The Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and county Land Bank will partner with the Realtors Association of Westmoreland, Indiana and the Mon Valley on May 1 to host the fifth annual Westmoreland County Blight and Revitalization Summit.
This year’s theme is “Revitalizing Main Street.”
“’Main Street’ is the heart of every community in Westmoreland County, and this summer is about giving local leaders the tools, connections and inspiration they need to bring those hearts back to life,” said redevelopment authority Director Brian Lawrence.
In Export, borough officials know that lesson all too well. They’ve spent several years slowly revitalizing the downtown area in and around Washington Avenue.
The efforts coincided with the Westmoreland Heritage Trail arriving in the borough, as council members pursued grant funding and engaged with community planners, volunteers and generous donors to pave the borough parking lot, build a replica of the former train station and relocate the borough’s war memorial to a central location where downtown visitors and trail users have easy access.
“I think the big thing was redoing our borough parking lot,” Councilwoman Melanie Litz said.
Litz is also part of the Export Historical Society that has been instrumental in the train station project as well as revamping the area around the former Westmoreland Coal Co. mine in town.
“That parking area used to just be a dirt road with some unorganized parking, but it’s been developed into something available not just to trail users but the downtown business community,” Litz said.
The result has been increased patronage of Washington Avenue businesses — former empty storefronts filling back up with tenants — and more people visiting Export.
“It was a partnership effort with the Export Historical Society and with individuals who wanted to see the community move forward,” Export Council President Barry Delissio said.
The relocation of the war memorial, for example, was largely made possible through a $10,000 donation from former resident Gary Wuslich.
“I think a group effort like this comes naturally when you have a community where a lot of people, like myself, wear several different hats,” Litz said. “We have council people involved in public works, involved in the fire department, in the historical society. We’re a small town, so we have a lot of crossover when we’re looking for people to fill those roles.”
The May 1 summit’s highlight will be a keynote address by Laura Dimino, assistant director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, followed by breakout sessions with topics including:
• How digital tools like the CodeNForce platform are helping towns transform code enforcement. It will feature officials from Latrobe and the Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments.
• How financial institutions like First Commonwealth Bank can serve as strategic partners in community revitalization beyond traditional lending.
• Guidance from local Realtors and Ambridge Borough Manager Mario Leone Jr. on attracting investors and developers into downtown business corridors.
• An overview of the state-funded “Main Street Matters” grant program, led by Stephanie Stevenson, deputy regional director of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
The summit will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 1 at Westmoreland County Community College, 145 Pavilion Lane in Hempfield. Tickets are $40 and available at Eventbrite.com.