A Bi-Weekly Update on Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
February 24, 2006 Volume 5 Issue 3 www.co.westmoreland.pa.us
Benefit Concert February 25 for Twin Lakes Skate Park
The Westmoreland Street Park Alliance is sponsoring a benefit concert on Saturday, February 25, from 7:00 to 1:00 p.m., to raise funds for the construction of the Regional Skate Park project at Twin Lakes Park. The concert will be held at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in Village Hall, Room 118. The Alliance will collect a minimum $5 donation to the project from everyone who attends the concert. All funds raised will be used to support the planning and construction of the Twin Lakes Park Regional Skate Park. Five bands have donated their services to raise funds for the skate park and will perform throughout the evening. The following is a list of performers and their websites for more information, if available: Pianist Laura Evans; Vale and Year, (www.myspace.com/valeandyear); Sounddrive (www.myspace.com/sounddrive); Evergreen Movement (www.myspace.com/evergreenmovement); and Fromthegroundup (www.myspace.com/ftgup). The event is co-sponsored by Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation, fromthegroundup and Rogo Designs. For more information, contact Tim Krupar, event coordinator, at 724-837-4454.
Art Project Grants Offered In This Issue:
Economic Development Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2 BattleBots IQ . . . . . . .Page 3 Hanna’s Town . . . . . .Page 4 Proclamations . . . . . . Page 5
Send us your feedback E-mail: FKopas@co.westmoreland.pa.us
The Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks and Recreation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts are offering grants to non-profit organizations to support art-related projects and activities that will benefit Westmoreland County residents. The awards are designed to stimulate arts programming in Westmoreland County. This year, $8,850 is available in grants. Applications for funding are available now through the Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks and Recreation. Local arts organizations and governmental units engaged in the display or production of arts activities are eligible to apply. Eligible arts activities include projects involving music, theater, dance and other performing arts.
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A qualified, independent review board will review all applications received by Friday, March 17, 2006. Up to 60 percent project funding is available only for direct costs of proposed projects, not for general administration, capital expenses or in-kind costs. Also ineligible are activities that are not open to the general public, take place outside Westmoreland County, have a religious purpose, or serve as vehicles for prizes, fund raising or academic credit. The grant funds are for projects taking place from May 15 to September 30, 2006, and all applicants will be notified of grant awards by May 1. Applications may be obtained at the Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks and Recreation, 194 Donohoe Road, Greensburg, PA 15601. For application information, call 724-830-3950.
Labor Management Committee Hosts Economic Development Seminar
The Westmoreland County Area Labor-Management Committee (WCALMC) hosted its fourth annual countywide economic development seminar, entitled “Westmoreland County: State of the Economy IV,” on Tuesday, November 15, 2005. Panel members represented a variety of local organizations closely linked to economic development in the region and included Tom Balya, Westmoreland County Commissioner; William Ceriani of the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis; Alexander Graziani of the Smart Growth Partnerships of Westmoreland County; Dr. Andrew Herr of Saint Vincent College; Deputy Secretary Robert O’Brien from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry; John Skiavo of the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland; April Steffey from the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation; and William Thompson from the Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board. Several key points were made during the two-hour seminar, which focused on the local economic outlook as compared to the state and national averages. William Ceriani, PA Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, stated that Westmoreland County is doing a bit better than Pennsylvania and the U.S. in terms of recovering from the 2001 recession, and wages have not experienced as much adverse effect as employment. Westmoreland County is also outpacing the commonwealth in job growth. The most significant job loss in the county has been in the manufacturing sector, which lost approximately 5,000 jobs between 2001 and 2005. John Skiavo from the Economic Growth Connection also commented on the importance of improving transportation, in order to entice new businesses to locate within the county. Skiavo noted that more than $150 million will be spent on transportation projects in the 2005-06 fiscal year. Of those investments, the Laurel Connector/Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project was noted as a key component in upgrading the local infrastructure. The connector will provide a more direct route between the New Stanton/Sony area and the county airport. Alex Graziani from the Smart Growth Partnership provided the audience with an overview of the county’s comprehensive plan for Unity Township and the Route 30 corridor. The plan focuses on sound land use with a practical combination of residential and commercial areas centered around a safe and efficient transportation corridor. With a median home sale price of $307,000, Unity Township is an important growth area for Westmoreland County.
