Commissioners expand LSA review committee
The Washington County commissioners agreed to expand the Local Share Account review committee to 11 members after adding another person to the board who will serve as the local borough association’s representative.
The commissioners voted unanimously during their Thursday meeting on a compromise measure to add West Brownsville Councilman Jim Plugh to the review committee at the request of the Tri-County Borough Association, which has an allotted seat on the board.
Tri-County had appointed Plugh in October after selecting a different representative from Fayette County in March, only to be told the person had to live in Washington County. In between, county officials selected Bill Nutt of Long Branch to represent the borough’s association, prompting members to question that decision earlier this week.
The commissioners agreed to place both Plugh and Nutt on the review committee, and they will be joined by Chairman Mark Hrutkay of South Strabane, County Administrator Daryl Price, county Finance Director Adam Petris, state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, state Rep. Tim O’Neal, Monongahela Mayor Gregory Garry, Rachel Warner Welsh of Cross Creek Township, Washington County Authority Executive Director Owen Pucel and Dan Ostrowski, who is the “private sector” representative.
The committee had 11 members as of last year before the commissioners made changes to the board in August, initially dropping it down to 10 seats.
The LSA committee reviews grant applications for organizations, nonprofits and municipalities seeking funds from the county’s gambling revenue that comes from the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows.
The committee will hold public hearings on Jan. 15 and 16 to review the applications and later determine which projects should be recommended for funding. The county commissioners will give the final approval and send the list to the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington, which manages the LSA program, before it forwards the projects to the state Department of Community and Economic Development before the end of March.