Westmoreland birthday celebration, park upgrades funded in $2.1 million tourism plan

Westmoreland County’s $2.1 million tourism plan this year will include funding for events to mark the county’s 250th anniversary.

Commissioners approved the plan that also is focused on upgrades at county parks at their meeting Thursday.

Funded through a portion of the revenue collected through the county’s 5% hotel tax, the tourism plan, as it has in past years, allocates substantial funding to upgrade the county parks system, this year totaling about $1.4 million.

“The plan for tourism dollars aligns with what county residents want,” Commissioner Doug Chew said. “In surveys that established the comprehensive county plan, residents voted rural items/outdoor space as the No. 3 most important item for the county. By addressing parks and recreation with tourism dollars, we are following the lead of our constituents.”

Money will be allocated to pay for resurfacing and repairs to local walking trails as well as a continued rehabilitation of Northmoreland Park in Allegheny Township. The county also set aside funds for roof repairs of buildings at Historic Hanna’s Town and for play equipment and safety improvements at Mammoth, Cedar Creek, Twin Lakes and Northmoreland parks.

Another $15,000 will be used to pay for a marketing campaign to promote the county’s 10-park system, commissioners said.

“The county parks are the best assets we have here in Westmoreland County for residents as well as for businesses that are trying to attract new employees,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said. “That will always be a priority for us.”

While the park upgrades account for more than half of the county’s tourism expenditures, commissioners also allocated more $140,000 of hotel tax revenue to promote and pay for activities throughout 2023 as part of the county’s 250th celebration, which will kick off Feb. 26 with a birthday party at the courthouse. Additional activities are planned at various locations.

In June, commissioners will convene a public meeting at Historic Hanna’s Town, where the county’s first courthouse was located.

The tourism plan also includes $165,000 for the annual Westmoreland Arts and Heritage, a four-day event held during the July 4 holiday at Twin Lakes Park; and nearly $94,000 for the operation of the Westmoreland County Airshow at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Both awards matched county funding from 2022.

Another $80,000 will be used as part of an overall advertising and marketing campaign for the county.

The tourism plan is funded through 40% of the county’s hotel tax revenue. The remaining funds are filtered through Go Laurel Highlands, a regional agency that promotes tourism in Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties. In December, the visitors bureau handed out $549,000 in grants to 44 Westmoreland groups to promote tourism.