LAWRENCE COUNTY Official: LaGrotta hurt park project

The lawmaker says the agency didn't meet guidelines set by the state.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation official puts blame for the reduction of state funding for Millennium Park on an Ellwood City lawmaker.
"I feel [state Rep. Frank] LaGrotta has purposely torpedoed the project. He has spoken against it," said Robert Delsignor, president of LCEDC's board of directors.
The LCEDC is the agency overseeing the high-tech industrial park project.
Agency officials learned late last week that the governor's budget office determined that the park project didn't have the necessary one-to-one match for $15 million promised by Gov. Ed Rendell and Dennis Yablonsky, secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development.
State officials have reduced their contribution to $4 million from the state's Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program.
"Originally, when the governor [announced the money], he wanted shovel-ready sites so we could attract industry. Secretary Yablonsky was pushing that also. I think we tried to comply with those guidelines. We've been working diligently," Delsignor said.
The budget office changed the funding amount after determining that there wasn't a legitimate local match.
Guidelines
LaGrotta said earlier this week that the LCEDC's matching funding didn't fall under guidelines for the state money.
The LCEDC was using the property and equipment value of current businesses that border the 500 acres of undeveloped land identified as Millennium Park as part of the match formula.
Linda Nitch, director of LCEDC, said they identified the current businesses as phase one of the project and the undeveloped portion as phase two.
A written explanation given to LaGrotta as to why most of the funding was rejected by the governor's budget office stated that phase one was in name only and that the current businesses were "privately owned and constructed and not physically part of Millennium Park."
LaGrotta said he was taken aback by Delsignor's comments.
"I wish I had that kind of power. If only I had that kind of power. That is more outlandish than some of the proposals that LCECD submitted to the budget office," LaGrotta said.
Delsignor said he believes LaGrotta, whose district includes southern Lawrence County and not the area where the park would be located in Neshannock Township, has spoken out against the project since it started.
"Frank LaGrotta has been negative on this since we started. He keeps reiterating that you need a user. We know we need a user, but the whole concept was to have a shovel-ready site so we can acquire a user," Delsignor said.
Delsignor said LCEDC does have a business interested in locating on the site, but the business is trying to work out some other issues before fully committing.
"Hopefully this doesn't harm that relationship," Delsignor said of the state funding change.
Communications problem
State Rep. Chris Sainato of New Castle, D-9th, whose district does include the site, said he doesn't agree that LaGrotta caused the funding to be pulled.
"He showed some concern over the match. There are certain things that are allowed and certain things that are not allowed," Sainato said.
Sainato noted that all of the area state legislators -- state Sens. Robert Robbins of Greenville, R-50th, and Gerald LaValle of Rochester, D-47th, and state Rep. Rod Wilt of Greenville, R-17th -- have been working on this project.
Delsignor said he is most upset that a public announcement of the funding cut was made by state officials.
"They could have called us to Harrisburg, sat us down and said, 'This is not going to work' and allow us to make the other applications without making a statement that we are pulling the $11 million off of you. ... They could have communicated," Delsignor said.
State officials have told the LCEDC to apply for funding from the newly created Business in Our Sites program. BIOS could provide up to $5 million in grants.
LaGrotta said he believes LCEDC has mishandled the project from the start.
He said he learned of a meeting between the governor's office with LCEDC about the $15 million about 10 minutes before it occurred.
"I am chairman [of the state House Appropriations] subcommittee and I have not been kept in the loop," he said. "I don't want to sound like my ego was singed. ... I would be happy to see a project like this go on its own."
Delsignor still says he felt LaGrotta's involvement was negative.
"We could have worked out the issues that needed to be taken care of. I believe Harrisburg wants to cooperate with us and help us," he said.