Washington County Tourism: There's an App for that

The Washington County Tourism Agency (WCTPA) has launched a free app for smartphone users that includes three megabytes of information regarding sites, attractions, hotels, restaurants, festivals and more.

Agency Executive Director J.R. Shaw says that this app kicks off their mobile marketing campaign.

"More and more people are getting their information and are researching their travel destinations online and electronically," he says. He also adds that 25% of cell phone users have smartphones.

Shaw explains that they have "tailored" their visitwashingtonpa.com website to be accessible from a smartphone. Users can download the Washington County Tourism app from that website or iTunes, and it will offer tourist destination suggestions in Washington County. The app includes a "What's Nearby" feature, which operates via GPS to determine the sites the smartphone user is closest to. The app is available for the Android, Blackberry, and iPhone.

Shaw believes the app is the first of its kind in the region, if not the state, and that he hopes other regions catch on because future generations will all have smartphones.

"[The younger generation] demographic is much more savvy on the smartphones and they might not be the target market for travel right now, but they soon will be. We know that our future customers are going to be using smartphones," Shaw said.

The county's heritage sites include Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, Duncan and Miller Glass Museum, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum and 22 covered bridges.

Washington Water Bottling Plant to close

Coca-Cola Enterprises will close a Dasani plant in Washington next month, but will consider moving some of its 17 workers to a Coke distributing center in nearby Houston. Between declining sales on Dasani water and having additional plants in recent years, the Washington plant is no longer needed.

Consol Mine in Washington County May Idle

Consol Energy could idle Mine 84 located in Amwell Township as early as March 5th putting 260 workers—at least temporarily—out of work. The energy group issued a WARN notice (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) on Friday saying layoffs could begin in 60 days. The site switched from mining steam-generating coal, to metallurgical coal in 2008 due to the geological state of the coal seam. Consol spokesman Tom Hoffman says the drop in the demand for steel has caused a drop in the demand for metallurgical coal and caused the impending Mine 84 idle. In fall 2008, metallurgical coal sold for $150 a ton. Hoffman says now it cannot be sold at all.

Washington County Told to Reassess

Washington County President Judge Debbie O’Dell has ordered Washington County to launch a countywide property reassessment. The ruling comes out of a suit filed by two school districts claiming the 1985 base year had become too inaccurate to be used. The judge gave the County Commissioners 10 months begin the work. County Board of Commissioners Chair Larry Maggi says the board is considering appeal options. He says the reassessment would cost millions of dollars and could become moot if the state passes new property tax legislation or if a court case involving Allegheny County’s use of a base year assessment results in all base year systems being deemed unconstitutional. The judge did say in her order that if the legislature acts before the ten months elapse the county would not have to launch the reassessment.

DCED Awards Gaming Revenue Grants in Washington County

$8.2 million of the first funds available from the Meadows Casino in Washington County has been doled out. The Department of Community and Economic Development has slated the money for 26 projects within the county. DCED spokesman Kevin Ortiz says the revenue from the casino, some of which is required by Act 71 to be reinvested into the community, will go toward revitalization efforts and projects that will have a long-lasting impact. A Washington County review committee evaluated proposals and chose which projects would receive the grants. The appropriations fell into the four categories of economic development, job training, community improvement, and public interest, including $1.3 million set aside to improve infrastructure.

Power Lines Hearing Ends Early

A hearing on Allegheny Energy's power line proposal ended yesterday. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission had allowed up to another week to hear testimony. Holly Ackerman, Director of Transmission Projects for Allegheny Energy, says schedules for these types of hearings are just estimates. She says the witnesses who testified reiterated what was already on the public record. Next month, attorneys will submit written arguments. The PUC is expected to rule on the proposal this summer.

Many residents of Washington and Greene counties oppose the project. They say it's unnecessary, would damage the environment and their property values, and would only serve to benefit power-hungry northern Virginia. Allegheny Energy contends that the lines would serve growing parts of Washington County, and that reliability could be an issue there as soon as next year.

If the PUC rules against the proposal, Allegheny Energy could appeal to the federal government. Much of Pennsylvania has been designated a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor.

Power Lines Decision Comes as No Surprise

The U.S. Department of Energy has affirmed its decision to designate much of Pennsylvania as national energy corridor. That designation could make it easier for Allegheny Energy to build proposed transmission lines through Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania. Still unclear is whether the federal government would be able to use eminent domain in states that reject proposed power line projects.

Opponents to the project in southwestern Pennsylvania say it's not needed and could cause environmental damage. The towers supporting the lines would be up to 160 feet tall. The lines would begin in Pennsylvania and continue into West Virginia and northern Virginia. Allegheny Energy says the region will be at risk of blackouts by 2011 unless the lines are built.

Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commission will hold hearings on the project in Pittsburgh later this month.

Power Line Project Reaches Deal in West Virginia

Allegheny Energy has agreed to give some West Virginia residents free electricity in exchange for permission to build large power lines across their land. West Virginia’s Consumer Advocate has agreed not to contest the project as part of the settlement.

Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Sonny Popowsky says he has not discussed a similar settlement with Allegheny Energy, and that the utility still faces several hurdles to getting the project approved.

Attorney Will Burns, who represents several power line opponents in southwestern Pennsylvania, says the project may face stronger opposition here than it has in West Virginia. Several residents in Greene and Washington counties have sued to stop it. Opponents say the project is unnecessary and that Allegheny Energy wants to use rural southwestern Pennsylvania to support more energy-hungry areas like northern Virginia.

Still, Burns says there is one aspect of the West Virginia agreement that Pennsylvania residents might find encouraging: a pledge by Allegheny Energy not to use aerial herbicide spraying. That’s been a big concern for farmers.

Hearings on the power line project in West Virginia are scheduled to begin Wednesday. In Pennsylvania, hearings will take place in March. But the state might not have the final say. If the state Public Utility Commission rejects the project, the federal government could overrule it.