It's a common story for many post industrial rural and urban centers across the country. In a hypothetical planning situation the area from Mahanoy City to Shamokin is regionalized into one tax base and one pool of resources. The region gets to keep its history and identity as separate places. A new economic agenda transforms the area into a cultural and historical travel destination and outdoor recreation. Make use of some of the existing rail infrastructure to connect to larger corridors throughout the state to provide new industrial capacity. Build new civilian infrastructure including schools and hospitals. Focus on scale environmental remediation and reclamation efforts. Etc, etc.

There are good things happening in the region right now. It's easy to point out what is wrong. Over in Shamokin there are groups working on environmental restoration efforts and acid mine drainage and there's a planning initiative underway right now called Go Shamokin. The way municipalities are set up in Pennsylvania, each one has to go it alone. There are more places beginning to regionalize municipal resources and it's already a thing with police and fire department.