Feb 1, 2023 2 min read

The city of Washington is making plans to participate in the Washington County Land Bank.

City Council will vote Thursday to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement with the land bank, which uses available resources to return blighted, vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties to productive use. The program combats community deterioration, create economic growth and stabilize the housing and job market.

Participating municipalities are Charleroi, Marianna and West Brownsville boroughs and East Bethlehem Township.

“We’re looking at some minor tweaks to the language on that agreement,” Mayor Scott Putnam said after Monday’s agenda meeting. “There’s some things we’ve questioned over the years. I think we’re getting close to getting this done. I think it’s important for the city of Washington and it’s important for the land bank that the county seat is part of that agreement.”

In other business Monday, engineer Sarah Boyce of Harshman CE Group said bids were opened for site work for the playground improvement project at Washington Park. The lowest bid was $150,000, from Piccolomini Development of Uniontown.

A vote to accept that bid is expected when council meets Thursday.

The project includes a new, state-of-the-art playground that will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If the contract is awarded Thursday, the playground will be ordered with the hope of having it ready by Memorial Day.

Another vote expected Thursday will involve presenting the reinstated Pride in Washington Award to the Dreamers Company, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing Washington’s residential and commercial properties.

“They’ve been a great partner with the city,” Putnam said. “We just want to recognize them for their pride in Washington.”