With just seven days notice, the borough of Montoursville hosted a president and over 10,000 visitors.
“I knew about three or four hours before it went public,” Montoursville Mayor Steve Bagwell said. Bagwell was out and about Monday, making sure residents and visitors alike were taken care of and knew where to go. “So far today everything has gone better than we could have hoped for.”
Bagwell spent the week before President Donald Trump’s rally sending out Facebook updates, making sure the public was informed and Montoursville was prepared.
He said the most important thing was safety. From coordinating with law enforcement, making sure people knew the best way to get to the event, and providing toilet facilities for those in line, Montoursville came together to pull this off, Bagwell said.
“We don’t even have a traffic jam in the middle of town,” he said. “Everybody’s working together, everybody’s performed well.”
The heavy traffic flow was cut down considerably by many people taking busses from the Lycoming Mall parking lot straight to the event. This meant far fewer cars were traveling into downtown Montoursville.
Bagwell spent the event outside the gates, welcoming visitors as they walked down Loyalsock Avenue and making sure they were happy with their reception in Montoursville.
“For a week, I think we’ve done great,” he said.
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