Jan 24, 2018 3 min read

DONORA – Community College of Allegheny County has halted plans to develop an educational and workforce training center in Donora over its claims Washington County won’t fund the project.

College President Quintin B. Bullock informed the mayor of Donora and Washington County commissioners of the decision in a Jan. 12 letter, in which he stated the “decision was not made lightly or without serious consideration by all involved.”

“While we are interested and willing to be a partner, in view of the projected cost and the absence of a financial commitment from Washington County to take the lead on providing or raising the necessary funding, I regret to inform you that it does not appear that there is at this time an economically viable path forward to make this project a reality,” Bullock stated in the letter.

Washington County Commission Chairman Larry Maggi said the college wanted the county to contribute $36.9 million toward the project at the former Donora Elementary Center, with an agreement that CCAC “may use part of it.”

“We couldn’t get them to make a commitment,” Maggi said.

Maggi said the county also had concerns after the Middle States Commission on Higher Education put the college on notice last year that its accreditation was in jeopardy because of concerns it wasn’t properly assessing student learning.

Washington County sent Bullock a letter Jan. 4 in which the commissioners expressed disappointment about the decision by the college board of directors to not spend any money on the Donora project.

Washington County also was disappointed to learn that CCAC was not interested in further discussions about any financial assistance from Washington County. Washington County also offered to enter into a long-term lease with the college on a county- or municipal-owned building, records show.

“As you are aware, this was CCAC’s third attempt to develop a larger presence in Washington County and, as in prior efforts, the college has not been willing to provide any financial resources or commit capital expenditures to those projects,” Washington County stated in the letter.

Maggi said CCAC currently has about 100 students enrolled in classes it holds in Washington Crown Center mall in North Franklin Township.

Two years ago, the college approached Donora, which bought the school at auction in 2014 for $22,000, about purchasing and renovating the old school or tearing it down to make way for new construction. The renovation cost was set at $27.7 million.

Donora Mayor James McDonough said the borough will need to put the building back on the market in hopes of attracting a buy.

“The Mon Valley jumps at every chance, rides on the coattail and at the end of the day they pull the rug out from under you,” McDonough said. “It’s a shame.”