Friday, May 1, 2026
photos by Alexandra Butler, photographer/photo editor, except as credited
Pennsylvania College of Technology and Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity joined the city and county on Thursday to dedicate a new home that, after two years under construction, will soon welcome a family.
“Today isn’t just about dedicating a house, because a home is never just four walls and a roof. It’s where a family can finally feel safe, find stability and start putting down roots,” said Elizabeth “Libby” Glunk, treasurer of Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Directors.
Representatives from Pennsylvania College of Technology, Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity and local and state government ceremonially plant a crab apple tree at a Habitat for Humanity house on Fifth Avenue that was largely built by Penn College students. The house was dedicated April 30. From left are Lycoming County Commissioner Scott L. Metzger; state Sen. Gene Yaw, Penn College Board of Directors chair; state Rep. Jamie Flick; Ellyn A. Lester, assistant dean of construction and architectural technologies; Elizabeth Glunk, Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors treasurer; Mayor Derek Slaughter; residential construction technology and management student Nick E. DeRemer, of Cogan Station; and Penn College President Michael J. Reed.
The Fifth Avenue property was once the site of a tavern that was labeled by the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office as a “nuisance bar” and shut down. Penn College purchased the residential-zoned parcel in October 2015 and leveled the building.
In 2023, sparked by a faculty member’s vision to have students work with Habitat on a “real-world” project and following a conversation among Penn College, Habitat and city leaders, the college donated the property to Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity and partnered with the organization to build a home that would be cost-effective to build and affordable for a homeowner to purchase and maintain.
Since September 2024, when first-year building construction technology students received one of their first lessons in site layout at the property, 132 students, under the direction of their Penn College instructors and Habitat staff, spent class time helping to build the home.
In addition to building construction technology, the project involved classes in the college’s concrete science technology; electrical construction; heating, ventilation & air conditioning technology; heavy equipment operator technology; and landscape/plant production majors. Architectural technology students also participated by proposing energy-efficient designs for the site.
Nick E. DeRemer, a residential construction technology student from Cogan Station, is one of the students who helped with the site’s layout and participated throughout the build – in roofing, exterior finishing and interior trim carpentry.
“Being involved in so many stages gave me a better understanding of the full building process and how each part connects to the next,” DeRemer said.
A home built by students at 508 Fifth Ave. on property donated by Penn College is ready to welcome a family.
Also partnering in the build were the Lycoming County Commissioners, which approved a grant for $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for construction materials, and the City of Williamsport, which allowed use of an adjacent city-owned property for equipment and materials storage. Penn College and Habitat also provided building materials.
Soon, a family will move in.
“Thanks to strategic partnerships, a property once labeled ‘nuisance’ has a new life, now offering housing to a deserving family,” said Michael J. Reed, Penn College president. “Thanks to collaborative conversations with Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity, city and county leadership, a challenge became an opportunity. Students developed workforce-ready skills, the property returned to tax rolls and a family has access to sustainable homeownership to raise the next generation.”
DeRemer said that the project helped him not only develop his technical skills but taught him to how to problem solve, manage time and stay focused. But he’s most proud of the collaboration of the team to build something meaningful that will make a difference in someone’s life.
Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity’s Glunk said the Fifth Avenue building is the 60th home Habitat has built in Lycoming County since 1987. She dispelled a common misbelief that the organization gives away homes, explaining that homeowners put in effort to earn the opportunity. They volunteer alongside construction volunteers, complete financial education and homeowner training, save for a down payment and take on an affordable mortgage.
“This home is also a great example of what happens when missions align. Habitat is focused on creating affordable housing, and Penn College is focused on providing hands-on learning for its students. Together, that partnership created something meaningful for everyone involved.”
For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
DeRemer accepts the congratulations of Reed as they trade places behind the podium.
Landscape/plant production technology students finish planting the crab apple tree, added to the property to symbolize the roots a family will be able to establish at the home. From left: Clare E. Allen, of Stevensville; Rider J. Heckman (behind tree), of Easton; Gavin Millett, of Milton; Cale M. Rice, of Julian; and Levi J. Kurtz, of Hazle Township. The tree was grown from bare root by students in horticulture instructor Justin Shelinski’s Containerized Plant Production class.
The event's student speaker poses with his parents inside the home.
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