Jobs, tourism discussed during North Charleroi town hall meeting
When state Rep. Bud Cook, R-Coal Center, took office in January, he went to Harrisburg with an ambitious ‘to-do’ list.
Among his top priorities were to create more jobs, improve the quality of life and retain more of the area’s younger people.
“I’m extremely proud that we are addressing or have completed every promise we made during the campaign,” said Cook. “While this is a journey and not a destination, we have come a long way in 10 months. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to both represent and serve my bosses — you, the constituents.”
During a town hall meeting last week at the Lock 4 Volunteer Fire Company in North Charleroi, Cook reviewed accomplishments, challenges and problems that represent opportunities for continued growth throughout his district, which encompasses portions of Fayette and Washington counties. The meeting drew a large group of borough council members, school district officials and residents who had a chance to ask questions and express their opinions.
Cook said he believes the area has a wealth of tourism resources that can attract visitors from far away.
“One of my challenges in Harrisburg is putting us on the map,” he said. “The Mon Valley doesn’t have its own identity. I challenge you to find a sign that reads, ‘Welcome to the Mon Valley.’ The No. 1 reason tourists are coming to Pittsburgh is to visit Fallingwater. And guess where they pass through as they drive to the Laurel Highlands? We have to do more to promote our area.”
Among his quality-of-life initiatives, Cook is working on three major trail proposals for the 49th District and he wants to promote weekend tourism destinations.
“We have to identify what’s out there in terms of our assets and attractions,” said Cook. To that end, Cook plans on bringing businesses, nonprofit organizations and municipalities together in January to create a master calendar of events for the area in 2018.
“We want our events and attractions to show up whenever someone does a Google search for something to do,” said Cook.
In addition, Cook talked about efforts to better engage young people in their communities and generate more jobs.
“Our kids are our future leaders and we have to get them involved now,” he said. “This past year, we have recruited 45 students from 10 local school districts to serve as advisors for our municipalities. We want them to give us their vision of what our communities should be like. One of our plans is to ask the kids to make promotional videos of their schools. That could be a great marketing piece for realtors and businesses.
“We also want to create more jobs in the trade professions. There is a big demand for welders, carpenters and pipe fitters and we need to attract more workers to the trades. We’ve reached out to the unions and schools for their help and there has been a positive response so far.”
Cook also gave an update about efforts to address the growing opioid crisis in the Mon Valley. He said the best way to deal with the problem is to approach it from a grass-roots level.
“I’m a firm believer that we will not fix this problem from anything we do in Harrisburg or Washington, D.C.,” he said. “We have to do the heavy lifting locally. And that means we have to identify local organizations that can provide support. I think we got off to a good start this past year.”
Cook was encouraged by a large turnout for a recent forum that featured people who are recovering from opioid addiction and agencies that are providing services for those individuals. He added that a follow-up forum will be held on Nov. 29 in Stockdale, where police chiefs, district justices, district attorneys, state police and sheriffs will talk about prosecution. Early in 2018, a forum on drug prevention will also be held.
“Everyone is affected by the drug epidemic,” he said. “When I was campaigning for office and knocking on doors, every fifth person I spoke to either had a family member, social acquaintance or colleague at work who has a drug problem. We all have to work together to solve this problem.”
While he acknowledges that the district faces many challenges, Cook sees that as a blessing in disguise.
“I’m always telling our young people, ‘You’ll always get the job if you show that you have a solution for a problem.’ And the same applies for the rest of us. A problem is an opportunity in disguise. And we have plenty of opportunities waiting for us in the Mon Valley.”