a casino in Tyrone area would work. It provides a lot of jobs and quite a bit of revenue. People would come from all around just to go to that Casino. There are few Casino's that really lose money, regardless of what their books say (i.e. Taj Mahal in AC.) When people say a Casino in Tyrone, don't confuse it with Vegas, just a moderate size place for slots and some table games. Overall, it's a good idea, although i doubt it would fit at the Tyrone Y site.

[150thBucktailCo.I]

http://www.pgcb.state.pa.us/ PA Gaming Control Board website.

Here's where the current slot machine casinos are/will be located.

2 in Philly, 1 in Pittsburgh beside Heinz Field, 1 in Bethlehem at the former site of Bethlehem Steel, 1 in Wilkes-Barre, and 1 in the Poconos at Mount Airy Lodge.

Currently, there are some other slot parlors at horse racing tracks. These are located at Presque Isle in Erie and at the Meadows in Washington county (south of Pittsburgh off I-79). Pocono Downs is another. There might be a couple more.

I know there are rumblings of a racetrack being built in the Hanover area to tap the Baltimore/DC market since the Gettysburg casino was rejected handily.

Also, at this moment, the PA Gaming Control Board is in the process of awarding 2 more licenses. There are 4 hopefuls, and they are from Bushkill, Monroe county; King of Prussia, Montgomery county; Lake Harmony, Carbon county; and Monroeville, Allegheny county.

If you look at all these casinos/slot parlors or proposed casinos, most have 2 things in common. A) Popular, heavily populated areas with lots of tourism opportunities with different attractions. B) Near the state borders to attract the out-of-state population. Tyrone and central PA definitely do not fit in either of those categories.

During the casino debates and public discussion from 2005 and 2006, there was some talk about possibly putting a casino in the SC area to tap central PA and PSU. However, I think that was rejected for ethical and moral reasons. I believe that the powers that be determined that central PA is not the place for a casino due to the problems it could create with PSU students, as well as the fact that the overwhelming majority of users would be Pennsylvanians. I'm fairly certain former Sen. Bob Jubelirer did not want a casino located in central PA, and I am pretty positive that current Sen. John Eichelberger feels the same way.

In my opinion, I believe only one place in the 30th PA Senatorial District stands a chance of ever getting a slots/casino license. And that is the newly refurbished (to the expense of $120 million taxpayers' dollars by Jubelirer) Bedford Springs Resort and Spa south of Bedford.

[banksy]

There is already a Harrah's in Chester, PA

[My2Cents]

Bucktail..... Just read thru that "PA Gaming Control Board" website that you included above. Very interesting !! Know what... I think it could be done.. a small, or mid-size one as Banksy mentioned. Our town could really become something... I'm not talking about a lil' 'ole slot machine sitting in a lil' 'ole dark corner of town somewhere.... I mean a Hotel and a mid-size Casino combined. Sitting right down there on the corner of PA AVE and 10th street.. going all the way up the street and attaching to Burley's. Which, by the way, (someone above was asking) is an outstanding restaurant.... and extending throughout the back end of that whole area. There's an exit from I99 right there. Oh my... dream on.... I think I better get off here for a while, ROFLOL.

[Blain]

Maybe G&R can pony up the necessary fees and bribes for a slots license, and they can put a slots parlor in downtown Tyrone. Then all the people from the four or five section eight housing projects in town would have a place to blow their benefit checks. If we could get an Indian tribe involved, maybe the Lenape people from Huntingdon, they could sell cheap cigarettes, which would be a huge hit in the Tyrone area.

And hey Banksy, they'd probably have a nice buffet, too.

[150thBucktailCo.I]

HAHAHAHAHA!

Hope that casino has free child care, along with free booze.

If so, it's sure to be a hit with the locals.