Westmoreland leaders look to workforce, housing, internet projects for improving 'State of County'

Westmoreland County’s manufacturers generate $1.3 billion in annual wages and account for 22% of that sector in the seven-county Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

While those attending Thursday’s annual State of the County luncheon heard those encouraging statistics, county leaders pointed to the need to attract more people to live and work in Westmoreland while closing the gap in resources for those in the county who are lacking a home.

Sean Kertes, chairman of the county commissioners, stressed the importance of steering young people toward trades that can provide them lucrative employment locally rather than relocating out of the county to pursue a career.

“It’s reshaping, rethinking and recalibrating the parents and the youth to show them what jobs are available,” Kertes said. “It’s starting at an early age and having those conversations.”

He touted the efforts of local schools and workforce development organizations to provide students with workplace experiences in their chosen fields.

Currently at a little more than 350,000, Westmoreland County’s population has been on a downward trend, annually falling by between 0.24% and 0.49% over the past three years.

County Commissioner Doug Chew said bringing high-speed internet service to more Westmoreland neighborhoods is a factor that could help entice new young residents and help offset the population losses.

“We need to attract young families here,” he said, “and those young people are used to having high-speed internet everywhere.”

In a study released in 2023, the county identified more than 3,000 properties, mostly in rural areas in the eastern and northcentral portions of the county, where there is inadequate broadband access.

Chew said the county allocated $15 million in pandemic recovery funding toward extending the high-speed service throughout Westmoreland.

The county spent $1.7 million — about half the total project cost — to partner with Verizon and bring the service to more than 400 homes in Derry, Fairfield and Ligonier townships.

As a result, he said, “They saw their home values go up by 7%.”

Convention center proposed

Dan DeBone, president and CEO of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce, said he expects consultant CBRE Hotels to wrap up work in a month or so on a study gauging the feasibility of developing a convention center in the county.

If the results of that study — funded by contributions from local businesses and Hempfield Township — are positive, he said, the next step would be to conduct an economic study.

“We want to find out: Where do you want to build it, what is it going to look like and, most importantly, what’s it going to cost?” he said.

DeBone said he envisions a mixed-use facility that would be attached to a hotel.

“We need a site where we can have larger events,” he said. “It’s not just about supporting Westmoreland County; it’s about bringing people in from outside of the county.”

Fielding a question from the audience, the commissioners said it was necessary for them to approve a 32.5% hike in the Westmoreland real estate tax to shore up the 2024 county budget. This year, they held the line on the levy, at 25 mills.

Instead of one large increase, Commissioner Ted Kopas said, “The smart thing would have been to take incremental (tax) bites.

”We do need other (revenue) options beside property taxes. We have got to be given the tools at the county level to move away from property taxes, which are hurting everybody.”

Kertes said, “When we keep raising taxes, we’re pushing people out of their homes.”

Addressing homelessness

Homelessness is a critical problem in Westmoreland that the county and its human service organizations are trying to address, Kopas said.

“For too long, Westmoreland County has had far too few available temporary housing options when compared to counties of a similar size,” he said.

In an effort to tackle the problem, the faith-based Union Mission shelter in Derry Township has partnered with nonprofit Homes Build Hope to construct a new 12-unit long-term shelter for individuals or families. Set to open this month, it will supplement Union Mission’s 24-bed emergency men’s shelter.

That project was funded with the help of $2.6 million in federal pandemic recovery funding funneled through the county.

Kopas said more federal dollars are being tapped to convert a former Hempfield motel, on Route 119 near the border of Youngwood, into 10 housing units for women and families.

Federal cutbacks? Wait and see

Carlotta Paige, founder of the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition, voiced concern about Trump administration federal cutbacks and how they might affect services locally, including education programs.

“Its very scary,” she said.

Kertes and Chew said they’re adopting a wait-and-see approach.

“To my knowledge, there is nothing in the county budget that has been affected yet,” Chew said.

“Every administration has the right to set the priorities that they see fit,” Kopas said. “I get that. But congressionally mandated budgeted money should not be at the whim of an executive order and throwing all this into chaos.”