Dec 10, 2020 5 min read

When the committee evaluating proposals on how to divvy up the pot of local revenue from casino gambling in Washington County meets next month, it will convene for the first time in a videoconference format.

In several years since its inception in 2008, the Local Share Account committee has wrapped up its recommendations to the county commissioners in December, but not this time around.

The size of the pot of money that will be available isn’t yet known, but last year, it was about $6.9 million.

The Meadows Racetrack and Casino was shuttered for several weeks this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, likely cutting into the total revenue from which the local share is derived.

William McGowen, executive director of the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, which administers the local share process on behalf of the commissioners, said Wednesday that the committee is targeting mid-January for virtual presentations.

Municipalities, sewer and water authorities, schools, hospitals and non-governmental organizations have proposed 72 projects for potential use of gaming money totaling nearly $18.2 million.

The two largest requests – for $1 million apiece – are related to sewer projects that would help make the Monongahela River and Chartiers Creek cleaner waterways.

The Mon Valley Sewage Authority, which includes Donora, Monessen and Carroll Township, has already spent $35 million on the first two phases of eliminating combined sewer overflows.

It’s seeking another million to construct facilities that can withstand heavy rainstorms, keeping 18 million gallons of sewage from the river as part of a $7.5 million project.

The Cecil Township Municipal Authority is looking for $1 million for sewage treatment facilities in the village of Lawrence, where wildcat sewers from 288 households send sewage into surface waters, including Chartiers Creek. The total project is expected to cost $15.9 million.

Officials of Washington and Monongahela Valley hospitals are hoping to obtain $700,000 to renovate their mental health units, increasing security while creating more home-like settings.

A letter accompanying the application from Washington Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Brook T. Ward pointed out that his unit treated 1,107 people last year for anxiety, stress, depression, bi-polar and obsessive-compulsive disorders, dementia and other problems. The average patient stay was 6.8 days. Forty-five percent of the patients also abused alcohol or other substances.

“People living with mental illness are more likely to encounter the criminal justice system, resulting in a large number of arrests and incarcerations,” Ward wrote.

Hospital capital projects are not eligible for federal government Medicare or Medicaid programs, he noted.

Washington’s 30-bed unit was built in the 1960s while Mon Valley’s 20-bed unit was added in the late 1970s.

Also in the Mon Valley, Carroll Township wants to expand its municipal space with $500,000 of local share funds. The public safety department would have conference rooms and fireproof storage of records, while the sewer authority would have a drive-thru window to be used by those paying bills.

The municipal building was constructed in the 1950s as a garage for public works vehicles. The total cost of the project is budgeted at $940,000.

The Donora Public Library is also looking to expand, requesting $500,000 from the local share account for a $1.4 million project that would include a two-story addition on the north side of the building and house the Donora Historical Society, home of the Smog Museum and archives.

In 1948, smog in the former mill town is blamed for killing 20 people and besetting half the local population with respiratory problems.

McDonald Borough is requesting $565,000 to upgrade facilities in its Heritage and East End parks, while Peters Township would like $500,000 for amenities in its future Rolling Hills Aquatic Center, such as water slides, diving boards, climbing walls, a rope swing and “splash pad play structure.” The total cost of the aquatic center is estimated at $8.5 million.

Applications for economic development projects include $500,000 toward the purchase of the Eighty-Four Industrial Park property on Lively Road, Somerset Township, by Fourth River Development LLC; and $947,375 for storm water management, utilities and two streets with cul-de-sacs at Chapman Southport Phase 1 on Racetrack Road. Chapman hopes to attract offices and light industrial tenants to 14 pad-ready acres along Racetrack Road.

The Washington County Airport, which is operated by the redevelopment authority, wants a new taxiway and apron space on its south side, which is integral to the development of three new hangars for corporate aircraft. The $3.4 million project would also include the realignment of Airport Road to increase airport safety.

Two modest proposals came from the NAACP Washington Branch, which is joining with the city in a request to set up a citizens police review board. About $11,000 would be used to train board members and rent and equip an office during the initial year of operation.

West Bethlehem Township wants nearly $30,000 to pave a combination sidewalk and path in East Marianna and Kirbytown that has deteriorated since it was built in the 1980s as part of a flood control project along Ten Mile Creek.

When the commissioners receive a list from the local share committee, they have in the past voted to forward it to the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which has the final say in approving monetary allocations under the applicable law that legalized casino gambling.