What form Weed and Seed takes in Arnold and New Kensington once the cities fulfill their state requirement is a question mark.
There's no guarantee it will exist at all, judging by comments from the state's program director.
New Kensington Mayor Frank Link said his city plans to push forward with the program regardless of what Arnold does.
Arnold Mayor John Campbell said he's less certain about his city's continued involvement: "We haven't even discussed that yet."
If Arnold forges ahead, it most likely would be separate from New Kensington, Campbell said.
The problem is that either city going ahead on its own isn't a lock, said Tom Hyson, Weed and Seed's state director.
"They could, but we'd have to discuss that with our advisory committee," Hyson said. "I don't make that decision."
About $300,000 in other state grants could be lost if Weed and Seed ceases to exist locally, Hyson said. Those grants benefit the Eden Center in New Kensington, the Alle-Kiski Learning Center in Arnold and both police departments.
The cities are in their fourth year of the program and the final year of their obligation to the state. The cities now must cover the entire program cost -- about $200,000.
New Kensington would cover two-thirds of the cost and Arnold the remainder -- about $66,000.
Arnold hasn't formally committed to seeing the program through its fourth year. Campbell said the city won't make a final decision until the program budget is finalized.
That might not be until November. The program's fourth year began July 1.
Arnold officials have expressed concerns about the way the program has been run locally. Tension between officials in both cities surrounding Weed and Seed have existed about as long as the program has.
Campbell said a major sticking point was allowing Arnold to name its own law enforcement coordinator. The cities and state agreed to let that happen.
Hyson said Arnold officials have informally committed to seeing the program through its fourth year. That commitment satisfied the state, he said.
Disagreements between the cities didn't surprise Weed and Seed officials at the state level, Hyson said. Tension between two communities running the same program is bound to exist, he said.
"We here to work with them," Hyson said.
As for the grants funneled into the community through the program, Hyson said that once the original agreements expire, those organizations are still eligible to apply. While they pay a match now, there would be no match after the term of the initial agreement, Hyson said.
"The amount of the future grants would be based on the eligibility of funds," Hyson said.
Officials with the Eden Center and Learning Center said they have petitioned leaders in both cities to continue with Weed and Seed.
It would almost be impossible for the Eden Center to continue operating without its grant, said the Rev. Mitch Nickols.
"Our program needs this grant to operate," Nickols said. "My heating bills can approach $3,000 per month and that doesn't include the cost of other utilities."
About 75 children participate in Eden Center activities, Nickols said.
Nickols said not knowing what the future will hold for the program weighs heavily on him.
"It's on my mind all of the time," he said. "We can't wait until the last minute to figure this thing out."
Learning center director Mary Jendrey said she knows her organization can't always depend upon grants but the threat of losing it in the near future makes her nervous.
"It could be very detrimental to our long-range plan," she said. "We did this with the blessing of the cities. To just kind of pull that out from under us undermines everything we've done to this point."
Link said that New Kensington would continue to support the learning center if Arnold drops out of Weed and Seed. The mayor said he was confident the city could carry the program forward.
