Feb 16, 2024 By Mike Jones 8 min read

The Washington County commissioners approved 50 projects to receive $8.7 million in Local Share Account grants during their meeting Thursday, but declined to modify the list to fund a request from City Mission despite pleas from the homeless shelter’s officials to reconsider.

The City Mission’s application for $500,000 in Washington County’s casino gambling revenue funds was apparently on a preliminary list sent to Commissioner Larry Maggi on Feb. 2, but removed when the LSA committee voted four days later to make its recommendations to the commissioners.

No explanation has been made on why it was removed at the last minute, but county officials have said that the list is not final until the LSA committee votes to make its recommendations and the commissioners approve it in order to send it to the state for the funds to be distributed.

Several officials with City Mission asked during the public comment portion of the meeting for an explanation about why their request was removed at the last minute, or even add it to the final list before voting.

“Why was the City Mission project that was preliminarily awarded $500,000 taken off the original list of 51 projects, and what was the reason for prompting of the removal of the City Mission with no changes to the other 50 recipients?” said Walt Turner, who is a board member for the City Mission.

He noted that the grant would have helped with their $6.4 million project to build a new women’s shelter in Washington. They already have raised $4.8 million so far, Turner said, which he thought should have shown officials that they were on stable financial ground to make the request.

“We were obviously very disappointed,” Turner said. “The success of raising the $4.8 million over a short time of 15 months says a lot about the overall financial and community support of this project.”

City Mission President and CEO Dean Gartland said the project will replace a 15-bed facility, and they hope to break ground this spring in order to help more women who need temporary shelter. He added they typically receive five to 15 phone calls per day from women looking for help, so the current facility is “not adequate” to serve their needs.

“It is absolutely heartbreaking for us to have to tell them that there’s no room in the inn,” Gartland said. “And we were really hoping that we were going to be able to address that particular issue with this project.”

Meanwhile, state Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run, who has questioned the LSA for several years, asked for more transparency in how the projects are chosen to give the public confidence in the process.

“Is the Local Share Account program fair? If we cannot get answers to the first two questions (about) transparency and accountability, we will never know,” Cook said.

Maggi, who first raised concerns about last-minute changes to the LSA committee’s list this year, said he still planned to support the recommendations “because there are a lot of good projects on there.” However, he reiterated his support for the committee to be able to function without any outside influence, although it’s still unclear why the City Mission was removed from the list.

“I feel strongly – strongly – about the independence of that committee because it’s had such an impact on the Washington County community being able to get things done that smaller communities couldn’t,” Maggi said. “In addition to the much larger, headline grabbing projects, the LSA funding is also helping smaller communities or nonprofits build playgrounds and improve infrastructure, something they probably wouldn’t be able to do on their own.”

Commissioner Electra Janis called the City Mission a “wonderful organization,” but said she only received one list of recommendations from the LSA committee, which did not include the homeless shelter in the funding.

“There were plenty of organizations that were very deserving that applied for (LSA) funds, which happens every year, and unfortunately difficult decisions have to be made,” Janis said. “We absolutely invite you to apply again next year and going forward in front of the board with whatever project that entails. I’d be happy to take a look. I just went with the recommendations of the LSA board.”

The commissioners unanimously approved the list, which provides various grants to local nonprofits, municipalities and authorities.

But before that vote, City Mission Chief Development Officer Sally Mounts said they will use the decision as motivation to “mobilize” their 65,000 donors – including 17,000 in the past year – to help fund the new women’s shelter.

“I’m not here to berate anyone. I’m here to thank you. You haven’t hurt the City Mission. You haven’t hurt our residents or our board or our outgoing CEO or our incoming CEO,” said Mounts, referring to Gartland and former county commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan, who will take the helm in March. “You’ve helped us, because you’ve motivated us. We’re going to invite all of you every step of the way to thank you for your incalculable help in motivating us to build this shelter.”

The LSA committee had a total of $9.2 million in funds available, but chose only to allocate $8.7 million during their Feb. 6 meeting, with the remaining $500,000 to be rolled over into next year’s account. A total of 94 applications were considered before the 50 projects were chosen.

