John “Biff” Hockenberger, Randall Hart, Harmony Fire District President Kevin Behun, Chief Scott Garing and Assistant Chief Justin Hart stand in front of Jack Hockenberger Motors, the site of the future Harmony Fire District's station on Main Street in Zelienople, Monday morning. Randall Hart donated $5,800 to the fire district, both to help fund the fire company's new station and to do so in an historical manner.

ZELIENOPLE — The Hart family sold its Main Street home to Joe Travoli in 1956, who turned it into a Mercury car dealership.

Seven years later, in 1963, Travoli sold it to Jack Hockenberger.

Now, Jack Hockenberger Motors is being torn down to make room for the Harmony Fire District's new station, Randall Hart of Zelienople brought a historical twist to the fire department's acquisition.

On Monday morning, Hart presented the district with a check for $5,800 — the price for which his parents sold their house 65 years ago — and a copy of the deed from when his family owned the property.

“It's a nice way to do a donation and do it from a historical perspective,” said Hart, whose son, Justin, is an officer in the fire company.

Harmony Fire District president Kevin Behun said while the gift is relatively small in comparison to the roughly $6 million project, the fire company appreciates the sentiment and generosity behind it.

“We are humbled and appreciative of such a generous donation,” he said. “Our fund drive for the new station is an important one, and to have a local family with such strong connections to our community and department continue to support us in such a manner blew us away.”

Hart said his donation is meant to symbolize two things. First, he said, it is “giving them back the money that my parents received, per se, for our property.” Second, and more generally, it's an illustration of how the community bands together to support its Main Street.

With the growth in and around Zelienople, along with the borough's Main Street revitalization project, Hart said he wanted to exemplify what it means to live in a community with such a business corridor.“We're a small town and still have a lot of people who have lived here their entire lives, and they are thrilled with the revitalization of Main Street,” Hart said.But it's not the only example of how the community has banded together to raise funds for the new station. John “Biff” Hockenberger — Jack's son, who ran the Hockenberger business from 1979 to 2019 — practically gifted some adjacent land to the fire company, excluding its appraised value from the sale price, both Hart and fire company president Kevin Behun said.In addition, Zelienople borough donated some of its unused funds from the 2020 COVID-19 relief package to the Harmony Fire District as a way to help the company purchase the land and build its station.That's all on top of the community's typical fundraising for the fire company through purchases in the fire district's raffles and participation in its other fundraisers.Hart said he wanted to complete the ceremonial passing of the check and handing-over of the deed with the Hockenberger Motors building in the background as a way to symbolize the passing over through the generations of the 424 South Main St. property.“I wanted to get this done before they tore the building down,” he added.

Hart added he sees a number of parallels between when his parents originally sold the house and the current day.First, Zelienople is in the midst of a Main Street revitalization project, much as it — and many boroughs nearby — was in the 1950s. The Travoli dealership was just one of many car dealerships to position itself in or around the borough, according to Hart.Other parts of the revitalization from the 1950s include the addition or expansion of borough services. In 1956, Hart said, “we had a brand-new elementary school that was built and then we had a brand-new community park.”“It's just a great town and we are thrilled to have the growth return,” he added.But one thing that won't change, Hart said, is the community attitude. He said he wants the community with its influx of new residents to continue its giving, supportive attitude — something he wanted to exemplify via his gift to the fire station.The message isn't lost, either, on the fire company.“The history of this area is what makes us so unique. The history of the site we build our future on is important for our community to know, and a reminder that everything is constantly changing,” Behun said. “We at Harmony Fire District love this community, and donations like this truly take our breath away.”