Several topics of interest were discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Cranberry Economic Development Committee.
The panel talked again about the development of 90 acres of property near UPMC Northwest.
Eric Heil, Cranberry Township’s interim manager, said he has been in contact with the Delta Group development firm regarding the land.
The township had been working for about five years until December with the Hudson Group, a developer from Mercer. Hudson had been interested in putting low-income housing and retirement homes on the property.
But Hudson announced in December it was walking away from possible plans for the site after being denied tax incentives three times.
Another topic of discussion at Tuesday’s meeting was the possibility of a Milton Hershey school for children from birth through age five coming to the area.
The Hershey school would offer free childcare for disadvantaged and at-risk youth, economic committee chair Barrie Brancato said.
The committee plans to hear a presentation about what the school has to offer next month.
Committee members also discussed the Cranberry Expo and set this year’s date as Tuesday, May 3, at the Cranberry Mall.
Susan Williams, president of the Venango Chamber of Commerce, asked committee members to read through and offer edits for a list of businesses in the township. The list can be used to invite businesses to join the Expo, Williams said.
Heil said the Outdoor Expo at the mall last weekend went well, and there is considerable interest to do it again next year.
The committee also discussed the location for this year’s Cranberry Festival. The two locations being considered are Morrison Park, where the festival was held for many years, and the mall, where it has been held recently due to COVID considerations.
Williams said there are pros and cons to both sites. She said one consideration is that it is easier to plan for bad weather at the mall.
She added that the organizers would like to hear input from the community about which location they would prefer.
Cranberry School District Superintendent Bill Vonada talked about the five Cranberry robotics teams that have qualified for the VEX Robotics World competition in Texas in May.
Vonada said the district has planned a spaghetti dinner from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 28, at the high school, to raise money for the teams’ traveling expenses.
Heil said he would look into the possibility of the township giving a donation to help cover travel costs for the teams.
Cranberry Township supervisor Matt McSparen said the township is in a tight spot agriculturally, and he doesn’t expect things to get better this year.
“For agriculture, the hits just keep coming,” said McSparren. He reported that the price of fertilizer has increased dramatically, partly due to the fact Russia is a large exporter of the product.
A bright spot of McSparren’s report was that seeds are still available and seed prices have stayed level.