The list of 50 projects receiving a total of $8.7 million in LSA funding can be found below:

* Washington St. Demolition – Cokeburg Borough – $50,000

* AP Delsandro Veterans Memorial in Donora Borough – $119,000

* Charleroi Playground Improvement Project Phase 2 – Charleroi Borough – $160,000 (Requested $106,781)

* Elementary Park Accessibility Enhancements – Fallowfield Township – $70,000

* John White House Roof Restoration in Chartiers – Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation – $38,000

* Lower Speers Park Playground Revitalization Project – Speers Borough – $32,367

* Park Renovations – Mount Pleasant Township – $82,000 (Asked for $320,787)

* Project New Life in Washington – Washington Area Senior Citizens Center – $173,500

* Roberts Stone House in Canonsburg – Washington County Cultural Trust – $75,000 (Requested $250,000)

* The Journey Continues Phase Two – Little Lake Theatre in North Strabane – $50,000 (Requested $200,000)

* Veterans Park – Burgettstown Borough – $31,615 (Requested $125,985)

* Victory Park Restroom and Concession Building – Centerville Borough & Center-West Joint Sewer Authority – $193,960 (Requested $208,960)

* WBDA Façade Grant in Washington – Washington Business District Authority – $150,000

* West Middletown Park Rehabilitation Project – West Middletown Borough – $67,500

* Midtown Market & Event Center Phase 2 in Canonsburg – Canonsburg Economic Development Committee, Inc. – $385,000 (Requested $500,000)

* Sanitary Sewer Lateral Rehabilitation – Carroll Township Authority – $250,000

* 3rd Street Utility Reconstruction Marianna Borough and MarianneWest Bethlehem Joint Sewerage Authority – $250,000 (Requested $463,000)

* CAP Sanitary Sewer Flow Reduction and Repair Project – Municipal Authority of the City of Monongahela $26,000 – (Requested $120,000)

* McCombs Road Sanitary Sewer Replacement Project in Peters Township – Peters Creek Sanitary Authority – $758,000

* Prosperity Village Sewage Planning Project – Morris Township – $38,017

* Pump Station Upgrade in Centerville – Vestaburg New Hill Joint Authority – $200,000 (Requested $210,175)

* Sewage Treatment Improvements in Cross Creek – Independence Cross Creek Joint Sewer Authority – $195,000 (Requested $316,500)

* Upgrading of Control Systems for the Devils Den and Bucey Road Lift Stations – Hanover Township Sewer Authority – $40,535 (Requested $128,650)

* Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project in Allenport – Mid Mon Valley Water Pollution Control Authority – $78,000 (Requested $200,000)

* Deemston Water Storage Tank – Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority – $300,000

* Public Water Service Extension – Avella Area School District – $253,000

* Vestaburg Waterline Replacement Project Phase IV – Tri-County Joint Municipal Authority – $291,400

* Water Line Replacement in Allenport, Elco, Roscoe and Stockdale – The Municipal Authority of the Township of Washington – $250,000 (Requested $453,800)

* Storm Sewer Cleaning and Televising – Carroll Township – $100,000 (Requested $200,000)

* Always B Smiling Activity and Learning Center, Outdoor Sensory Zone in Peters Township – $261,800

* Berry Road Evaluation – South Strabane Township – $57,000

* Gunny’s Ridge Veteran and First Responder Mission in Hanover Township – $125,000 (Requested $482,246)

* Harmony Life Center in Washington – $169,500 (Requested $300,000)

* Troop B Camp Cadet – Pennsylvania State Police – $10,000

* Tutor Library and Student Resource Development – Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania – $26,000

* Beth Center Community CS and STEM Initiative in Deemston – Bethlehem-Center School District – $50,000

* Centerville Clinic Training and Education Center in Charleroi – $400,000

* Community Equitable Technology Integration in Canonsburg – Arc Human Services, Inc. – $247,482

* Fort Cherry School District and Southwest Training Services Career Readiness Program – Mt. Pleasant Township – $92,240

* Robotics Team Equipment Project in Canonsburg – Titanium Titans, Inc. – $20,000

* STEAM Career Academy and Digital Media Center in Chartiers Township – Chartiers-Houston School District – $93,800

* Trinity High School Additive Manufacturing Capabilities – Trinity Area School District – $61,425

* WACTC Equipment Machine Shop & HVAC – Western Area Career & Technology Center – $100,000 (Requested $188,062)

* Canonsburg Area Senior Center Interior Updates – Aging Services of Washington County – $19,000

* Washington County Fairgrounds Equestrian Center Site Design and Land Development Plan – Washington County – $375,000

* Washington County Airport Southside T-Hangar Project in South Franklin – Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington – $750,000

* Project 47 in Buffalo Township – Mel Blount Youth Home of PA – $300,000 (Requested $600,000)

* Wild Things Park Updates in North Franklin – Washington Frontier League Baseball – $350,000 (Requested $511,240)

* Alta Vista Lot #1 Solar Project in Fallowfield Township – Mon Valley Alliance – $383,859 (Requested $1 million)

* Home Ownership Center of Washington County – Blueprints – $100,000