Changes made to Washington County鈥檚 LSA review committee
Three economic development groups removed in favor of private sector representative
Washington County officials earlier this year made changes to the makeup of the Local Share Account review committee, eliminating seats for three independent economic development organizations while adding a “private sector representative” to the board.
The changes were made with little publicity in August and published on the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington’s website with information announcing the Oct. 29 deadline to apply for the LSA grants that come from casino gambling revenue in the county.
The 11-member board previously consisted of members from the Chamber of Commerce, Washington County Authority, the county administrator, finance director, Mon Valley Alliance, Washington Greene Job Training Agency, state Senate, state House, borough representative, township representative and rotating official from Washington or Monongahela.
The seats held by representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Mon Valley Alliance and Washington Greene Job Training were eliminated. In their place, the commissioners appointed a private sector representative seat that will be held by Dan Ostrowski, who is a member of the Washington County Authority board and a project manager for Pittsburgh-based real estate advisors JLL.
“That committee has kinda evolved over the years and made changes,” said Bob Griffin, who is executive director of the redevelopment authority that oversees the LSA program but does not make decisions on the committee’s representatives. “What prompted the changes (was) people resigned from the board, rolled off the board.”
One of those people was Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency President Jeff Kotula, who chaired the LSA committee up until last January when he resigned from the board and was replaced by South Strabane resident Mark Hrutkay. While Kotula left the board, he said that the chamber was contractually required to have a representative on the committee, and he did not learn about the changes that were made in August until contacted by a reporter Friday.
“Part of our economic development contract, the Chamber President, or his/her designee, was to serve as a member of the LSA Review Board,” Kotula said in a written statement. “The commissioners did not communicate with us that they were removing our position months before they canceled our contract in early November.”
Ami Gatts, who is director of the Washington Greene Job Training Agency, said she was aware that her organization had been removed from the committee, but was never officially notified of the changes.
“I don’t know of all of the changes, but obviously we respect the process and I was happy to sit on the LSA and wish them all the luck,” said Gatts, who served on the review committee for the last three years.
Mon Valley Alliance Executive Director Jamie Colecchi, who previously sat on the committee, said he did not know his organization had been removed until he checked the redevelopment authority’s website Thursday to see if there was information yet on the LSA applications.
“I didn’t even know of the changes until recently,” he said. “We weren’t notified of the changes, but we look forward to helping to support the projects.”
The LSA committee each January reviews hundreds of applications from local nonprofits, municipalities, sewage authorities and other civic organizations requesting grants that come from revenue from the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows. Griffin said they have received more than 100 applications this year and the committee will begin reviewing them in early January before holding public hearings at the Crossroads Center building on Jan. 15 and 16. The committee then makes recommendations to the county commissioners to approve, which are then sent to the redevelopment authority and forwarded to the state Department of Community and Economic Development for final approval.
“They want to get different perspectives and will likely change in the future,” Griffin said of the makeup of the committee. “There have been numerous changes over the years.”
County spokeswoman Nicole Ford said the changes this year reflect members rotating on and off the board as people leave positions and others take their place. She said the commissioners informally agreed to the changes through email messages with Griffin in August.
“As the application process continues to evolve and expand, the composition of the review committee can change in future years, welcoming new voices that bring insight, energy, and a continued commitment to investing in Washington County,” Ford said.
But Commissioner Larry Maggi said he was not aware of the board’s changes until just recently and did not recall any discussions or emails in which they agreed to make changes.
“I wish we had a discussion about it,” Maggi said. “Not that I disagree (but) the county is heavily represented. We should have more people from the private sector represented. (There’s) nothing wrong with making changes. Changes happen, but we need to have a discussion about it at least.”
The LSA review committee’s hearings in mid-January are public and have been live streamed online in the past. The recommendations are typically forwarded to the commissioners in late January for approval, which must be sent to the DCED for authorization by the end of March.