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The County’s economic development leaders also spoke of the creation of the “Westmoreland Development Council,” which will encompass all of the private and public sector development agencies under one roof. This partnership is aimed at creating a more efficient and “user-friendly” system within the county, where resources can be shared and projects completed using a team approach to economic development. Approximately 40 people attended the fourth annual seminar, which is open to both WCALMC members and the public at large. Anyone interested in attaining more information about local and state workforce statistics may access a wealth of valuable information online at www.paworkstats.state.pa.us.
New Manufacturing Facility Opens in Arnold
County Commissioners Tom Balya and Tom Ceraso helped welcome a new employer to the Alle-Kiski Valley on February 10. Total Industrial and Packaging Corporation (TIP), a small, woman-owned business based in McKees Rocks, Allegheny County, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of its new polypropylene bag manufacturing facility located in Arnold, Westmoreland County. The facility, which will be operated by a division of TIP known as All American Bag and Packaging, occupies approximately 52,000 square feet of space in Building 210 of the Schreiber Industrial Park. The facility includes office space, loading dock, production facility and warehousing for raw materials and finished goods. The facility completed and passed all qualification tests on February 6, 2006, and production is underway. The facility will initially produce polypropylene sand bags to fulfill a Department of Defense contract. The company envisions expanding its product lines to include other types of Polypropylene bags and products for government agencies, industrial, agricultural and retail uses. The manufacturing facility will initially create a minimum of approximately 150 new jobs in an area of southwestern Pennsylvania that has a significant need for new jobs. TIP anticipates that employment can expand to as many as 400 jobs when the plant begins operating at full capacity. For more information, contact Christin Miller of Total Industrial and Packaging Corporation at 412-331-8301.
WIB’s “BattleBots IQ” Competition Set for May 13
BattleBots IQ is an educational program created by the producers of the wildly successful BattleBots television series in which homemade, remote controlled robots face-off in competition. As the television show grew in popularity, so did the number of student fans who wanted to build competitive robots of their own. It soon became evident that this activity – the sport of robots in competition – had the unique potential to impact middle school, high school and college students in a powerful and positive way. Through the process of robot building, student's imaginations are captured as they design, build and compete with their own robotic creations; and through this hands-on effort students gain practical knowledge of math, science, engineering and manufacturing.
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The reception to the BattleBots IQ program in the educational, manufacturing and technology communities has been overwhelming. What started as a program for middle and high schools has grown to include post secondary schools and institutions. Manufacturing and technology sectors have been impressed with what the program has done in creating an awareness of the manufacturing industry that until now was somewhat lackluster. The Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board (WIB) hosted a teacher training course in January for 21 local Career and Technology Center teachers at the Westmoreland County Community College. These teachers spent three intense days learning all about Battlebots IQ and will now implement the curriculum in their local schools. The schools represented were Butler County AVTS, Central Westmoreland CTC, Eastern Westmoreland CTC, Forbes Road CTC, Lenape Tech, Northern Westmoreland CTC and Steel Center AVTS. Teams will be formed in each school to build battlebots and will compete in a Battlebots IQ competition. The competition is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 13, at Westmoreland Mall. For more information, contact the Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board at 724-755-2145 or visit www.westfaywib.org.
Volunteers Needed at Historic Hanna’s Town
The Westmoreland County Historical Society will hold a series of orientations for those interested in working as volunteers at Historic Hanna’s Town. Volunteers are needed to work in the gift shop and to lead tours, particularly for school groups. Orientation for new tour guides will be held Saturday, March 11, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, at the society’s library at 41 W. Otterman Street, Suite 310, in Greensburg. Orientation sessions for all new and experienced Historic Hanna’s Town volunteer tour guides will be held Saturdays, April 22 and 29, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and for gift shop volunteers April 29, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., at the historic site. Historic Hanna’s Town was founded in 1773 and was the first county seat and site of the first English colonial court west of the Allegheny Mountains. The town was attacked and burned on July 13, 1783, by a raiding party of Indians and their British allies. Historic Hanna’s Town is administered through a partnership of the Westmoreland County Historical Society and Westmoreland County Department of Parks and Recreation. Advanced registration is requested. For more information or to register for the orientation sessions, contact Joanna Moyar, education coordinator for the Westmoreland County Historical Society at 724-836-1800 (extension 12).
