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Connection: Fayette County commissioners adopted the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council as its lead economic
development agency back in the 1990s.
For state grants to be conveyed to Fay-Penn for infrastructure
development at any of its industrial, or business, parks, the first order of business is approval of the board of Fayette
County commissioners. Any requests by Fay-Penn for zoning changes for any of the development projects on Fay-Penn sites
also need approval by the county Planning Commission/Department and municipal supervisors, and by the commissioners.
Each
administration of the board of commissioners has had survey reports, engineering reports, site condition reports, available
to them from the past decades, and including separate annual reports from Fay-Penn and reports of Fay-Penn's Keystone Opportunity
Zone success, or rather lack thereof, for attracting manufacturing and industry to zones designated for tax-freedom for up
to 10-years and counting.
The connection between Fay-Penn and the county is undeniable.
Connection: Sleighter Engineering and Fay-Penn Economic Development Council
Fay-Penn Economic Development Council is investing $5.7 million to develop
its latest acquisition, dubbed the Dunbar Township Business Park.
article
Herald-Standard and Sleighter Engineering
Sleighter Engineering dot com hosts an online Herald-Standard report which features the news of Fay-Penn's plans
for an industrial park situated...
Fayette County Agenda Buzz February, 27, 2014 The two majority Democrat Fayette County Commissioners,
Chairman Albert Ambrosini and Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky, voted to adopt a resolution in a special emergency held Wed.,
February 26, 2014 that would enable the board to enter into an agreement/negotiations with Fay-Penn Economic Development Council
to purchase 58 acres of property the Council owns. Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink voted Nay.
The property in question is located in North Union Township and Dunbar Borough, is
situated across from the Fayette County fairgrounds, and near the Laurel Mall and the Meason House off Route 119.
Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, as the long-standing appointed and designated
lead economic development agency for the county of Fayette, has purchased hundreds and hundreds of acres around the county
for the past 2.4 decades. Some amount of the properties Fay-Penn purchased, were designated for inclusion in PA Keystone
Opportunity Zones.
Since 1999, Fay-Penn acquired additional
acreage specifically with the intent to obtain KOZ designation for certain areas of the county proposing that such designations
would attract new business into the area.
Aside from
the poor and nonexistent successful track record Fay-Penn has with regard to attracting large manufacturing plants to locate
operations in Fayette County, Fay-Penn has used the KOZ program for small incubation sites.
Nevertheless, Fay-Penn continues to publicize zero taxes for corporations and businesses to locate in Fayette County,
one such is a Fortune 500 Company.
In the position as
the county's lead economic development agency, Fay-Penn has - over the years - included county commissioners, legislators,
and others among those always invited to their private board meetings. Over the years, every commissioner has received
updates and piles of reports from Fay-Penn.
Since its
operation includes managing tax-free properties, in many cases, properties Fay-Penn purchased at county bargain prices, and
the county commissioners have to a one, always conveyed any state or other grants that come to the county for infrastructure
development of Fay-Penn managed business parks and so-called industrial parks to Fay-Penn, one would think county commissioners
would have long ago, held Fay-Penn responsible for its poor and nonexistent success in attracting a single large manufacturing/industrial
plant into any property anywhere in Fayette County.
None
have. There has never been a single motion, or a continued series of motions to discontinue Fay-Penn's interaction with
the county, nor has any commissioner provided a motion to rescind the KOZ program and its extensions over 1.4 decades.
Fay-Penn recently acquired the property located in Dunbar Borough and North
Union Township that is to be the site of the new prison complex if negotiations/agreement are fulfilled by a 90-day process
the board adopted to begin.
During the meeting, in
response to questions from an attendee and Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink, Prison Working Group member, Jim Killinger
(retired state police officer), indicated rather heatedly that the Fay-Penn site had been on the list of properties the
Group had been considering as a site on which to construct the new prison complex.
Not only is this an easy matter to check, there has been a map and list available via the county website for months.
It is folly for commissioners supporting the location outside of the county
seat, and the commissioner with a different view, to not have stipulated early on precisely which sites (24) were on
the list initially.
Engineering firm connections
Report of unanimous approval by Dunbar Township Supervisors of rezoning change to
light industrial for property Fay-Penn had purchased to develop into an industrial park...
Tribune-Review
report
Dunbar Township supervisors unanimously supported a zoning change Thursday night
that will pave the way for the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council to develop a 207-acre industrial park along Route 119
near the Pechin Road intersection. If approval is received from the Fayette County Planning Commission and the Fayette
County commissioners, the zoning will be changed from A1 agricultural to M1 light industrial to allow for the development
of the industrial park. ... ... If the new industrial park is developed in Dunbar Township, Jordan said, Fay-Penn
officials hope that companies supporting the Marcellus shale gas drilling and manufacturing firms will continue to move into
Fayette County, creating job opportunities for local residents. "Fay-Penn has conducted early engineering studies
for this industrial park," Jordan said. "We wanted to make sure that the township, school district and other agencies supported
the project before we decided to go ahead with it. This park will be very beneficial to the township because the tax base
will be going up. There will also be a lot of job growth, construction and site work." Ron Cole, construction manager
at Fay-Penn, estimated that it will cost about $2 million for Fay-Penn to develop the industrial park. Before Fay-Penn
spent millions of dollars on the project, Jordan said Fay-Penn officials wanted to make sure there would be no major issues
with township and school district officials as well as township residents. "We plan to make sure that we put a buffer
zone to serve as a safety barrier next to the school (Dunbar Borough Elementary) so the students are safe, because there could
be a school at that site for the next 50 years," said Jordan, who was born and raised in Dunbar Township...
http://triblive.com/x/dailycourier/news/dunbar/s_775299.html#ixzz2uZBf8li9
Fay-Penn Annual Report 2010
Tax Exempt World, for some Fay-Penn Economic Development Corporation aka a charitable organization
Fay-Penn Graciously Recognizes Previous Chairman, Welcomes New LeaderJanuary 2, 2014
As we begin a new year, so too does a new term as Chairman of the Board for Fay-Penn.
For the past four years, Steve Neubauer served as Fay-Penn's Chairman and gave tirelessly of himself to the organization.
"Under Steve's leadership, we were able to achieve many great accomplishments for the county. We're grateful to him for the commitment that he made over the past four years as Chairman
and will continue to do in the years to come as 1st Past Chair of the Board," said Michael Jordan.
Bill Blaney began his term as Chairman of the Board on January 1...
Fay-Penn Economic Development Council Names New Executive DirectorJuly 31, 2012
Chairman, Steve Neubauer announced the
appointment of Michael A. Jordan Jr. as the new Executive Director of Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, following the
resignation of President and CEO Michael Krajovic on July 20, 2012. “It’s a new era
for Fay-Penn,” stated Neubauer. “We will continue to build on our successes and support our mission to maintain
and increase employment opportunities in Fayette County”.
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