Greene officials learn about SPC long-range plans for region
WAYNESBURG – Development of several business parks and improvements to Routes 21 and 19 are the top transportation and economic development priorities of Greene County officials, according to testimony presented during a hearing Monday. A Public Participation Panel was convened at the county office building to discuss the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s (SPC) long-range regional plan for a 10-county area and the city of Pittsburgh.
The plan, as required by the federal government for how gas-tax proceeds are to be spent, was first drafted in 2000 and is updated every three years.
Ken Flack, SPC transportation planner, said all the counties have worked together on transportation issues and economic development issues, but the long-range plan combines them to identify ways the region can grow between now and 2030.
“There have been a lot of changes in the commission, but the mission over time has remained the same: to coordinate transportation planning and help parties agree on what their priorities should be,” Flack said.
Ten committees were formed and worked for three months to come up with recommendations and suggestions for the plan, he said, and those updates are included in the draft. In terms of transportation, the committees identified projects that could be funded based on the amount of money received from gas tax revenue and identified “future resource elements,” which are projects that will be added to the plan if additional funding becomes available.
Flack said widening Route 21 is a “major priority” over the next 25 years as part of the estimated $15.6 billion that will be available to the region over that time. Ann Bargerstock, county director of planning and development, said replacement of the Masontown Bridge and widening of the highway to four lanes from Uniontown to Waynesburg are pressing needs, while extending Route 21 to the West Virginia border could be a project to explore if extra funds are received.
Other projects pitched for work over the next two decades include improvements to Route 88, from Route 21 to the Mon/Fayette Expressway; improvements to Routes 218 and 19; and improvements to several bridges all over the county.
County officials also have included more than $200 million in possible development over the life of the plan, including reclamation of the Mather gob pile, development of EverGreene Technology Park, continued progress at Meadow Ridge Business Park in Mount Morris, possible development of an industrial park on the former LTV mine area in Nemacolin and continued development of the Greene River Trail.
Bargerstock said she will add the proposed retail development site along Route 21 as another transportation project for the plan and will rearrange the county’s priorities to reflect EverGreene’s rise in importance over the past three years.
“We need to make sure all the investment dollars get placed for transportation to enhance economic development and for economic development to enhance transportation,” she said.
With four interchanges along Interstate 79, Bargerstock said two have sewerage and water while a third, Ruff Creek, will soon have public water. She said the county is hoping to maximize the accessibility of those areas from the interstate to increase economic development opportunities.
The priorities will be clearly defined before the end of the comment period, she said.
The entire plan can be reviewed at the county office building, at both libraries in the county or by logging on to www.spcregion.org. Public comments on the plan update are being taken through June 30, and anyone with questions concerning the plan should call Bargerstock at 724-852-5300 or by sending email to begin comments@spc9.org comments@spc9.org end
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Additionally, public comment about the first phase of the long-range plan, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for 2005-2008, will be taken on Aug. 6 at the county office building to get feedback as to what projects should be a priority during those fiscal years. The TIP is the funding program for investment of state and federal funds over a four-year period. Bargerstock, the three county commissioners and Don Chappel, executive director of the Greene County Industrial Development Authority, are all members of the SPC board.