Connellsville looking to recapture the glory of the past

Connellsville was founded in 1806 by Zachariah Connell and was named after the settler in 1909, becoming the first city in Fayette County, and the history of the town didn't stop there.

The city prospered through the good and bad times and became a capital of industry.

At one time, Connellsville was the location of more millionaires per capita than any other place in the country during the coal and coke years.

The days of coal and coke and five or six railroads are gone and not coming back, says Ralph Wombacker, the executive director of the Redevelopment Authority of Connellsville.

That was then ... this is now.

Connellsville Mayor Judy Reed states through the support and cooperation among council members, many things have been accomplished in Connellsville.

Reed lists such accomplishments as cooperation with PennDOT to make sure that the resurfacing of East Crawford Avenue was completed in a timely fashion and updating the emergency management plan after an effort by the public and emergency management employees successfully contained the tanker spill last November.

Another accomplishment is protecting and preserving the Youghiogheny River by opposing the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County's request to take 50 million gallons of water per day from the Yough; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suggested that part of the Yough Dam should be used for water storage.

In January, the 10,000-square-foot former Troutman Department Store property was purchased by an independent restaurant owner for $15,000, and plans are now in the works to open a family-style restaurant on the lot.

That sale was possible through perseverance, according to Reed.

Also, Reed states, the city wants to encourage people to shop locally and has taken over the parking lots by abolishing the parking authority and permitted free parking in the city lots.

Thanks to the county reassessment, it became possible for the two-tier tax system to be removed, introducing a single-rate tax system for the city.

The most significant change, according to Reed, is with the police department as the appointment of Chief Stephen Cooper has been beneficial to Connellsville.

Reed adds that there is now a prompt response to complaints as new officers have been hired in the wake of the retirement of some experienced officers. An assessment of fines have resulted in citizen complaints and minor and major offenses are being handled in an efficient and professional manner.

"The city of Connellsville is basically a safe city," according to Reed.

A safe city, however, is not the only thing needed to attract people to the area.

Wombacker says that Connellsville needs to capitalize on the town's assets like the Yough River Alliance, also known as The Great Allegheny Passage.

Also, Wombacker's personal feelings about getting the economy back up can be by focusing strategies on other points of interests for tourism in Fayette County like Hidden Valley, Seven Springs and Nemacolin Woodland Resort and Spa.

The plan is to both have people stay in Connellsville by creating jobs while giving others a reason to visit by erecting hotels, shops and other businesses.

This could be the future.

Connellsville Supervisor Tammy Mader believes that the sewage project will aid, and perhaps lead, Connellsville in a prosperous development of the economy.

The $5.5 million project should have three pump stations up and running by March or April.

Sewage, says Mader, will not only help with housing development expansion in the area, but more businesses will look into Connellsville when the sewage will be established at 700 homes and businesses that will benefit from public sewage.

Mader adds that documents are currently being prepared for the construction of an armory on a 15-acre tract of land on Township Road 782 that could be a "benefactor" to the township.

Reed states that one of the most time-consuming efforts that the administration encountered is to review, revise and locate city ordinances, setting the building code regulations and making sure that everyone is aware of the regulations and enforcement.

"This process continues, but much progress has been made," according to Reed.

The city officials have been working with the tax assessment bureau and redevelopment authority to obtain city properties that can be used for the betterment of the city and its neighborhoods.

Reed wants to get the property on the tax rolls, improve the neighborhoods and get "the redevelopment authority to be more visible and receptive to community development concerns."

The railroad overpass on Route 119 should be removed in the next couple of months, according to Reed.

Another continuing process that's located at the corner of routes 119 and 201 and aimed for Connellsville's future is the development of West Side Connellsville, also known as the Five Corners.

The administration is continuing to meet with PennDOT officials and The Widewaters Group, the New York developer at the Five Corners' location that has just been granted a six-month extension on the agreement to purchase the site.

"We've been actively promoting the project with the city and county and PennDOT to make sure [the project] happens," says Tony Grasso, a member of The Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce.

Grasso sees the project as "brightness on the horizon" as a number of jobs will be created from the businesses constructed in Connellsville.

Reed thinks that a hotel needs to be on the Five Corners site, along with the retail space.

Fayette County Commissioner Ronald Nehls also believes that a hotel on the location will benefit "tremendously" in Connellsville as the area is in close range to money making locations like Seven Springs Resort.

Nehls says that Connellsville can also benefit from the rich history that's stored in the town from the once prosperous railroads and the industrial days by focusing on the tourist trade.

Wombacker says that a new elevator at the Connellsville Community Center will be installed for easier access for the handicapped to the second and third floors.

Along with filling out the 2003 application for their Community Development Block Grant for improvements to the area, Connellsville also have a contract with Allegheny Power for a decorative lighting contract.

The first phase of the project, according to Wombacker, will be to remove the streetlights starting on Brimstone Corner and going west on Crawford Avenue to and across the bridge.

The equipment is ready for the streetlight installation, according to Karen Lind, Business Account Manager for Allegheny Power in Connellsville. The company is just waiting for the weather to warm up before starting up with contractors and beginning the work on the bridge first.

The 21 new light structures are 12 feet high and will resemble period lighting and will have an acorn-style decorative fixture globe with a 175-watt highlight lamp.

Instead of glass, the globe is made out of the material polyacryl, which is virtually unbreakable and won't yellow like glass does. Identical streetlights are lined up on Main Street in Mount Pleasant.

Reed believes that the lighting project will spruce up the downtown and encourage others to do the same.

Wombacker says that the period lighting, as well as other improvements that along on the way, is for the want of a clean and attractive town.

In another beautification project, the chamber provides are wooden barrel planters that are placed in front of local businesses, and flowering plants are set in the barrels.

The efforts of the chamber, officials in the city and the county and residents could be just the thing to promote the beautification of the city with a rich history.

Through those efforts, maybe the past can repeat itself.