BVA to vote on new WCHA agreement

The new arrangement will result in significantly more money for the school district.

The BVA school board discussed a revised cooperation agreement Tuesday with the Westmoreland County Housing Authority regarding a new senior housing development in Rostraver Township.

On Dec. 3, the school board rejected a previous agreement, but the district negotiated a new one that aims to bring more funds to BVA. The agreement was created in talks involving BVA Chief Financial Officer Crystal Clark, WCHA Executive Director Michael Washowich and WCHA Chairman Bob Regola.

“This agreement ensures that Belle Vernon Area School District receives fair and predictable financial contributions from WCHA, while still allowing the Willowbrook Commons project to move forward,” Clark said. “We have worked diligently to establish terms that are both financially sustainable and community focused.”

The agreement is for a 50unit, four-story senior housing development for those 62 or older. The planned site is a 6-acre property next to Willowbrook Plaza along Route 51.

Under the new agreement, WCHA will provide a onetime goodwill payment of $30,000 to the district once it secures the necessary project financing.

Additionally, the district will receive an annual payment of $265,000, with payments calculated using the most current school district millage rate. The agreement calls for the payments to last for 40 years.

According to Clark, the district would have made $265,000 under the previous agreement, but now will receive approximately $1 million in the same contract period.

Board President Stacey Livengood is on board with the new agreement.

“Considering it’s a lot more money than what we had before, I would be a yes,” Livengood said.

Washowich previously stated that the WCHA is tax-exempt, but that the Housing Authority still extended cooperation agreements to BVA and Rostraver Township to provide the taxing bodies compensation for their services.

“The Housing Authority is pleased to have reached a fair resolution with BVASD that allows us to fulfill our mission of providing quality, affordable housing for seniors in Westmoreland County,” Washowich said in a statement.

Board member Robert Harhai stated during the December meeting that he didn’t want the Housing Authority in the community, and he continued to object to the agreement during Tuesday’s work session.

“The rest of the community is subsidizing either these large corporations that have a significant amount of residents or they’re subsidizing the government-subsidized housing like Rostraver Apartments, Marion Villa, the Belle Vernon high-rise and the West Newton high-rise and the high-rise in every other municipality around us,” Harhai said. “Everybody else has to subsidize it and pay for it, and that’s what pushes people like me out of this town.”

Clark emphasized to the board that the project will continue even if they reject the new agreement.

Rostraver Township commissioners approved their cooperation agreement with WCHA on Dec. 4 and have been generally optimistic and excited about the project.

Commissioner John Lorenzo has commented on the type of housing the project is expected to be.

“It’s not HUD, it’s not a high-rise, it’s a beautiful structure that they are wanting to implement in our community,” Lorenzo said in December. “I’ve spoken to a lot of the seniors in this community, and they have been in dire need of affordable housing because, unfortunately, a lot of them are on a fixed income to where they’re worried about if they sell their house, do they have to have to leave the community to find affordable housing somewhere else.”

The BVA board will vote on the new agreement during its next meeting Feb. 18.

Audit

At the beginning of the work session, the board received an audit presentation from accounting firm Cypher and Cypher that went over the finances of the district.

The audit found no instances of noncompliance with regulations and laws and no significant issues within the financial statement and federal program levels.

The report stated that the district’s total revenues and financing sources were $45,184,342, with actual revenues exceeding projections by more than $1 million due to higher state and local tax revenue.

Total expenditures were $45,014,677, with actual expenditures being $432,020 under budget, according to the report.

The report recommends that the district monitor its cafeteria fund to prevent any future deficits.

“This audit reflects our continued efforts to manage the district’s resources effectively,” Clark said. “While we are pleased with our strong financial position, we recognize the importance of strategic planning, particularly in monitoring cafeteria operations and ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability.

“Our administration and board remain dedicated to making data-driven financial decisions that support our students, staff and community.”