Board members defend work at Fayette County Business Park
For the past several weeks certain politicians from South Union Township have bashed the Fayette County Business Park in both the press and on television. As members of the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, we feel obligated to set the record straight, and deal with the facts.
Fact: At present the business park is home to more than 30 stores, businesses and offices. This project has created more than 500 new jobs and is two-thirds completed.
Fact: In 1999 and 2000 the county deeded the 270-plus acres to the County Redevelopment Authority for development located in South Union Township. The development project was, and is, challenging.
The acreage was hills, valleys, ravines, lacked public water and sewer or any needed utilities and was undermined with abandoned coal mines.
These mines caused numerous cave-ins and settlement. Add to this list title issues and a historic but neglected cemetery dating back to the civil war.
Fact: The public infrastructure costs for this project have exceeded $15 million. The county initially provided $2 million. South Union provided approximately $250,000, the majority of which came from federal tax funds allocated to the township through the state. Private investment costs have exceeded $55 million.
Fact: Property taxes created yearly as a result of this project approximate $610,000. South Union obviously shares in this property tax total as well as sharing in approximately $5.5 million in other yearly taxes resulting from the development.
Fact: Both South Union Township, the county and other officials have been constantly kept informed of all plans for the business park. South Union controls the zoning and building permits, and its engineer is the prime engineer for the business park.
Fact: One-third of the acreage of the park is left to be developed. In preparing this last acreage for new business and other development, just as for the prior development, hills have to be cut and ravines have to be filled. In developing the Wal-Mart site, approximately $3 million was spent by private concerns to cut the hillside and stabilize the low-grade coal-laden area.
Fact: The last one-third of the park has similar issues as the Wal-Mart site and is being prepared for sale.
The redevelopment authority has saved the taxpayers countless thousands by having a private concern move some of the earth and remove the low-grade coal at no cost to the taxpayer. The last development site will need less attention and dollars than the Wal-Mart site, thanks to this wise decision.
Fact: Politicians in South Union describe this work in progress as a strip-mine.
No elected official from South Union, nor their contracted inspector, can declare what is or is not a strip mine. This declaration rests in the hands of the state.
The appropriate state agencies have apparently agreed with the redevelopment authority and its engineers that this contract is site preparation.
So what’s with the fuss, the press conferences, the TV cameras.
We can only speculate on the motivations of those responsible, but the fact is the business park remains one of the largest economic generators in Fayette County in recent history. We still have a third to go.
We as well as the other members of the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority are proud to be a part of this great event.