2005 Annual Report Executive Summary
Fayette Enterprise Community
The Fayette Enterprise Community (FEC) is made up of six census tracts throughout Fayette County, Pennsylvania totaling 84.37 square miles. The FEC also includes three developable sites totaling 1,499.34 acres.
Currently, the FEC Strategic Plan includes 99 benchmarks totaling more than $180 million dollars. Since its designation in 1999, $90,825,811 has been received and $124,991,340 has been requested from various federal, state, local and private sources for benchmark activities. This year the Fayette FEC received $9,895,822 from federal, state and local source, which included the FEC grant funds appropriation of $230,000. The FEC Board received 37 grant applications for over $570,000. The Board reviewed and approved a total of 13 projects totaling $140,000.
Each of the benchmarks falls into one of the seven categories that make up the FEC Strategic Plan. Those categories are: Agriculture, Community Development, Economic Development, Education, Housing, Social Conditions, and Transportation. For the expected remaining three years of the FEC program, the Fayette FEC Board approved a future funding policy where 50% of all future FEC funding appropriation will be directed to K-12 education projects, 25% to indirect education and workforce development projects and 25% to human and social services projects. This policy is designed to direct resources to projects that will have a direct impact and specifically target the creation of systemic changes to help individuals living below poverty to become self sufficient. The local FEC implementation committee members are encouraged to conduct meetings with educators and job services providers to develop projects that will address the core issues of poverty related to the areas of education, training and job creation.