2008 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 including Redstone and Menallen Township, a portion of the cities of Uniontown and Connellsville and a portion of Dunbar Township. The population of the entire FEC is approximately 27,216 with an average poverty rate of 27%. The FEC also includes three developable sites totaling 1,499.34 acres. Currently, the FEC Strategic Plan includes 107 benchmarks to help revitalize the most distressed areas of Fayette County.

In 2008, the FEC Board received 23 grant applications requesting a total of approximately $180,000. The Board reviewed and approved a total of 16 projects totaling $80,000. 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 remaining year of the FEC program, the FEC Board continues the new funding policy where 50% of all FEC funding appropriations 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.

Most Significant Accomplishment Benchmark: #34 - Provide Education, training and job readiness assistance. Westmoreland Community College continues to offer much needed workforce training and business courses for the area in its newly located office in Fayette County in the Fayette County Community Action Agency building.

Benchmark: #42 - Provide the staff materials and technical assistance for school districts to implement a multi-faceted K-12 career development curriculum for students. Coordinate a program with pre-existing support systems to produce a systemic change throughout the districts. FEC continued “Re-Invention” of Local Vocational/Career Technical Education by preparing for the exodus of skilled workers with a significant number of retirees. REACH worked with school districts to strengthen a focus on the “re-invention” of the vocational/career technical education, which will lead to improved workforce development.

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