Ferrara Avenue dedicated in Hazleton
- Matt Straub
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
HAZLETON — A ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate Ferrara Avenue was held Friday.
The road named in honor of Father Joseph J. Ferrara, is an extension of the current Ferrara Avenue and connects Terrace Boulevard to state Route 93.
Ferrara was a musician, teacher and composer. He founded the Hazleton Philharmonic Orchestra and the J.J. Ferrara Center. He’s also credited for creating Ferrwood Music Camp — a sanctuary for musical learning and personal growth in Drums.
“If my parents were living, they would have been so happy that people have done this for my brother,” Ferrara’s sister Anne Green said following the dedication. “A lot of credit goes to the mayor, city council, and all those who worked on this; it’s beautiful.”
Family members joined her as well as representatives from the CAN DO Community Foundation, stewards of the Ferrwood Music Camp, PTPA, all city council members and Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat for the ceremony.
“It was very important to open up the existing Ferrara Ave., out to Broad Street and open two large areas of land for residential use in the future,” Cusat said. “We dedicated the name of the road to Father Ferrara, which is an extension of the current Ferrara Ave. It also gives a second way into the terrace. That’s what pushed this project to the forefront.”
The project was paid for with ARPA money and cost $1 million, Cusat said.
Work included brand-new sidewalks from Terrace Boulevard to Broad Street.
John Nilles, a city council member, took music lessons from Father Ferrara and said, “he had the band camp in the summertime for students to keep up with their skills. He was always warm and open. I never saw him get angry with the kids while trying to teach them to learn.”
Source: James Esposito / Staff Writer
Photo Credit: John Haeger / Staff Photographer
Standard-Speaker Newspaper, Hazleton PA