Newletter - Greene County Airport Biz Park Project Taking Off

Press Release

Greene County residents came together Friday morning to celebrate progress on a new economic development project at the county's airport business park.

Last August, Greene County commissioners approved a plan to lease six acres adjacent to the county airport for commercial development, helping to put these prime properties on the county tax rolls. The project, however, required improvements to state route 21 to accommodate future traffic projections.

On Friday, Congressman Tim Murphy joined local and state representatives at the county office building to discuss a new federally-funded grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to finance those infrastructure improvements.

"This is an exciting and important project that will upgrade the airport transportation system and spur economic development," said Congressman Tim Murphy. "My congratulations to all the leaders of the greater Greene County community who worked so hard on making this project a reality."

The improvements include a new access road into the business park, and turning a three-way intersection into a seamless four-way intersection to provide direct access to the airport. In addition to the infrastructure improvements and new businesses at the business park, the county is constructing a new hangar for recreational flyers at the airport.

Later that same day, Congressman Murphy visited vo-tech schools in Greene and Washington Counties that are teaching Southwestern Pennsylvania's workforce skills to find employment in the natural gas sector and other high-paying trades.

At the Greene County Career and Tech Center, area high schoolers learn specialty skills in programs like automotive repair and welding. In meetings and during tours with local businesses, employers have told Congressman Murphy it can be a challenge to find highly-skilled workers.

Murphy also visited Western Area Career and Tech Center in Canonsburg. Last month, the school received a new grant from a local foundation to train high school students and eligible adults for diploma programs in natural gas-related fields. Murphy said the key to responsible natural gas development is training workers who live in the region, are raising their family here, and have a vested interest in protecting the local environment.

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