Mon River Valley Coalition highlights regional accomplishments
Mon River Valley Coalition highlights regional accomplishments
Mark Soroka/For the Observer-Reporter
Mark Soroka/For the Observer-Reporter
State Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run Township, spoke at the Mon River Valley Coalition’s quarterly meeting about several DCNR grants that were awarded to communities in the area.
Mark Soroka/For the Observer-Reporter
State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, praised the Mon River Valley Coalition for helping to drive tourism and economic growth in the region.
CALIFORNIA – The Mon River Valley Coalition celebrated one of its most successful years by spotlighting the achievements of participating communities at its recent quarterly meeting.
The meeting drew a group of state, county and local officials, as well as tourism professionals and business leaders, to Kara Alumni House at California University of Pennsylvania, where attendees spoke about initiatives that are driving economic growth and a higher quality of life in the Mon Valley’s river towns.
Cathy McCollum, principal of McCollum Development Strategies, who is co-director of the Mon River Valley Coalition, along with Donna Holdorf, executive director of the National Road Heritage Corridor, said the future is looking brighter for many of the communities that border the Monongahela River.
“Since our program started in 2011, the Mon River Valley Coalition has helped to raise over $4 million to spur on tourism and economic development in 24 different communities in the region,” McCollum said. “We’ve procured grants to fund projects such as canoe and kayak launches, riverfront clearings, riverfront parks with benches and overlooks, gateways and wayfinding signage, public art to beautify and attract, accessible public docks, lighting, nearby land-based trains and business assistance. During the next few years, we anticipate raising another $12 million to $15 million for many more projects. As a region, we have come a long way, and today we want to celebrate some of our accomplishments during 2018.”
State Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run Township, told attendees that Donora and Franklin Township are positive examples of what can be accomplished when community and state government leaders work together to conserve the region’s natural resources and improve the overall quality of life for residents in the area.
Cook announced that the Department of Conservation and National Resources Community Conservation Partnership Program recently awarded a $50,000 grant to Donora for preparation of a trail study to develop approximately 53 miles of the Monongahela Valley Corridor, spanning six municipalities in Washington County.
He added that Franklin Township in Fayette County received a $91,000 DCNR grant for further development of Franklin Community Park, including construction of ADA-accessible pedestrian walkways and a parking area, landscaping and other related projects and site improvements.
“What made all of this possible was a multi-community effort,” said Cook. “We shouldn’t be competing against each other. Rather, we should be working together to secure these types of grants and advocate for our region in Harrisburg.”
Cook thanked Washington County’s commissioners for their support of the trail project. Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan, who also helped Charleroi, Fredericktown and Monongahela to secure grants for canoe and kayak launch docks, told coalition members that tourism is a top priority in Washington County.
“Recreation plays such an important role in improving our quality of life,” she said. “This organization provides great hope to our communities. Hats offs to Cathy McCollum and Donna Holdorf for providing such tremendous leadership to this organization. That’s why we are seeing such great participation here today.”
One of the other feel-good stories for 2018 was the opening of Produce Marketplace, a community-driven grocery store that is aiming to provide residents of Clairton with access to fresh, affordable and quality food.
According to Joshua Berman, director of Community Food Initiatives, a nonprofit organization that manages the Produce Marketplace, this program helps to cut costs, maximize savings and improve the overall quality of life.
“For many people in Clairton, the nearest grocery store is several miles away,” said Berman. “The Produce Marketplace enables residents to shop for fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables, meats and deli foods and breads without having to leave their community. We hope our store helps residents to maintain a healthier lifestyle.”
During the meeting, several other communities shared some of their recent accomplishment and outlined plans for the upcoming year:
- Monongahela:
- This coming spring, enhancements will be made to Monongahela’s accessible boat launch as well as the Chamber of Commerce building. Later in August, Monongahela will be celebrating its 250th anniversary with a full schedule of activities.
- Donora:
- Plans are in the works to create a pavilion on McKean Avenue in Donora, similar to the Main Street Pavilion in Washington.
- Charleroi:
- A proposed $7.5 million plan was recently unveiled to renovate the interior of the Coyle Theater and house offices, artist spaces, shops and a community space.
- Allenport:
- Following the completion of a master plan for a new park, Allenport hopes to follow up with implementation of the project.
- Brownsville:
- Several projects are in the pipeline, including a military memorial, hot dog shop and distillery.
- Farmington:
- Touchstone Center for Crafts will continue to offer its nationally acclaimed arts-based workshops for professionals and beginners, as well as a Teen Week Program and Educators Week Program. In addition, Touchstone is holding an open house on June 2, 2019. The public will also be able to take a tour of the campus.
- Greensboro:
- During 2018, Greensboro opened a new fire station. This coming year, Greensboro hopes to add a handicapped-accessible launch.
- Fredericktown:
- Work will start this year on a gateway to the community, along with a new fire station.
Also during the meeting, Dr. Pamela Twiss, a California University of Pennsylvania social work professor and co-facilitator for the Northern Appalachian Network, announced that a writer’s conference will be held in Wheeling, W.Va., Sept. 6 to 8, 2019.
Snyder encouraged all the River Town communities to work together for the betterment of the entire region.
“I am a strong advocate for strength in numbers,” said Snyder. “Our region is even stronger when we all work together. Sometimes it seems like we’re only taking baby steps. But remember that our communities didn’t deteriorate overnight. And you can’t fix all our problems overnight, either. Keep plugging away. Eventually, we will all be successful.”