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Fayette commissioners say economic development continued in 2017

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 12 min read
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Herald-Standard

In 2017, Boeing announced an expansion of its facility in Smithfield, Fayette County.

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Herald-Standard

The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center recently opened its doors to those seeking cancer treatments and blood work in the county.

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In 2017, the Fayette County commissioners started repairing county buildings, including the county prison.

The Fayette County commissioners said 2017 was a year of renewed economic development and continued improvement of the county’s image.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of activity going around the county,” said Commissioner Vincent Vicites.

He pointed to the announcement from Boeing last year of their expansion in Smithfield as the company wanted a long-term commitment in the county.

“They created at least another 50 jobs through their expansion,” Vicites said. “It’s good manufacturing and good paying jobs.”

Vicites said a couple of new buildings were erected at the Fayette County Business Park along Route 40 in South Union Township including the UPMC Cancer Center as well as a couple of doctor offices.

“The niche commercially has been medical office buildings,” Vicites said of the park that was set up for commerce, retail and commercial businesses.

Vicites said there’s only about 10 buildable acres remaining in that park. He said he’s hoping to expand the business park across from Route 40 to continue commerce, retail and commercial focus.

Commisioner Dave Lohr said the area is a prime location for an outlet mall, and the commissioners have been in contact with both private individuals and municipalities about the idea of creating business parks or retail outlets around the county.

“It’s working,” Lohr said. “People are stepping up to the plate.”

“It’s very helpful in building our tax base in the county, broadening our tax base, creating jobs and private investment,” Vicites said, adding that, since its inception, the business park has brought in 45 businesses, over $100 million in private resource investment and over 1,000 jobs created or retained. It’s resulted in $1.2 million in property taxes.

Lohr said he started becoming involved in early 2017 with the deep coal mining project at the Rustic Ridge Mine in Acme, Westmoreland County at the border of Fayette County.

“It’s a huge project,” Lohr said, adding the operations could be started within a year and could bring between 100 to 125 well-paying jobs to the area that could benefit Fayette County’s economy.

Vicites said a final hurdle was cleared in 2017 when the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission voted put the last leg of the Mon/Fayette Expressway by adding the remaining 14-mile extension to its 2017-20 Transportation Improvement Plan.

“That will connect us into the epicenter of Pittsburgh and the airport,” Vicites said, adding the completion of the expressway also has the potential to enhance economic development in the county.

Vicites said 2017 was also the start of the continuing efforts for repairs to county-owned buildings like the Fayette County Courthouse, the Public Service building, the Federal Building and the Fayette County Prison.

Such work included roof repair, fixing structural issues, masonry work, mechanical work for air-conditioning units and gutter repair.

“We spent over a million dollars on these projects,” Vicites said. “It was much needed.”

Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink said the courthouse has been selected by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania to be featured on a PNCTV program with filming expected to start some time in May.

“The present day courthouse has architectural and historic significance that goes unnoticed,” Zimmerlink said. “However, as stewards of publicly/county owned structures, we must maintain the structures and should be proud that we were selected to be showcased.”

Zimmerlink said much progress has been made with German-Masontown, Dunlap Creek and Jacobs Creek parks in 2017.

“All received and continue to receive upgrades and improved efforts to attract Fayette County residents to use these recreational facilities,” Zimmerlink said.

Vicities said they’ve been working and partnering with various organizations and communities for the master plan for Jacobs Creek Park and putting up funding for a master plan for Dunlap Creek Park.

Zimmerlink added that they have also taken steps to not only protect the environment, but to clean up the county by creating a full-time county position to work with municipalities to renew and reuse and hold more recycling efforts.

The commissioners are also excited to see the Sheepskin Trail reach near completion with 3.9 miles under construction in 2017 up to this year with 30.5 miles to go.

When complete, the trail can be used by tourists using the Great Allegheny Passage and the Mon River Trail System and will connect with municipal parks in South Union, Dunbar Township, Uniontown, Fairchance, Smithfield and Point Marion and will also act as a recreational greenway to Youghiogheny, Monongahela and Cheat River watersheds.

