LSA committee to review 87 applications for grant money from gambling revenue
The Local Share Account review committee will hold hearings over two days this week to review 87 applications before making recommendations on which ones should receive grants from Washington County’s gambling revenue.
The hearings will be held Thursday afternoon and Friday morning in the meeting room at the Courthouse Square building at 100 W. Beau St. in Washington.
LSA Applications
Economic Development – $3.5 million – 5 requests
Community Development – $8.9 million – 36 requests
Public Interest Category – $12.4 million – 43 requests
Job Training Category – $412,644 – 3 requests
Total LSA Applications – $25.2 million – 87 requests
During those hearings, the committee will listen to the 87 applicants who have requested LSA grants, although the state Department of Community and Economic Development still has not released the amount of money available in Washington County.
However, Bob Griffin, director of the county’s Redevelopment Authority that oversees the program, expects the amount of available money to be more than $7 million, which would be in line with recent years. That still would be less than one-third of the total $25.25 million being requested from all of the applications, meaning numerous projects will not be funded.
“We are awaiting final confirmation from DCED on the available amount but anticipate the number to be (more than) $7 million,” Griffin said.
Jeff Kotula, who leads the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency, expects to learn the final figure before this week’s hearings.
“That’s something we’re trying to resolve by Thursday, because that’s something we’ll need to know,” said Kotula, who chairs the LSA review committee.
Kotula said he expects the process to operate similarly as in past years as the committee reviews the applications and makes recommendations for the county commissioners to approve.
“As in the past, the volunteer LSA review committee considers applications for economic development, job training, community improvement and public interest, which includes infrastructure projects,” Kotula said. “For 2023, there have been no changes made to the process and the committee looks forward to learning from the applicants during the public briefings.”
But there are significantly more applicants this time than in recent years. In comparison, there were 65 applications requesting a combined $15.873 million last year, meaning this selection process will be much more competitive this time around.
The vast majority of the requests fall under the public interest category, where most applications deal with waterline or sewer projects.
“We’re ready to go. Same as always,” Kotula said. “Administrative wise, there’s nothing out of the ordinary or surprising. Everything’s standard.”
The public hearings will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon Friday.
Go to www.observer-reporter.com to review the entire list of LSA applications.
Economic Development
City of Washington Downtown Revitalization – $950,000
Cool Valley – Hidden Acres Holding Co. Inc. – $1 million
W&J College – Ignite Business Incubator – $750,000
Ridge Road Industrial Park – Chapman Properties – $500,000
Washington Co. Marketing & Workforce – Chamber of Commerce – $301,032
Community Improvement
7th Ward Park – Washington – $50,000
Always B Smiling Activity and Learning Center – $338,425
Beallsville Rehabilitation of Borough Building – $160,000
East Bethlehem Township Boat Dock Expansion – $289,160
West Brownsville Municipal Complex Building Space – $229,000
Burgettstown Senior Community Center Roof – $60,000
Burgettstown Trail Inn – $60,713
Canonsburg Façade Improvement Grant Program – $193,750
Center in the Woods Parking Lot/Sidewalk Upgrades – $225,436
Charleroi Demolition and Blight Initiative – $180,000
Monongahela Aquatorium Hand Railing – $32,000
Coal Center Borough Park – $194,950
Carroll Township Columbia Road Landslide – $250,000
South Strabane Community Park Overflow Parking – $40,300
Daisytown Community Center Restoration – $40,000
Ellsworth Community Park Exercise Trail – $143,000
Washington Business District Façade Grant – $125,000
Finleyville VFD Training Facility – $297,000
Peters Twp. Hidden Valley Road Landslide Remediation – $200,000
Independent Township Community Park – $326,671
Lemoyne Community Building Renovation & Expansion – $300,000
Longwell House First Floor Accessibility & Kitchen Rehab – $106,080
Union Twp. Maple Heights Park Hazardous Material Cleanup – $521,860
McDonald Heritage Park Rehabilitation – $205,515
Donora McKean Avenue Demolition – $450,000
Mental Health Assoc. Spring Street Pavilion – $67,500
Centerville Police Vehicle Safety & Security – $65,450
Mel Blount Youth Home – Project 47 – $750,000
National Road Heritage Corridor River Access Improvement – $125,000
Little Lake Theatre – Setting the Stage for 75 Years – $125,000
Speers Bridge – Arentzen Boulevard – $128,505
Roberts House Preservation – $1.029 million
Carroll Township Valley Park Phase III – $250,000
Washington County Fair Building Improvements – $1.12 million
Canonsburg Town Park Water Fountain Installation/Improvement – $32,387
North Franklin Waterside Park Greenway – $220,000
Public Interest – Sewer Improvements
New Eagle Municipal Sewer Authority – $130,000
Carroll Township Authority – $350,000
McDonald Sewage Authority – $187,960
Marianna-West Bethlehem Joint Sewerage Authority – $170,000
Authority of the Borough of Charleroi – $540,000
Beallsville Vacuum Sewer System Rehab – $150,000
East Bethlehem Municipal Authority – $1.045 million
Municipal Authority of City of Monongahela – $100,000
Centerville Borough Sanitary Authority – $58,300
Center West Joint Sewer Authority – $330,000
Center West Joint Sewer Authority – $25,455
Centerville Borough Sanitary Authority – $110,200
South Franklin Township – $1.132 million
East Bethlehem Municipal Authority – $425,160
Authority of the Borough of Charleroi – $130,000
Cecil Township Municipal Authority – $694,000
Peters Creek Sanitary Authority – $516,700
Mon Valley Sewage Authority – $219,050
Mid-Mon Valley Water Pollution Control Authority – $750,000
Vestaburg-New Hill Joint Authority – $227,000
West Pike Run Township – $200,000
Public Interest – Water Improvements
Bentleyville Municipal Authority – $250,000
Tri-County Joint Municipal Authority – $500,000
SW PA Water Authority – $266,350
Marianna Borough – $150,000
SW PA Water Authority – $408,000
Public Interest – General
Washington City Mission – Women’s Shelter – $500,000
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank – Food Pantries – $180,000
Washington County Transportation Authority/Freedom Transit – $297,110
Centerville Clinics – Donora Renovation – $600,000
Daisytown Community Center Tutoring Program – $10,000
Donora Branding Revitalization Initiative – $140,000
Donora VFD Fire Boat – $47,620
Highland Terrace in Donora – Fire Hydrants/Waterline Replacement – $207,915
Food Helpers Facility Improvement – $789,000
Literacy Council GED/HiSET Test Voucher Program – $10,000
Blueprints Home Ownership Center – $100,000
Bentleyville James Street Stormwater Upgrade – $86,100
Donegal Township Main Street Storm Sewer = $55,000
Penn Highlands Mon Valley Neurosurgical Services – $150,000
Public Transit Safe Bus Route at Nathan Goff Jr. Apartments – $146,774
California Borough Road Signs Replacement – $19,239
Speers Borough Radar Signage – $13,780
Job Training
Enhanced Simulation for Education and Workforce Development – $80,000
Gunny’s Ridge Veteran & First Responder Outpost – $242,644
Trinity High School Rehab Aide/Athletic Training Facility/Veterinarian Tech – $90,000