FARRELL Governor unfreezes funds for expansion

The project got initial approval more than three years ago.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FARRELL, Pa. -- A $1 million project to expand a light-industrial area and improve a commercial district in the city has the final state support needed to move forward.
City officials said they have received a written contract from the Pennsylvania governor's office enabling them to begin spending a $500,000 state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant for the project.
"It's a real feather in our cap," said Mayor William Morocco, noting that the city first got approval for the grant in 2000 but didn't submit a formal proposal until October 2002.
Things looked good until incoming governor Ed Rendell froze all RACP projects to be sure funded projects would create jobs.
Morocco spoke to Rendell about Farrell's project when the governor came to Mercer County in May, and the city got a call within a week saying Farrell's money would be released.
The final grant contract has now been signed by both city and state officials, Morocco said.
The city will take $200,000 from its federal Community Development Block Grant account and $300,000 from a city revolving loan fund for business and industry to match the grant.
"The town is definitely trying to renew itself," Morocco said.
Here are details
The plan calls for the expansion of Hillside Industrial Park overlooking Broadway Avenue in the city's Northwest Gardens section. The site is bounded by French Street on the south, the rear of properties fronting on Broadway on the west, George Street on the north and Louisiana Avenue on the east.
The city will buy four occupied homes and relocate those residents, two vacant homes and 23 empty lots, all of which will be combined into four large building parcels.
The second part of the project calls for improving the commercial area along Idaho Street between Spearman and Fruit avenues.
The city will buy four vacant commercial properties and four vacant lots and combine them with some other city-owned lots to create seven parcels for commercial development.
Morocco said the city is also looking at picking up a small commercial area at 500 Broadway, where Bob's Steel City Inn is located, and clearing it for redevelopment. The inn is closed.
The Hillside area and part of the Idaho Street site are both in a state Keystone Opportunity Zone, which makes them attractive for new development, the mayor said, noting there are still more than seven years of full tax abatement of all state and local taxes for new construction or operations in the zone.
The zone, which includes part of Broadway, is filling up, and in seven years, those businesses will begin paying taxes to support the community, he said.
Response to comment
Morocco took exception to a recent comment by two Hermitage city commissioners who said an on-going intergovernmental study looking at the feasibility of a merger of five Shenango Valley municipalities would do nothing for Hermitage.
The mayor said he thinks the Valley could make more progress as a single community instead of five small municipalities.
Morocco, who is a member of the study committee looking at Farrell, Hermitage, Sharon, Sharpsville and Wheatland, said he will urge his city council to look at a merger opportunity with open eyes and not to react negatively to comments from other communities.