Commissioner Tom Balya Mayors' Forum Minutes
Saturday, August 9, 2003, 9:00 a.m.
Sutersville Borough Building

Attending Mayors:
Robert Beaudway, Arona
Arthur Beraducci, West Newton
John DeLuca, Monessen
Mary Dobos, Trafford
Donald Kinosz, Lower Burrell
Phil Light, Laurel Mountain
James Roman, South Greensburg
Dan Rose, Irwin
Corey Tragesser, Sutersville

Guest Speaker: Alex Graziani, Executive Director,
Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County

Host Welcome: Sutersville Mayor Corey Tragesser welcomed the mayors to the borough and expressed his gratitude to those in attendance. He briefed the group on Sutersville’s 100th anniversary celebration this summer, which included a parade, dinner, and fireworks display on June 28. Mayor Tragesser thanked Commissioner Balya for facilitating the Mayors’ Forums and remarked that the meetings are a good way to keep mayors informed about issues facing the county and solicit their input and perspective on those issues.

Guest Speaker: Alex Graziani began his remarks on Smart Growth by asking the mayors if they are concerned about growth in the suburban townships surrounding their towns. He suggested that the best way to steer this investment and development back to their communities is to create market opportunities in towns. That is one of the keys to creating sustainable growth that reinvigorates small towns, preserves rural areas, and minimizes environmental impacts. Smart Growth is not about stopping economic development.

Alex used a computer presentation to describe the principles of Smart Growth and how to achieve it. Smart Growth as, "Economic growth that consciously seeks to avoid wastefulness and damage to the environment and communities." There are 10 Smart Growth principles that Alex enumerated and explained:

1. Mix Land Uses - The goal is to combine uses of existing and new development (i.e., residential and commercial). To illustrate this point, Alex showed an example of Pennsylvania Avenue in Greensburg where housing units are located about shops. Alex mentioned that this is exactly what people seek when on vacation - easy walking access to lodging, retail, and entertainment - and offered that this should be a goal of the county’s communities.

2. Compact Building Design - The concept is to create high-density buildings to help alleviate sprawl. Alex offered statistics that show that in 1960, six percent of the land in the county was home to 51 percent of the population. Today, that same six percent contains only 37 percent of the population. During this time, the county’s population declined by 6,000 people (i.e., less people are using more space).

3. Create a Range of Housing Opportunities - "Gated" communities, often segregated by race and income, are the fastest growing type of housing. Alex expressed concern that these communities are also causing children to lose their societal skills. Smart Growth promotes diversity in housing options.

4. Create Walkable Neighborhoods - Alex explained that Westmoreland County, like most of America, has created an "automobile culture" instead of a "people culture." Few people nowadays can walk to work, shop, or worship. Smart Growth seeks to condense these services to make automobile travel less necessary. Safe crime-free neighborhoods are also an important component.

5. Foster Distinctive Communities - Alex stressed the need to create a "sense of place" in our communities. Westmoreland County has a number of picturesque and historic - or "postcard" - structures that should be considered when planning future growth.

6. Preserve Open Space and Farmland - Agricultural lands (Pennsylvania’s number one industry is farming) are under increased pressure for development. The goal of this Smart Growth tenet is to consider conservation plans to preserve the natural beauty and environmental buffers in development designs.

7. Strengthen and Direct Development Toward Existing Communities - Alex cautioned the mayors against trying to develop their communities as if they were townships, urged them to remember the respective histories of their towns and build on it, and to recognized the value of what is already there. Alex reminded the group that expanding infrastructure into rural areas of a county that has a declining population is an unnecessary expense that costs everyone. As possible incentives, Alex mentioned selling development rights for density bonuses and revenue sharing between communities.

8. Provide a Variety of Transportation Options - Alex explained that expanding mass transit, offering a mix of transportation options, and increasing residents’ ability to walk places is a key to combat sprawl and traffic congestion.

9. Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair, and Cost-Effective - Alex explained that high-density development saves developers money. Low impact development can result in higher lot yield and lower cost per unit.

10. Encourage Community and Stakeholder Involvement - Smart Growth encourages public participation in the decision-making process. Alex reminded the mayors that as elected officials they are in the perfect position to engage the community in development decisions. Smart Growth calls for involvement from elected officials, planners, lenders, architects, neighborhood activists, schools, etc. Community involvement, while not always easy, is necessary.

A brief question and answer period followed to clarify some of the points that Alex made during his presentation. As possible solutions for local communities to help with Smart Growth, Alex suggested stricter code enforcement and better community cooperation, such as shared public services.

Alex concluded his presentation and remarks by offering his availability to speak about Smart Growth before any local government or community organization. Alex Graziani can be contacted at 724-836-7048. His address is Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 166 Millstein Library, 1150 Mount Pleasant Road, Greensburg, PA 15601. E-mail is sgpwc@pitt.edu.

More information on Smart Growth is available on-line at www.smartgrowthpa.org.

New Business: Commissioner Balya began his remarks by offering his thoughts on Smart Growth in Westmoreland County, referencing a book by Tom Hilton, "Save Our Land, Save Our Towns." Tom expressed his concern about the social consequences of sprawl and the loss of traditional neighborhoods. He cited statistics regarding the County Prison, as well as the County Children’s Bureau and Juvenile Probation Program. In the 1960s, the County Prison held about 50 inmates; today the inmate population is more than 500. The number of young people being served by Children’s Bureau and Juvenile Probation programs have increased dramatically during this time, as has the staff to implement these programs. These numbers obviously have a major impact on the scope and cost of county government. A discussion followed about the role that communities play in protecting children and how local recreation programs can help keep young people out of trouble.

Tom also reminded the mayors that the county is developing a comprehensive plan that will help facilitate Smart Growth. The plan encourages municipal cooperation and does not override local plans. Anyone interested in more information should contact the Westmoreland County Planning Department at 724-830-3600.

Tom updated the mayors on the state budget situation, which is still shrouded in uncertainty. If the budget is passed as currently constituted, human services programs in Westmoreland County stand to lose $3.2 million. Chief among those are mental health programs ($1.5 million) and programs financed through the Human Service Development Fund (approx. $1 million). The state legislature is also still debating Gov. Rendell’s economic development initiative. It is unclear how much of the governor’s program will be funded. The county has submitted a list of priority economic development projects. The final dollar amounts included in the budget will determine what projects may be funded and at what level. The legislature is expected to pass a budget sometime in September.

Concerning county public safety initiatives, Tom informed the group that the 800-Mhz emergency radio project is still on schedule to be up-and-running in July 2004. He also reminded the mayors that the county will continue to run the existing low-band system while local jurisdictions secure new radios. The county has applied for a $6 million federal grant to enhance the system. If successful, this money can be used to purchase the necessary portables for local jurisdictions. Grant awards for the program are expected to be announced by the end of August or early September.

Regarding another public safety initiative, Tom thanked the mayors for their cooperation on the county’s readdressing project to eliminate duplicate addresses and move all residences to city-style addresses.

Tom then updated the mayors on proposed plans to construct a new juvenile probation office and improve the existing juvenile detention facility using proceeds from a bond issue earlier this year. Funds from the bond issue are also going to be used to renovate the Troutman’s Building on Main Street in Greensburg, which the county acquired from the city for free, into office space for county operations.

In addition, the county faces new requirements under the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Tom said that as part of HAVA, the county may have to replace its 40-year-old lever machines with computerized touch-screen voting systems by 2006. The estimated price tag for the conversion is $3-4 million, with a portion of the funding expected to be reimbursable.

With no further business, the meeting adjourned at approximately 10:30 a.m.

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