News Flash

Uniontown, PA - The Fayette County Board of Commissioners recently approved their funding recommendations for the 2021-22 Local Share Account (LSA) program. 

This year, more than 50 project proposals from across the county were submitted to commissioners Dave Lohr, chairman; Vincent Vicites and Scott Dunn for their review this fall. 

Following the commissioners’ selections, the projects are recommended through an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for final approval. DCED then administers the funding for those projects the state signs off on through 2022. 

Fayette County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Andrew French said this year’s applicants requested nearly $2 million in funding. The commissioners ultimately chose 21 projects for a total LSA funding recommendation of $799,239. 

That funding will be leveraged by more than $700,000 from other funding sources secured by the project applicants, creating a total impact of more than $1.5 million countywide. 

“As always, this year’s projects are pretty evenly distributed geographically, with all corners of our county represented,” French said. “Since the program began seven years ago, each one of our 42 municipalities has benefited from some project funded by LSA grants.” 

LSA funding is generated annually through the county’s share of gaming revenues derived from Nemacolin’s Lady Luck Casino in Wharton Township. 

French said the commissioners try to identify “high impact” projects which will have a broad effect on various municipalities when making their decisions.

“LSA funds are pretty flexible in their usage, so there’s always a wide variety of projects on the recommendation list,” he said. “We really try to capitalize on that flexibility by funding different kinds of projects every year.” 

This year’s projects cover everything from economic development projects; public safety; recreation; facility improvements; administration; infrastructure; planning and more. They include:

• Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative - Fayette County Redevelopment Authority.
• German Township Police Radio System Upgrade - German Township.
• Redstone Township Police Department Life Saving Equipment - Redstone Township.
• Crime Stoppers Community Awareness Project - Crime Stoppers of the County of Fayette.
• Dunbar Borough Community Electronic Billboard - Dunbar Borough.
• Stewart Township Equipment Building Expansion - Steward Township.
• Royal Youth Recreation Improvements - Redstone Township.
• Connellsville Area Veterans Memorial Honor Roll - Connellsville Area Veterans Memorial Honor Roll Committee.
• Phillips Park Playground Upgrade - North Union Township.
• Connellsville Township Municipal Garage Update Phase II - Connellsville Township.
• Jefferson Township Municipal Park Improvements - Jefferson Township.
• Bailey Park Recreation Improvements - City of Uniontown.
• Fairchance Community Park Improvements - Fairchance Borough.
• Fenwick Park Improvements - Brownsville Borough.
• South Union Township Sheepskin Trail Improvements - South Union Township.
• Country Club Lane Connector Waterline Extension - Pleasant Valley Water Authority.
• Fairchance Borough Fire Hydrant Replacement - North Fayette County Municipal Authority.
• Harris Road Waterline Extension - Indian Creek Valley Water Authority.
• Uniontown Strategic Planning - Uniontown Redevelopment Authority.
• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Operational Support - CASA of Fayette County.
• Charity Outreach Food Pantry - Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church.

Commissioner Vicites said this year’s set of recommended projects represent a “diverse” group of organizations covering “numerous areas” of the county. 

“We were pleasantly surprised to have more funding available than we have had in the past couple of LSA rounds,” Vicites said. “The LSA grants are so important because they are, in most cases, community-led projects that impact the community directly.” 

Vicites said distributing funding at the “grassroots level” is extremely important for helping individual communities. 

“Since the LSA program’s inception, the commissioners have distributed all of the funding available, instead of keeping it for county-level projects,” he said. “We’re able to make more of an overall impact by helping our municipalities and community organizations achieve their goals.” 

Commissioner Dunn said this year’s projects were a great mix of community projects, infrastructure improvements, support for first responders and more. 

“It was good to be able to fund so many of these worthy projects. These funds are utilized to fill in the gaps for our municipalities and authorities,” Dunn said. “This helps them fill their wish list of projects that might not get funded by other means. These projects and improvements help make our local municipalities a better place to live.” 

Commissioner Lohr said Fayette County is “moving in the right direction,” and LSA funding is “just one vehicle to move local projects along.” 

“I’m always impressed with the quality of applications and so excited to see this money put to good use. Our communities and agencies are using all of the tools in the toolbox to find ways to make valued projects come to fruition, and that’s good for Fayette County and all the citizens who live and work here,” Lohr said. “It’s difficult when there are much-needed projects that communities or agencies simply can’t afford to do on their own. Projects run the gamut from public safety to economic development, infrastructure and facilities improvements. It’s all in there, and it’s all vital to the future of Fayette County. Kudos to all who applied. I look forward to seeing the fruits of this year’s funding.”  

French has submitted the county’s recommendations for DCED approval. For more information and a complete list of project details, contact the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority at 724-437-1547 or visit www.racfpa.org.

For more information about Fayette County, visit www.FayetteCountyPA.org.  

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This communication is part of the Fayette County PR Initiative, which is funded through the Fayette County Local Share Account (LSA) and Hotel Tax Grants in cooperation with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, The Redstone Foundation and other partners. This funding has been designated for the continued promotion and marketing of Fayette County, PA.

For more information, contact Kristi Rooker Kassimer, Public Relations Specialist, at 412-691-0262, kkassimer@fayettecountypa.info or Kaylie Moore, Community Relations Coordinator, at 724-430-1200 Ext. 1611, kmoore@fayettepa.org.