Committee advises use for $9.7M

By Barbara S. Miller
Observer-Reporter

One local legislator repeatedly likens Washington County's local share of revenue from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino to "manna from heaven," a Biblical reference to the white, frost-like food that kept children of Israel from starving during their decadeslong trek to the Promised Land.

The messenger Wednesday was not Moses but local share Chairman Jeff Kotula, who arrived at the Washington County commissioners' agenda meeting during a snow squall to announce a list of 30 projects recommended for $9.7 million worth of casino proceeds, including its first multiyear request from a group of hospitals.

The commissioners today will consider forwarding the committee's list to the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which has the final say on the use of a share of slot-machine gambling revenue countywide and in Washington County communities.

In the past two years, the commissioners have forwarded the committee's list to DCED without making any changes.

The multiyear request came from the three hospitals in the county, which jointly requested $1 million a year for three years to launch electronic medical records systems that would enable faster communication for physicians caring for patients at any of the facilities.

Telford Thomas, Louis Panza and Kim Malinky, who respectively head Washington, Mon Valley and Canonsburg General hospitals, sought money to help them build the systems they said will eventually be mandated by the federal government for all hospitals across the country.

Thomas explained that purchasing and installing electronic medical record systems "is the most expensive commitment a hospital is going to make," noting that the systems will ultimately save money for hospitals, their patients and local businesses.

Although this was the first multiyear request recommended by the committee, it was not the first time it had heard a multiyear proposal.

Kotula said the hospitals' joint proposal "will certainly add to the quality of life in this county," giving staff easier access to patient medical records.

Although the hospitals will not have to make presentations on the proposals in coming years, Kotula said, "They still have to meet the guidelines set by the state, and they also will be monitored by the state, of course, to be sure they're keeping up with their commitments.

"What we do is we commit future funds for that project."

After the hospitals' request, the second largest single amount was $1.5 million for the Donora Place Plan that is not served by public sewers.

"We really concentrated a lot this year on infrastructure," Kotula said. Water and sewer projects account for $3.8 million of the $9.7 million.

The third-largest request the committee recommended came from Starpointe business park for continued development of between 90 and 100 acres for sites and accompanying utilities and infrastructure.

Dan Reitz, director of Washington County Council on Economic Development, developer of Starpointe, is also a member of the local share committee, but Kotula said Reitz did not participate in the Starpointe presentation or recommendation.

This is the third round of local share requests based on the initiation of slot-machine gambling at The Meadows in June 2007, and the first that includes a brand new component of what officials are calling "revenue sharing," in which 65 of the 66 municipalities in the county will each receive $25,000 a year plus $10 for each resident.

The revenue sharing component - which borrowed a term from an unrelated federal program that originated in the 1970s - was signed into law by Gov. Ed Rendell just last month after an amendment crafted and shepherded by Washington County legislators. The money could begin to be distributed to municipalities as soon as next quarter. North Strabane Township, home to the casino, receives its own revenue stream from slot-machine gambling there.

State Sen. Barry Stout, D-Bentleyville, who in a folksy manner invokes the "manna from heaven" reference, sat for the first time this year as the Washington County legislative delegate to the local share committee. He repeatedly calculated each municipality's revenue sharing portion each time community leaders made a public pitch for the money.

The changes in the local share allocation came about after a host of mayors, councilmen, township supervisors and other officials complained they were left out in the cold from slots revenue. Legislators and County Commission Chairman Larry Maggi held a series of public meetings in 2008 on changing the allocation process.

Look at the list by clicking here.

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