Officials say county’s economy is in a positive state
Word out of Southpointe on Thursday morning was in stark contrast to what was dominating the international news cycle.
The 10th annual Washington County: State of the Economy event was shimmering sunshine compared with reports of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Washington County is ready to explode,” county Commissioner Larry Maggi said, employing the word “explode” – in this instance – as a positive metaphor. “Hopefully, the pandemic is about to end and we can move forward.”
Maggi offered that assessment near the end of a four-hour program at the Hilton Garden Inn/Southpointe, which drew an in-person audience of about 250, and virtual patrons as well. Last year’s State of the Economy was conducted virtually, because of the prevalence of COVID-19.
The annual State of the Economy is organized and presented by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
The county’s attributes were touted throughout, during two panel discussions and addresses by U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-14th District) and Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, interim president of California, Clarion and Edinboro universities, which will merge into Pennsylvania Western University on July 1.
Numerous financial figures were announced, of course. The commissioners, during their discussion, pointed out there were 69 major economic development projects in the county last year, accounting for more than $679.8 million in capital investment.
They also said $7.2 million-plus in other investments were made recently through the county Local Share Account, courtesy of gaming revenues at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows. Those investments were leveraged by an additional $8.8 million in public and private funds.
Board chair Diana Irey Vaughan also cited three manufacturing expansions in the Mon Valley: GE Grid Solutions in Charleroi; Retal Americas Holdings, a plastics packaging maker with a regional headquarters and production plant in Donora; and Bakery Barn, a protein bar manufacturer that will occupy a 55,000-square-foot facility in Alta Vista Business Park, Fallowfield Township.
Irey Vaughan also mentioned real estate projects, including Hardy World’s opening of HW70, a flex building with up to 16 business spaces in Somerset Township; the Fort Cherry Development District, where 25- to 75-acre sites will be created for industrial, flex and office use on a former strip mine area in Robinson Township; and a second building for Sarris Candies in Canonsburg.
Concerns have been raised about vacancies that have occurred at Southpointe during the pandemic. Irey Vaughan, however, said leasing has been active and private companies are showing interest. Including subleases, she added, the mixed-use park in Cecil Township has “only about a 12% vacancy rate.”
An energy-related panel discussion opened the program Thursday, moderated by David Callahan, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition. Speaking in the heart of the vast Marcellus Shale play, the three panelists were bullish on natural gas, and pushed for more pipeline infrastructure and further decarbonization.
All addressed ESG, an acronym that stands for environmental, social and governance to ensure responsible natural gas industry.
“We will focus on ESG. We have announced that we want to be carbon neutral by 2025,” said Tony Gaudlip, vice president of operational planning for Range Resources locally. He said the company drills 60 to 70 natural gas wells a year, “mostly in Washington County.”
Joseph McGinn, a vice president with Energy Transfer, and Denise Brinley, an executive with TRC Companies, were the other panelists.
Energy Transfer, developer of the cross-state Mariner East pipeline, announced last week that construction of the final phase of the project had ended and commissioning was underway.
Reschenthaler called Pennsylvania “a state among nations in energy production. There is an abundance of natural gas here. We also have cheap and abundant petrochemicals.”
Pehrsson spoke glowingly about Cal U. and the schools with which it is merging, serving many “students who come from humble means.”
“We need to repurpose our buildings and resources and how we teach. By consolidating, we will be stronger and create an infrastructure so we can be here for a long time.”
The event ended with questions from the audience, the best one coming from a woman reflecting on the Jan. 28 bridge collapse in Pittsburgh. She asked the commissioners about the quality of Washington County spans.
Irey Vaughan said the county reviewed records of the 134 bridges it owns and found “nothing on the list is unsafe at this time.” She added that there are “19 bridges we have to look at within five years, and we’re looking at abandoning five of them. Bridges are inspected on a yearly basis.”
That was an economic positive as well.