“Completing the Sheepskin Trail has numerous benefits for our tourism industry, local businesses and overall economic development let alone improving Fayette County as a great place to live, work and play,” Zimmerlink said.

Vicities said the commissioners’ pro-growth agenda is working in the county.

“We have a bright future,” Vicites said. “We’re doing everything to fundamentally make it happen and improving the quality of life in Fayette County.”

Brownsville

Brownsville borough saw several long-running projects and first-time events come to fruition in 2017.

In May, Brownsville enjoyed the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of the Cast Iron Amphitheater at Snowden Square, a project spearheaded by a team of Brownsville Area High School students known as Students In Action (SIA) which partnered with the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority and Brownsville Borough Council to help make the project happen.

The students formed SIA during the 2011-12 school year and soon decided on the amphitheater project in downtown Brownsville.

The $300,000-plus facility features an outdoor stage and green space, and Council President Jack Lawver said that the square has been a positive for the community.

Lawver also noted pivotal advancement made in 2017 toward the opening of the 24-unit, multi-million-dollar Iron Bridge Crossings senior housing development on Market Street, where Lawver said move-ins began in Jan. 2018.

“It shows progress,” council member Lester Ward said of the senior housing development. “It’s something new downtown.”

In July, Brownsville hosted and won the first annual TeamHumanity Games, a competition among seven local communities comprised of games like tug of war, potato sack racing, dodgeball and three-point shooting organized by former NFL player William James.

Ward, who was mayor in 2017, noted that Brownsville in July participated in the first annual Belle Vernon Mon River Canoe/Kayak Poker Run as well.

Connellsville

Connellsville City Mayor Greg Lincoln said the greatest accomplishment for the city in 2017 was ending the year with a surplus – something that hasn’t happened in a number of years.

“We went from not being able to balance the budget my first year in office to finally ending with a surplus,” Lincoln said.

Other accomplishments in the Fayette County city last year were upgrades to traffic lighting, a mural painted in the downtown, street lights changed, City Hall was evaluated to see what kind of upgrades are needed and the boat ramp at Yough River Park that got washed away during flooding in 2016 was replaced.

The city’s redevelopment authority also secured a grant for more than $400,000 and will be using it on several different projects throughout the city this year, including the upgrades to the park and volleyball courts in Dutch Bottom that were ruined during city flooding in 2016.

This year Lincoln said he’s hoping to get three or four public murals painted in the city, including Yough Park, East Park and possibly the West Side.

He added that another milestone this year is the fact that the 23 families in the city who were displaced from the floods of 2016 will finally receive buy out money from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency so they can move on from the devastation.

“We’re going to get them their money, demo the houses and reclaim the properties that will more than likely be turned into green space,” Lincoln said.

Plans are also in the works to bring a high-end restaurant into the city that will sit along the river near Cobblestone Hotel.

“We’re very hopeful for this year,” Lincoln said. “We have all new construction happening downtown, we’re getting a new, amazing restaurant by the river and we’re having just so much interest from businesses wanting to come into the city.”

The city has so much to offer, he said.

“We want to make this a sleeper community – a place where young people will choose to make their home even if they’re driving into Pittsburgh every day for their job,” Lincoln said. “We have the parks, the major highway, the bike trail and great restaurants. We just need the housing.”

Plans are already in the works to build new housing across from the Amtrak train station and Ritenour and Sons are looking to purchase the former South Side Elementary School, demolish the building and build a new housing complex.

“Housing is the key component to attracting young people,” Lincoln said.

North Union

North Union Township officials said they are continuing to work to make the township progressive and competitive within Fayette County.

The township supervisors and the North Union Township Muncipal Sewage Authority are in the final design phase of a large sanitary sewer extension project.

The areas that will be serviced by this extension will include Springwood, Oliver 3, West Leisenring in both North Union and Dunbar townships and Yauger Hollow Road.

Supervisor Rob Tupta said the $10 million project will include four pumping stations, 3.5 miles of gravity lines and seven miles of pressure sewer lines.

