Sep 3, 2017 By Mark Soroka for The 3 min read

ROSTRAVER TWP. — The Belle Vernon School Board is thinking outside the box in an effort to bring in alternative sources of revenue.

During its monthly meeting last week, the board approved an agreement with the Westmoreland County Land Bank and it also approved a naming right policy.

According to Solicitor Hobie Webster, the school board is encouraging the Land Bank to obtain blighted, abandoned, vacant and tax delinquent properties, then restore them to productive use so they can be put back on the real estate market or completely demolish structures to make way for future development. He noted that there will be no buy-in costs for the school district.

“Most of the time, when you have a land bank agreement, there are significant costs for the school district,” he said. “But in this case, there appears to be a very efficient program that is supported primarily through grants and contributions from municipalities. As a result, we won’t be required to pay a percentage of our municipal taxable land value to help fund the operation.

Added School Board President Joe Grata, “This agreement puts another tool in the tool box to address blight in the community and it returns these properties to the tax rolls.”

Last July, the Rostraver Township board of commissioners approved the agreement and paid the Land Bank a nonrefundable fee of $5,000 to participate in the program. To date, the North Belle Vernon council has not yet approved a Land Bank agreement.

In addition, the board set forth parameters and guidelines for companies and organizations that wish to acquire naming rights for various school facilities. In the future, the board will begin to establish a fee schedule for naming rights.

“Through this initiative, we can monetize naming rights for things such as a scoreboard, gymnasium or chemistry lab,” said Superintendent Dr. J.D. Wilkinson. “We are exploring every possible avenue to raise money for our kids.”

The board made it clear that granting naming rights under this policy will not be considered an endorsement by the school board of a commercial product, business enterprise or institution of learning.

Also during the meeting, the board:

n Reappointed Eugene C. Scaramucci, DMD, and Edward L. Baron, DMD, as school dentists and reappointed Marc Cordero, MD, as school doctor.

n Approved agreements with Watson Institute, Pressley Ridge, Diversified Human Services, PA-Educator.net Clearinghouse and Interim Healthcare to provide various services to the school district.

n Voted against appointing Dayna Sikora as director of special education/school psychologist.

n Increased wages for security guards.

In addition, the board announced that the BVA 5K Color Run & Walk will be held at the Middle School on September 23. Registration forms and information can be found at the Middle School office, website and Facebook page.

The board also announced that six new honorees will be inducted into the BVA Football Hall of Fame during the Leopards’ home opener against Albert Gallatin on September 1. The inductees will include Eric McElvenny, a noted scholar-athlete who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and lost his right lower leg during a deployment in Afghanistan, along with Larry Callaway, Jim Cicchini, Ron Clawson Jr., Pat Gimbara and Tm Susick.