Leechburg Area nonprofit searches for volunteers to help area's future

The Leechburg Area Community Development Corp. wants to ensure the Leechburg area is prepared to adapt to economic and social changes occurring in Western Pennsylvania and the nation.

The nonprofit was founded last year to help the municipalities of Leechburg, Gilpin, West Leechburg and Hyde Park. Some of its goals are to influence young people to move to the area, encourage businesses to open and remain and to clean up the community.

“The mission is to help Leechburg evolve into whatever it could best be,” said Louis Phillips, group president.

A town hall meeting to discuss the group’s plans will be held March 19 in the Leechburg Area High School auditorium.

“The purpose is to get individual residents to participate,” Phillips said.

Phillips started the organization more than a year ago. It officially became a nonprofit in December.

Phillips, a retired optometrist, grew up in Leechburg. He now lives in Upper St. Clair, but owns properties in Gilpin. Phillips’ wife, Pauline, also grew up in Leechburg.

“I loved growing up in this community. I understand the benefits and the disadvantages of a small community,” Phillips said. “I think there are a lot of people who should want to live in Leechburg. This is me getting involved in helping that process.”

The Leechburg Area Community Development Corp. has seven board members, including Phillips. The other board members are Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos, Leechburg Area School District Superintendent Tiffany Nix, Ron Walko, Jay Rupert, Nick Angeloff and Greg Porter.

Nix said she was honored that Phillips asked her to be a board member.

“I think it’s going to promote growth in the community, as well, of course, in the school district,” Nix said.

Board members spent roughly five months brainstorming ideas that could potentially help the area, and came up with six committees to address certain issues.

The committees include:

• Legal, accounting and fundraising: Will reach out to people that used to live in the area to solicit donations the organization can use for projects.

• Residential real estate: Will determine who is living in the area, assess the state of houses, and try to get residential properties cleaned up.

• Public relations and marketing: Will create a marketing campaign to attract younger residents to the area by highlighting its assets.

• Parks and riverfront: Will work to improve Leechburg’s Riverfront Park and develop all municipal-owned riverfront property.

• Business district and industrial: Will work to maintain existing businesses, attract new businesses and open lines of communication with Allegheny Technologies Inc. to see what they have planned for their industrial sites in West Leechburg and Gilpin.

• Drug dependency: Will look into drug treatment and management options and help implement drug treatment programs.

Phillips said he has already received positive feedback about the organization.

Leechburg, West Leechburg and Gilpin have all passed resolutions supporting it. Hyde Park should also pass one in the near future, he said.

Phillips said the group will be an extension of all the volunteerism that has already taken place in the area. The hope is to draw younger volunteers out.

“We really are going to need to get some of the younger people involved, and use the resources of everybody that can be involved,” Phillips said.