Nov 22, 2014 5 min read

A look headlines gracing the pages of the Observer-Reporter and Waynesburg Republican this week in Greene County history:

Food bank struggles

to provide services

sans state funding

WAYNESBURG – Corner Cupboard Food Bank in Greene County is providing more services with less money this year, and its director, Jan Caldwell, attributes the additional need to a failing economy.

“If not for Consol Energy’s fundraising drive for the food bank and grants from Representative (Bill) DeWeese, there is no way this food bank would still be open,” Caldwell said, noting that to date, the food bank has received no state funding for 2010.

She said the food bank has not seen a penny of the $19,000 it normally receives from the state. “It is only because of Consol that everybody got a turkey,” she said.

Caldwell said there was no way she could have pulled off that feat without Consol’s second annual community drive for the food bank. The amount of money collected from individuals and organizations for 2009 is down from 2008, but Caldwell said she remains hopeful donations will continue to trickle in during the holidays.

“We couldn’t have lived off a line of credit for this amount of time. It is amazing that a food bank was able to survive because of what was raised last year,” she said. “I was able to invest enough of the funds to ensure everyone got a turkey for Thanksgiving and ensure that everybody will get a ham for Christmas. Last year, we had to give them a chicken.”

Caldwell said that the agency is seeing more families with two incomes that are just not high enough to sustain the household.

Caldwell’s belief is that many families don’t come to the food bank because they believe they are earning too much income, but the guidelines are not the same as what public assistance uses for its food stamp program.

Funding in place

for college lab

WAYNESBURG – A proposed Waynesburg College building that will serve as part economic development center, part laboratory, will receive nearly a quarter of a million dollars in federal funding.

U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Johnstown, announced the grant as part of an appropriations bill that will bring more than $50 million to projects in Fayette, Washington and Greene counties. The Senate and the House of Representatives passed the bill over the weekend.

Waynesburg College will receive $242,500 for its new building on Wayne Street. College President Timothy Thyreen said the new facility would serve the interests of the business sector, the college and the Greene County economy.

Defense contractor RJ Lee Group of Monroeville has voiced an interest in using part of the building to create a characterization laboratory to test materials, as part of its job with the U.S. Air Force. Other businesses could use the building as an incubator to research high-tech product development for later manufacturing in Greene County.

“The company will be engaging in higher level research and bringing in experts in various fields. This benefits Greene County, and it also benefits our students,” Thyreen said.

Students within the college’s science department will research alongside company workers. Business students also will help the process when products created by the lab progresses to the manufacturing or marketing phases.

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$250,000 federal grant

announced for EverGreene

WAYNESBURG – The federal government will make a $250,000 contribution to EverGreene Technology Park in Franklin Township.

Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators, Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter, both Republicans, announced the funding this week. The money is part of the $388 billion omnibus appropriations bill, which Congress passed last weekend.

The senators announced they were influential in securing about $4.4 million for revitalization and economic development projects throughout the state.

“We are deeply grateful to Senator Specter and Senator Santorum,” said Robbie Matesic, executive director the county’s department of planning and development.

“Getting EverGreene built is the number one priority for the county and (the announcement of this funding) is very timely because construction is going to move forward this summer.”

Workers are currently relocating Equitable Gas Co.’s natural gas line, which crosses the parcel. The 8-inch line needs to be moved before Greene County Industrial Development Authority can proceed with the first phase of developing the site.

The technology park will be developed on 248 acres of land adjacent to Greene County Airport. The first phase will compose the development of four building sites on about 25 acres.

W. Greene to limit

suspensions

ROGERSVILLE – The West Greene School Board voted Nov. 16 to limit the number of days of out-of-school suspensions for students who participated in a walkout Nov. 7.

The board, after meeting in executive session, approved a motion reducing the number of days of out-of school suspensions to five. Students who were given more than five days will receive in-school suspension for the remaining days.

The board also dropped restrictions on activities students involved in the walkout wee to face after returning to school following the suspensions.

More than 100 students walked out of school to protect restrictions on morning hall privileges.