‘We’re making progress,’ MVA’s top official says at annual event
Clouds hovered ominously over the Valley, threatening the opulent shindig planned at Vinoski Winery. The good times, however, reigned over the rain – which went away and will come another day.
Mon Valley Alliance celebrated two years of existence Tuesday night with its annual gathering at the sprawling mansion – 32 rooms – in Rostraver Township. Chris Whitlatch, chief executive officer of the Charleroi-based organization, provided an update on its initiatives and projects at an event that drew about 120 people, including MVA board members, business executives and owners, development representatives and elected officials.
The alliance promotes and markets economic, community and workforce development in the mid-Mon Valley. It was created in April 2016 from a merger of two successful economic development organizations that had existed for 50-plus years: the Middle Monongahela Industrial Development Association, which concentrated on industrial parks, and Mon Valley Progress Council, which focused on transportation, namely the Mon Valley Expressway.
Whitlatch talked about the Town to Town mini-grant program, whereby public donations to MVA’s Community Development Fund provide support to nonprofit or community organizations. The first grant went out to a program that provides meals to 170 students in Belle Vernon Area School District.
He said activity and interest have picked up in Alta Vista Business Park in Fallowfield Township; old Charleroi Stadium has been demolished and the site has been prepared for a riverfront park attraction, with ground to be broken in 2019; studies have been completed on the Coyle Theater complex; and that MVA is partnering with Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce on developing an incubator on Main Street in Mon City.
“We also are in the process of getting riverfront tax credits for the park,” Whitlatch said. “And Charleroi has been selected for a federal Opportunity Zone (which provides tax incentives for investors in the borough.).”
On a festive evening, he concluded his update with a smile and encouraging words: “We keep making progress and things are looking up.”