Brownsville should engage its nemesis
If one were to make a list of the dreariest spots in Fayette County, Brownsville would top the list. During the past decade Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. – an optimistic group that clings to visions and possibilities for the Pennsylvania-styled ghost town – has attempted some projects to promote a turnaround. The task is daunting but not formidable, especially as Brownsville stands to benefit once the Mon-Fayette Expressway is constructed. Perseverance is the key, and that trait is heavily on display this week as Team Brownsville launched a series of public meetings, designed to solicit community input. Over the next two years, focus groups will be recruited to develop an action plan and realistic projects to resuscitate the town.
Brownsville’s downtown is a mere shell of the business district it once supported, with bordered up, empty, decaying buildings, making it a natural selection for help from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Just seven towns in the 12-state Appalachian Region were selected for such intensive aid, partly because the community appears so eager to effect a turnaround. Those who want to be part of it should plan this evening to attend a meeting at the Sons of Italy on Race Street.
Organizers plan to provide an overview as to how and why the borough deteriorated, where it stands today and then listen to where the public wants it to head. The main impediment to Brownsville’s revitalization is that most of the empty storefronts remain in the ownership of outsider Ernest Liggett. Liggett bought up most of the town more than a decade ago on speculation that Pennsylvania would approve of riverboat gambling. Brownsville was on the list for a floating casino.
The gambling issue was as dead as Brownsville for much of the decade but has had a resurgence this past year when The Six Nations Confederacy began looking at the borough, and The Seneca nation met last summer with former Gov. Mark Schweiker’s staff. An Indian tribe, reportedly with Liggett’s blessing, is supposedly petitioning for federal recognition that would clear the way for it to turn the borough into a gambling mecca. And all forms of gambling are back on the table as the governor and General Assembly look for ways to increase state revenue without raising taxes.
This will make the work of Team Brownsville tougher as members plan for revitalization and growth. While they must remain focused on their task, they can’t ignore the possibility that other forces are advancing a gambling agenda.
While the borough, for the most part, has been at odds with Liggett, taking him to court to enforce code violations, Team Brownsville might want to consider engaging the borough’s largest property holder in its discussions.