Website offers Schuylkill sights

Mahanoy man's project lets computer fans see aerial photos of county

BRENNA CASEY/Special Photo

L. David Truskowsky works on his Website that features Schuylkill County aerial photographs.

MAHANOY CITY -- Hey, there's my house!

Schuylkill County citizens who surf the Internet may be able to get a bird's-eye view of their own hometowns, thanks to L. David Truskowsky's Website.

The 25-year-old son of funeral director Louis Truskowsky has set up a Website with links to aerial photos of Pottsville, Shenandoah, Girardville, Saint Clair, and, his hometown, Mahanoy City.

The page also features links to the Mahanoy City Borough home page and the Shenandoah Ambulance home page.

``Wow, it's neat. I'm trying to see if I can find my house,'' said Roxanne A. Wheeler, Shenandoah. ``I didn't even think that the ambulance would have a page.''

It is just because few people know about the pages that Truskowsky is including the links on his site. He makes it a point to include places of interest in the county on his page and to recommend them to his friends for links on their pages.

Photo courtesy of L. David Truskowsky

Frackville is one of the communities that can be seen in aerial photographs on L. David Truskowsky's Website.

Ultimately, Truskowsky, who has been working with computers since high school, says he would like to put together enough links for a ``Schuylkill County Homepage,'' which would feature links to local services, businesses, entertainment and information about the county.

``I'd like to see a page where people who are surfing the 'Net, looking for something in Schuylkill County, can find a link to anything they want or need in one place,'' Truskowsky said.

Truskowsky said he spends a lot of time in the air and has been taking aerial photos since he began flying six years ago, but it wasn't until six months ago that he started adding the photos he takes while in the air to his Internet site.

``I know people always get a kick out of seeing their houses or towns, and the view from an airplane is really spectacular,'' he said. ``I thought it would be something interesting to see.''

Using a pocket 35mm camera, Truskowsky takes a number of photos every time he is in the air. He has them developed directly to floppy disk and if they are good enough, he adds them to the site.

``Some of the pictures are a little hazy, but I am constantly updating,'' he said.

The page is not the first Truskowsky has designed, he said. In addition to his own personal page, he created ones for the West End Fire and Rescue Company, Mahanoy City, and the Shenandoah EMS.