Along with the sewage project, the township will see new businesses and other expansion happening this year.

While not giving specifics, Tupta said a nation-wide supermarket chain has plans to locate on Route 40 West.

Also, the Social Security office will be relocating into the township in the Fayette Plaza along Route 51 where the old Dunhams/Krogers was located.

Holt and Bugbee Hardwoods is expanding their business in the Mount Braddock Industrial Park with an addition and JD & D Enterprises, which is located in the Franklin Commerical Park, will be expanding the commercial park into the township.

The Hazemag USA Inc., is expanding their business in the Mount Braddock Industrial Park with an addition and the Uniontown State Police will be expanding the Uniontown Barracks in the University Business Park with the addition of an evidence room.

Uniontown

Bernie Kasievich was sworn in as mayor in the City of Uniontown on Jan. 1, 2016 and resigned that position on Jan. 2 of this year.

But in 2017, Kasievich said they were able to accomplish a lot in the city, including major renovations and upgrades at the Uniontown City Police Department.

“We repaved the front and side lots of the police stations, installed new flags and lighting in front of the station, upgraded computer software at the station as well as camera systems in the cars,” said Kasievich. “We got a couple of new police cars and agreed to replace the windows in the station.”

Repairs were made and repainting was done to the stair cases in the parking garages, the pay stations were repaired, the electronic arms were repaired, lighting was replaced and general clean-up was done inside and outside of the parking garages.

“We wanted to attract people to use the parking garages and it seemed to work because in 2017 we sold the most parking passes we’ve ever sold,” Kasievich said.

Parking meters throughout the city were recalibrated and upgraded and the parking poles were painted and garbage cans up and down Main Street were repaired and repainted. Light poles on Main Street were also given a fresh coat of paint.

Story Square received new lighting and fresh landscaping and repairs were made to the stage there. Volunteer groups took part in cleaning up Bailey Park, fresh landscaping was done and walkways and internal roads throughout Bailey Park were paved.

A new roof was put on one of the outside pavilions and the concession stand there was 90 percent renovated before it was vandalized.

Marshall Park received a general clean-up and some trees were removed.

“I was pretty proud of our progress,” the former mayor said. “I felt like for the first time we were getting a lot of stuff accomplished in the city.”

City Hall also saw some improvements in 2017.

“We put new signs on the doors, repaired leaks in some windows, replaced all of the old halogen lights outside of City Hall and replaced them with new energy efficient LED lights. Benches outside were repainted and the area was re-landscaped. The heating hadn’t worked in the upstairs City Hall in 15 years, and after I crawled up on the roof I saw that it was a relay problem and fixed it myself in a half hour,” Kasievich said. “I loved making things look nice and getting things done.”

Wharton Township

With the help of tax money from Lady Luck Casino, Wharton Township has been able to pave large amounts of roadway.

Supervisor Jack Lewis said last year the township received some back pay from the casino money and were able to put together a paving project where they paved and re-burmed five miles of road. It cost $430,476.86. The project was mostly in the Farmington area.

Supervisors plan to do another five miles this year in the Chalk Hill area.

“The amount of money we get each year from the casino tax depends on how much they take in,” Lewis said. “If gambling is good, then our share is good. It’s been holding pretty steady and I hope it continues.”

Along with the paving project, the supervisors were also able to seal coat 138,000 square yards of road at a cost of nearly $67,000.

“This is where we spray the roadways with oil over the new pavement and then put chips down as a way to extend the life of the road,” Lewis said.

Last year supervisors also bought a Matthew Ferguson Mower for $100,000. Thought they purchased a new plow truck in 2016, which cost $167,140, the township finally received it in 2017. The truck is all-wheel drive and came with a steel bed, Lewis said.

“It was very expensive, but with the snow up here, we have to buy the heavy-duty truck,” Lewis said. “This allows us to get many, many miles out of our trucks.”

Supervisors have continued to maintain the Wharton Township ball park and in July, were able to get all of the township documents and maps onto the computer at a cost of $8,475.

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