Joining commission could mean more funds for county
Exactly what joining the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission will mean to the future of the Uniontown to Brownsville link of the Mon/Fayette Expressway was discussed Thursday during a meeting of the Fayette Chamber Transportation Alliance. Tammy Shell, executive director of the Fayette County office of Community and Economic Development, said the decision made by the Fayette County Commissioners to become a full member of the regional transportation planning alliance will give the county access to economic development, transportation, public transit, airport and other regional initiatives.
Shell said a meeting of the SPC to vote on allowing Fayette County to join was set for Thursday evening. She said she didn’t anticipate a problem with their desire to join.
Shell told the members of the alliance that the SPC does not provide money for projects, such as the Mon/Fayette Expressway, but it does endorse projects. Jim Marzullo, a member of the Fayette Expressway Completion Organization (FAECO), said they have to ensure that Fayette County is treated fairly. Shell said at a recent meeting with SPC officials, she made it clear that they don’t want to be treated as “second class citizens” within the organization.
Upon becoming a full voting member of the SPC, five people from the county will be selected to serve on the SPC. Shell said two of those will likely be county commissioners and the commissioners will appoint the other three, and the third commissioner can also serve.
In the future, Shell said any congressional or state appropriations that are designated for Fayette County will still be awarded so it won’t hurt to join the SPC. However, she said that by joining, Fayette County will have to compete with the other eight counties for funding for things such as the Sheepskin Trail.
Regarding funding for the Sheepskin Trail, Shell said they are moving forward with the construction of the trail from Dunbar to the city of Uniontown. Also, she said money was received for corridor improvements in Hopwood and the groundbreaking may be next year.
Two grant applications have been submitted for Fayette County projects, Shell said. One is to construct a connector road at the Fayette County Business Park and the other is to relocate and access road at the Connellsville Airport. Shell said the possibility of receiving the grants looks promising.
Shell gave an update on the status of the Mon/Fayette Expressway Uniontown to Brownsville link. She said the link is now in the preliminary final design phase. Next year a meeting will be held for affected property owners and the final plans will be completed in 2004. Construction may begin as early as 2005. When completed, the toll road will link Morgantown, W.Va. to Pittsburgh.
Shell reported that in West Virginia, they are $80 million short of funding to link with the Pennsylvania section. Marzullo suggested that the Senator and Governor of West Virginia be sent a letter asking for an update.
Marzullo also suggested sending a thank you letter to outgoing Congressman Frank Mascara, D-Charleroi for the $25 million in federal funding he helped to secure for the expressway project.
During an update on the Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation, FACT representative Lisa Malago said a fixed route schedule on Route 40 has been working well, with people paying $1.50 from Brownsville to Uniontown and $1.50 from Uniontown to Farmington. She said a $5,000 grant was received to install bus stop signs along the corridor. As per the state Department of Transportation requirements of a minimum of six passengers per hour and a 30 percent cost recovery, FACT is doing well, Malago said.
She said route schedules are available by calling the FACT office or also at the Greyhound bus station in Uniontown.