COMMITTEES
The LACDC is helping the Leechburg area communities evolve through a broad range of initiatives.
The LACDC supports these initiatives with a subcommittee structure outlined below. Each committee has a Board liaison and a committee chair. The specific activities of each committee are designed by the members of that committee with the approval of the Board.
Are you ready to become a friend to the neighborhood?
The LACDC makes it easier for residents and businesses to get the support they need to improve quality of life, and shape the future of our community. If you’d like to be a friend to the neighborhood, we can help.
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE COMMITTEE
Improve the residential housing stock.
Leechburg, like many Western Pennsylvania communities, has lost significant population. This means that there is excess housing which results in low property values and vacant homes. Poorly maintained property and abandoned property are not uncommon in the area and, these have a huge negative impact on the community. Also, much of the housing stock in the Leechburg Area is older, especially in Leechburg Borough, having been built in the early part of the last century or earlier. Many of these homes are small, with one bath and little or no off-street parking. Can these homes be upgraded for today’s family? Which houses should be renovated, released for sale and/or torn down? With funding and the use of the Derelict and Abandoned Properties Act, the CDC can gain control of some of this housing and improve it for the community.
This committee works with the marketing committee and real estate professionals to market available homes in the most effective way.
BUSINESS DISTRICT & INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE
Support the business district and to assist in development of industrial sites.
Leechburg has a small business district with well maintained buildings. The majority of the store fronts are occupied, but the trend is toward less occupancy. This committee is assessing the community needs and determining the best use for the buildings. It will then work with the marketing committee to locate potential businesses for the community. One of the current initiatives is to establish a co-working space to give residents who work from home access to an environment more conducive to work with all the amenities of a modern office.
Attracting new businesses is difficult. Retaining existing businesses is easier but is often neglected. This committee is serving as a resource to assist local businesses and to help market them to the community.
Leechburg Area has two large industrial sites owned by ATI, one of which has been idle since 2005 and the other since 2016. This committee will work with ATI to learn about the plans for these parcels and assist in any way it can to establish a use for them.
PARKS & RIVERFRONT COMMITTEE
Develop river front property to take full advantage of the river asset.
The Kiskiminetas River is one of the most gorgeous rivers in Western Pennsylvania. It has been transformed over the last 40 years from an industrial and municipal waste polluted river into one teaming with fish and avian wildlife. This asset needs to be exposed and utilized by the Leechburg Area communities and others in the region. The Kiskiminetas runs through all four communities represented by the LACDC. Various properties along the river have been developed including the Gazebo Park in Leechburg and the park and boat ramp in Hyde Park, but much more can be done. This committee is exploring funding opportunities and building a volunteer network to help develop and maintain the parks.
PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING COMMITTEE
Market to potential residents and businesses.
Leechburg is a hidden treasure. Most people in Western Pennsylvania have never been to Leechburg, but those who have are impressed. To attract contributing members and businesses to the community, we need to inform Western Pennsylvania about Leechburg. This committee is in support of events that will serve to showcase the town. It also is taking every opportunity to get the message out through media coverage and other means.
COWORKING COMMITTEE
Giving people a place to work in a fully equiped office space.
It is the belief of the Board that the community needs a place to gather to conduct business, meet to create plans to advance the community, and have a place to work that’s not the kitchen table. To that end they have created a Coworking space right in downtown Leechburg.
A Coworking space is a flexible office space which gives people a place to work in a fully equipped office on a daily, weekly, or monthly bases. This space is shared with other workers who usually do not have the same employer.
The LACDC recently converted the Bank Building in downtown Leechburg into a Coworking space, making it an ideal destination for those seeking an affordable professional space for your remote work, virtual meetings, and home office without the distractions that often accompany working from home. We are conveniently located right in the heart of Leechburg’s business district!