OP-ED: Making connections for growth
The Cecil Township Board of Supervisors recently joined with the Montour Trail Council, Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Agency, Gateway Engineers, as well as other private and state groups, to celebrate the completion of the Southpointe Trail Connector.
This 1,300-foot pathway will connect the Montour Trail to Southpointe in Cecil, allowing current businesses and residents access to recreational opportunities. It is also a link to how we can work together to attract new businesses and residents by developing our quality of life in Washington County.
Over the 30-year development of Southpointe, Cecil Township has worked with private developers and public agencies to create a business park that attracts employers through low taxes and provides quality-of-life features to bring in new residents. This “live, work and play” plan has brought large employers such as ANSYS, Columbia Gas, and Crown Castle, as well as small businesses and new people to our county. It has also welcomed energy companies like Range Resources, CNX, and CONSOL Energy. Jobs, investment, and growth have followed.
Similar ideas to our quality-of-life approach to development are being seen in other areas of the country. In fact, The Brookings Institution found that “recreational opportunities, cultural activities and excellent services are likely bigger contributors to a healthy local economy than traditional business-friendly measures.” It also found that unique features like farmers’ markets, natural amenities, such as rivers and trails, and locally-owned stores all added to attracting businesses and people to communities.
Using this model, all our communities have local treasures that can be used to attract businesses and new residents. For instance, our Mon Valley towns such as New Eagle, Charleroi, and California have the benefit of the Monongahela River, which is known for great pools for summer boating and fishing. Our cities of Washington and Monongahela are well known for their history and specialty stores, and townships such as Peters and North Strabane are perfect for shopping and entertainment. Just as each person is unique, each area of our county offers something different that can be used to attract businesses and people that will find a great place to live, work and raise a family. The key is to bring people together to develop these resources.
Washington County government can take a leadership role in bringing together municipalities, businesses, and citizens to identify quality-of-life amenities in their communities, and how we can improve them to attract new businesses and residents. While we have seen some movement from the county with the upcoming release of their new comprehensive plan, we need to see how that plan will address quality of life issues as a strategy for growth. In the meantime, it is important to make sure our existing businesses, especially small businesses, and our residents, know we are working with them to keep our quality of life high. Like Cecil Township, we want Washington County businesses and citizens to be proud of where they call home and tell others the same. As we know, the best form of advertising is positive word of mouth.
Cindy Fisher is the chairperson of the Cecil Township Board of Supervisors and a Democratic candidate for Washington County commissioner.