Apr 14, 2021 4 min read

Greene County plans to charge $300 per child to participate in this year’s summer day camp program.

Commission Chairman Mike Belding said officials are seeking donors to help reduce costs associated with the day camps.

The announcement came following the commissioners’ most recent public meeting during which residents expressed concerns about the fee, imposed because of the county’s current financial crisis.

During the public comment portion of the April 8 meeting, two residents said they were informed the county is planning to charge $300 per child for the six-week camp, which in years past had been held free of charge.

One resident said he was concerned because his fiancée is a single mother who counts on the free day camp, and would not be able to afford the fee. Another asked if the board had reached out to any companies to help pay for the camp, and said she felt the $300 charge – as well as Belding’s statement the day camp was providing a service to youths – was “ridiculous” and “unconscionable.”

Commissioner Betsy McClure said the fee was unfortunate but necessary because of the county’s well-documented current financial situation, which Belding termed “dire.”

McClure said costs for the camp have “skyrocketed” and the county is dealing with a $1 million deficit.

“I am concerned about having programs for children … we are looking to get somebody to come in and take care of that, to maybe be a donor, but right now, people have told me that they can’t help,” she said. “I’m not done asking for help, but the realization is that these programs cost money. It is unfortunate.”

Belding said the average cost of running the day camp previous years had been around $210,000, and for the county to break even would need 660 children to sign up.

“We average around 100 kids who sign up, so the county is picking up a large portion of that cost to begin with,” he said.

On Monday, Belding said the $300 cost breaks down to $10 per day or $1.66 per hour of structured activities and an opportunity to use the county pools.

“This has previously been free to the user, but due to our financial situation, we set a reasonable price this summer,” he said. “The county department of recreation and commissioners are also looking for individuals, organizations or businesses that would like to contribute to reducing costs for individuals who may not be able to afford the summer camp at full price. There are already established discounts for low-income and multi-child families.”

In other business, commissioners approved an emergency declaration effective March 24 for the remediation of the county’s airport administration building following a fire.

Belding said the fire broke out at the Greene County Airport building March 24 but caused relatively little physical damage. He said significant smoke and water damage was experienced throughout the building.

“The Airport Restaurant and (Magisterial District Judge) Glenn Bates’ office have been temporarily closed, and cleaning and remediation are ongoing and forecast to take an additional month to six weeks,” he said.

Until further notice, those who need to contact Bates should call Court Administration at 724-852-5330.

Commissioners also approved two resolutions with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, one for the Greensboro Pool enclosure and the other for the Waynesburg-Wisecarver Trail connector.

Belding said Monday the Greensboro Pool resolution was for a grant submission for an enclosure to allow year-round swimming at Greensboro. The Waynesburg to Wisecarver Trail Connector is an additional grant request resolution for funding to plan and engineer a trail from Wisecarver, behind Rohanna’s metal scrapyard to the south side of Waynesburg.

Commissioners also agreed to authorize the sale of seven buses used by the county transportation department. Belding said the vehicles will be sold through a public bidding process at a later date.

Commissioners also approved agreements for the care and maintenance of 576 veterans’ graves at $3 per grave, for a total of $1,728. These include graves at Monongahela Hill Cemetery, Monongahela Township; Hewitt Cemetery, Rices Landing; Blacksville Cemetery, Wayne Township; Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Whiteley Township, and Macedonia Cemetery, Jackson Township.