Commissioners poised to join Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
The Fayette County commissioners are unanimously poised to join the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a regional transportation planning alliance, after being informed that a competing stand-alone option had dried up under new federal guidelines. Commissioner Sean M. Cavanagh, who had been the likely swing vote on the matter, announced Monday that he had placed joining SPC on the agenda for today’s meeting, with anticipated favorable results.
“I will be voting in favor of joining and I expect that it will be passed,” said Cavanagh.
Contacted separately for their thoughts on the matter, Commissioner Ronald M. Nehls and Commission Chairman Vincent A. Vicites left little doubt that Cavanagh’s prophesy was about to come true.
Nehls, a staunch long-time advocate of joining SPC, said joining the multi-county consortium would hugely boost Fayette’s ability to complete vital and costly projects, such as finishing the Mon-Fayette Expressway and improving Route 21.
“It’s really good news. It’s going to be a tremendous benefit to Fayette County,” said Nehls, who nonetheless added, “I hate to see these things (notices) go out in advance. I’d rather wait and see until it’s done.”
Although Fayette would lose its autonomy by joining the consortium, Nehls said the tremendous upside is that regional money from the other counties could flow into big projects like the Mon-Fayette Expressway, thus hastening their completion.
Vicites, who had supported the alternate concept of forming a rural planning organization, or RPO, said county transportation consultant William Piper told the commissioners that new federal regulations disqualified Fayette from holding that status.
Because the greater Uniontown and greater Connellsville areas have a combined population of 58,000 based on the latest census, the county can’t form a RPO, according to Vicites. He said the commissioners were left with two choices: form their own metropolitan planning organization, or MPO, at a very high staffing cost; or join an existing MPO such as the SPC, where Fayette’s annual dues will be a modest and cost-effective $22,000.
“I think the ballgame’s changed because of the rules changing,” said Vicites. “The thing we’re currently in (negotiating directly with PennDOT as a county) won’t be allowed in the near future. (So) there is no option. You either form your own MPO, which is very costly, or you go with SPC.
“I don’t want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars developing a MPO, when we can join SPC for that (much smaller) amount. That wouldn’t make sense. That wouldn’t be prudent.”
Cavanagh said that Piper’s recommendation to join SPC played heavily in his decision. He said he also powwowed extensively with Greene County Commissioner Dave Coder and Armstrong County Commissioner James Scahill, among others, before deciding to make Fayette the ninth county in SPC.
“If we formed our own (MPO), we don’t have the resources,” said Cavanagh, who added, “I think that for too long, Fayette County has been isolated from the rest of the region. This gives us a voice in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We’re going to be a member of the team now.”
Nehls said that the U.S. Department of Commerce issued new regulations May 1, based on year 2000 census data, that ruled out a RPO for Fayette. The timing of that announcement, coming as it did on the cusp of the commissioners making a decision, is “perfect” for justifying Fayette’s move into SPC as a full-fledged member, said Nehls.
“I’m convinced that just having a communication with the other counties (will help),” said Nehls. “There would never be a time when we would not get any money (for transportation projects). But (SPC) will be the ones who would sit down with us and decide what we’re going to get in next year’s transportation projects.”
Vicites said that SPC would determine which projects in Fayette deserved highest priority, and would then negotiate those priorities with PennDOT as concerns funding. With SPC working as a middle person in that flow, Vicites said his goal would shift to ensuring that Fayette gets its fair share of funding.
“I’m going to have to be vigilant as a (SPC) member now,” said Vicites. “I’m going to have to make sure that Fayette County is not shortchanged.”
Vicites said that by joining SPC, all three commissioners would have a seat in that organization, as well as two at-large members that they appoint. Fayette is currently an associate member of SPC, a lesser status than being a participating member.