(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
The Beaver County Commissioners gathered on Wednesday for their regular weekly work session, amidst circumstances that were not so regular.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the Commissioners met with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and several other local leaders and representatives to discuss the ongoing matter in East Palestine, Ohio following the Norfolk Southern train derailment that took place on February 3. At the work session, the Commissioners thanked Shapiro for meeting and cooperating with Beaver County during the last two weeks, ensuring that the environment will be continued to be monitored by the DEP and EPA, and that the air quality is safe for outdoor activities.
Treasurer Sandie Egley spoke about the soon-to-be released 2022 Treasurer’s Report, happily announcing that the taxes collected for 2022 was 95% in Beaver County, marking a record-tying number set in 2021. Parks & Recreation director Tony Caltury announced that the outdoor Dek hockey facility would have its contractors in with the weather breaking for the next few days.
The majority of the meeting was focused on the works of TRAILS Ministries in Beaver Falls, who presented their latest progress and plans for the Reclaim Project. The project is designed to employ once-convicted felons to help deconstruct properties throughout Beaver County, with a plan to reduce recidivism and create newer and better housing in the county. TRAILS also announced their plans to continue past their pilot initiative to provide assistance to other boroughs, including Rochester Borough.
However, commissioner chairman Dan Camp displayed his concerns over the amount of money being allotted to the project, feeling that while the aim of the project and its accomplishments weren’t bad, that the county could be saving significant money by “spreading the wealth” and spending less on demolition costs per house through their own agencies as opposed to the Reclaim Project.
“That Act 152 dollars is to tear down blighted property, and to serve as many communities as we can,” Camp stated, “and we are not doing that as a board.”
The representatives from the Reclaim Project claimed that they would be able to attract more local business investments, because they felt that their plan to incorporate recidivism and use reclaimed resources would be more attractive to them. Camp challenged that notion, saying that a bid with the same amount of money could “double” the amount of blight removal in Beaver County.
Commissioners Jack Manning and Tony Amadio showed their support for what the Reclaim Project was doing–in contrast with Camp–with this addendum from Amadio: “Once the pilot’s over, we’re going back to basics. You’re going to have to worry about your funding coming from somewhere once the pilot’s over.”
The next commissioner’s work session is scheduled for February 22 at 10:00 AM.