Washington County Local Share Account hearings kick off today

By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com

The Washington County Local Share Account Review Committee will begin to evaluate projects that seek grant money in hearings set for today and tomorrow.
The committee hears from those interested in grants from LSA funding, which is generated through the county’s share of gaming revenues derived from The Meadows Racetrack and Casino.
“This year, the Washington County Local Share Account Review Committee is considering over $18 million in funding requests from nonprofits and municipalities from across Washington County,” said Jeff Kotula, committee chairman. “We will be considering projects that encompass such areas as water and sewage improvements, blight removal and other economic development projects that will invest in the economy and communities of our county.”
Kotula said the difficulty is that the committee is only allocated $6.6 million in LSA funds this year from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
“As we have in prior rounds, the LSA Committee will work with the amount we have allocated to recommend projects to the county commissioners that demonstrate leverage, economic impact and project readiness,” Kotula said.
The public presentations will be held virtually this year instead of in-person due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
“We wanted to ensure that the presenters, committee members and the public who has an interest in observing the program would be safe,” Kotula said. “As you can imagine, holding virtual presentations for 71 projects may prove to be challenging, but the committee is dedicated to considering every project by hearing from the project applicants directly.”
One benefit to the change is that the process will be available for the public to view at www.co.washington.pa.us.
“…it will allow for more members of the public to observe the process firsthand by logging in to learn about the LSA program,” Kotula said. “While we always commit to the transparency and openness of the process, holding the presentations virtually will certainly allow for more people to have access and learn about the positive impacts the LSA program is having in their communities.”
Projects that have been submitted for consideration in the Mon Valley, in addition to sewage, municipal and infrastructure projects, include:
• The Mon Valley Alliance, which is requesting $486,000 for the Atlas lot redevelopment in Charleroi.
• The Monongahela Area Library, which has requested $84,000 for rehabilitation and updating the library.
• The Carroll Township Municipal Public Safety and Carroll Township Authority Building Project, which has requested $500,000
• The Donora Public Library, which is asking for $500,000 for its expansion project
• The Monongahela Main Street Program, which has requested $80,000 for an investment incentive project
• The Monongahela Area Historical Society has requested $97,000 for Phase II of its Longwell House Restoration Project.
• The Borough of Speers, which requested $88,000 for its bridge project.
“Even with the pandemic, it is encouraging to see that our nonprofits and municipalities continue to invest and explore new ways to improve our community,” Kotula said. “I often repeat the saying that ‘hope is not a strategy’ and it is inspiring that our community leaders are not just hoping for better days, but actively planning and implementing projects that will continue our growth well into the future.”