NANTY GLO — Borough Council members and residents are striving to their goals a reality with a new borough manager and an even newer comprehensive plan.

Nestled in a central Cambria County valley, Nanty Glo was once a populous, booming coal town lined with company houses and a thriving downtown.

But in exchange for the exit of King Coal and a thriving steel work force in the 1980s, Nanty Glo gained a reputation for being a “drug town” without a promising future.

Not any more, according to Borough Manager Samuel Sulkosky, who started work in January.

Sulkosky described council members as professional, easy to work with, eager and determined to forge onward.

“Council is very proactive and perceptive,” Sulkosky said. “They’re looking ahead.”

On April 1, council members approved the comprehensive plan they developed for the borough.

It’s a vision of the community’s future – and a plan on how to achieve it.

A survey was mailed to 300 randomly selected households from the borough’s list of sewer customers and 62 businesses in March 2005. An overwhelming 45 percent response rate assisted the borough with short- and long-range goals through the next decade.

And while about 80 percent of respondents said they live in Nanty Glo because of the small-town setting and friendly people, they listed drugs and dilapidated buildings as the town’s biggest challenges.

Surveys revealed that 42 percent were “very dissatisfied” with anti-drug enforcement.

And an overwhelming majority wants more single-family dwellings and business growth.

“It’s very well-thought out,” Sulkosky said of the plan. “And council did it themselves with members of the public, council and various authorities.

“It’s in general terms, but it suggests some solutions for various problems.”

He said the borough is being aggressive with its planning, noting that it already has started work on the Burns Street residential development designed for low- to moderate-income families.

The development, which is on undeveloped borough-owned property above the sewer plant, will be converted into site-ready lots.

“We’re going to do site development, roads, infrastructure and get the sites ready for development and have some houses built on it,” Sulkosky said.

Engineering is expected to be completed in August, and construction is slated for completion in July 2009.

Council is hoping some of those homes will be built by folks hired at MEC Chemicals, a company that manufactures safe replacements for toxic chemicals.

Sulkosky said the zoning hearing board in May approved a variance to allow the company to open at its Shoemaker Street location – bringing 16 new jobs.

“We have a lot of room for growth, residentially and commercially,” he said.

Mayor Tom Cunningham agreed. He said he is pleased with how council and Sulkosky have begun to push ahead.

“We have a lot of positive things going on here,” Cunningham said.

“Anything we can do to improve the town to get more residents and more revenue is always a good thing.”

Cunningham said he has noticed an influx of retirees returning to the borough.

“We get more retired people moving into Nanty Glo instead of working people, and that shocks me,” Cunningham said. “They think it’s a nice small town to retire in, and they’re coming back home.”

Sulkosky said council is strongly enforcing its codes regarding dilapidated buildings in an effort to clean up the town’s appearance.

“The borough has implemented aggressive property maintenance and blighted property removal programs,” Sulkosky said. “We currently have six property complaints pending before the district magistrate.”

He is also stressing intermunicipal cooperation.

“Nanty Glo is unique in having two separate entities for water and sewer,” Sulkosky said. “We are concentrating on cooperating together, and I think we’ve made progress on that.

“With a small borough, you have to have cooperation among organizations.”

Cunningham said he is encouraged and optimistic.

“So far, it looks positive for Nanty Glo,” Cunningham said. “But it’s going to take time.”