Historical Society Plans Genealogical Trip to Carnegie Library
The Westmoreland County Historical Society is sponsoring a bus trip from Greensburg to Pittsburgh to use the resources of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society in the Pennsylvania Department of the Carnegie Library. The daylong trip is planned for Monday, April 24. The bus will leave at 8:45 a.m. and return at approximately 8:00 p.m. The group will receive an orientation to the
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various resources available in the Pennsylvania Department, which include federal census enumeration schedules for the entire state; vital records index’s for Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio and New York; Sanborn maps on microfilm for Pennsylvania; county histories for all of the Pennsylvania in book and on microfilm; Ancestry on-line and much more. Volunteers from the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society will be available to guide the group to resource material and answer questions. The package is $40 for historical society members and $45 for non-members. The fee includes bus fare, dinner (lunch is on your own) and gratuities. Space is limited. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, April 12. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Department, visit the Carnegie Library’s website at www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/pennsylvania/about.html. For more information or to make a reservation, call the Westmoreland County Historical Society at 724-836-1800.
Proclamations
(Editor’s Note: the following proclamations were approved at the February 23 Commissioners’ Public Meeting.) In Recognition of the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau Task Force Whereas, the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau Task Force was appointed by the Board of Commissioners in September 2004 to conduct an independent, comprehensive study of the Children’s Bureau to improve and strengthen the agency responsible for the protection of innocent children who, through no fault of their own, are abused or neglected; and Whereas, the Task force members, Phyllis Eldridge, Mary Ann Gawelek, Thomas Horan, Robert Krupey and Gerome Spino, brought to the study diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives, but above all recognized that our children are our most precious resource; and Whereas, the Task Force performed an in-depth analysis of the Children’s Bureau and submitted recommended improvements for the agency in November 2005 that covered a wide spectrum of areas including facilities and equipment, personnel and workload, and communications and outreach; and Whereas, the County announced a series of action steps in February 2006, based on the work of the Task Force, that will help strengthen the vital services the agency provides; and Whereas, all residents of Westmoreland County – not just those who use the services of the Children’s Bureau – owe the Task Force a debt of gratitude for their service. Therefore, we the Commissioners of Westmoreland County, Tom Balya, Tom Ceraso and Phil Light, do hereby thank the members of the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau Task Force for their selfless service and professional efforts, and value their significant contributions toward ensuring the safety and well being of the county’s most vulnerable children. In Witness Thereof, we have hereunto set our hands and cause the Seal of the County to be affixed this 23rd day of February 2006. The Prudential Spirit Of Community Awards - Gordon Vanscoy
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Whereas, however effective government may be in serving the needs of its citizens, the soul of our county and its vitality as a place to live and work depend on the relationship of families, friends and neighbors; and Whereas, strengthening those bonds is not as much in the hands of institutions or governments as it is in the hearts of the people-individuals who volunteer to help people of all ages, races and religions cope with illnesses, overcome hardships and barriers, adjust to social changes, and fulfill their potential, these volunteers are the unrecognized, unsung heroes of our society; and Whereas, Gordon Vanscoy, recently named as one of our state's top honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Program, exemplifies the value of volunteer community service, and is a role model to our youth as well as adult in our county; and Whereas, Gordon is being recognized by this organization for organizing a threeweek school and community fund-raising drive that yielded more than $60,000 to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. By working with the Red Cross, school and community leaders, Gordon and other teen volunteers collected donations at 13 schools, local retail stores and a community fair; and Whereas, a surprising number of volunteers in communities across the nation are like Gordon, a student contributing time without expectation of reward, other than the gratification that comes from helping others. Therefore, we the Commissioners of Westmoreland County, Tom Balya, Tom Ceraso and Phil Light, do hereby commend Gordon Vanscoy, our Prudential Spirit of Community Award Honoree, for his outstanding volunteer contribution to others and our county, and proclaim February 23, 2006 as the "Gordon Vanscoy Prudential Spirit of Community Recognition Day" in Westmoreland County. In Witness Thereof, we have hereunto set our hands and caused the Seal of the County to be affixed this 23rd day of February, 2006.
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Volume 5 Issue 3 February 24, 2006
A bi-weekly update on Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Westmoreland County Courthouse 2 North Main Street, Suite 101 Greensburg, Pennsylvania 15601 800-442-6926 Editor: Ted Kopas Contributors: Dan Carpenter, Bruce Hotchkiss, Jennifer Kemerer, Joanna Moyar, Heidi Petrosky Raymond Roberts
We welcome your feedback. Please send comments or suggestions to Ted Kopas, Chief of Staff for Chairman Tom Balya, via e-mail at FKopas@co.westmoreland.pa.us or call 724-830-3123.
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