Dec. 8, Ellwood City– The Borough of Ellwood City announced today it is among a select group of high performing municipalities to become certified through the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program. The Borough is recognized at the Silver level of certification for meeting the program’s rigorous performance criteria which tracks 131 policies and practices that define a sustainable community.
The sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification, administered by the Pennsylvania Municipal League in partnership with Sustainable Pittsburgh, is designed for municipalities that are working to save money, conserve resources, and serve vibrant communities. Originally deployed in Southwestern Pennsylvania by Sustainable Pittsburgh, the certification has gone state-wide recognizing small, medium, and large municipalities across the Commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Municipal League and Sustainable Pittsburgh applaud municipalities for their demonstrated commitment and sustainability performance.
In earning the Silver certification, the Borough is acknowledged for its progress in addressing such areas as community design and land use, energy efficiency, health and wellness, mitigating blight, intergovernmental cooperation, recycling and waste reduction, fiscal controls, and internal management and operations. Details regarding how the Borough is addressing these areas can be found on the certification program’s website: www.sustainablepacommunitycertification.org.
“Ellwood City Borough is proud to be recognized as Silver Certified Community by the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program,” said Connie MacDonald, Council President. “Ellwood City Borough has a long history of commitment to saving taxpayer dollars, using resources efficiently, and applying best practices in municipal government and community development. We are pleased to be recognized and be part of the regional community of good government.”
“We are delighted to see Ellwood City distinguished among local governments that are leading the way in applying sustainability to both their operations and management as well as within the community,” said Gail Markovitz, director of Training, Pennsylvania Municipal League.
The Certified Community by the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification is intended to bring recognition to municipalities that are applying the policy and practice of sustainability as their way of operating in order to advance community prosperity. It also serves as a mechanism for sharing best practices for creating a more sustainable Pennsylvania. “Municipalities that earn the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification are standouts in demonstrating adherence to best practices that elevate them as communities of choice to live, work, and play. Commitment to continuous improvement is at the heart of sustainability and the certification program is a means to accelerate municipal performance,” said Court Gould, Executive Director, Sustainable Pittsburgh.
Details about Ellwood City Borough’s certification performance can be found by linking to www.sustainablepacommunitycertification.org.
For more information, please visit www.sustainablepacommunitycertification.org or contact Bob Villella, Borough Manager, at 724-758-2098.
About Ellwood City Borough
Ellwood City Borough is a small borough (2.4 square miles) located in southern Lawrence/ northern Beaver Counties, approximately 25 minutes south of the City of New Castle and 45 minutes northeast of the City of Pittsburgh. Incorporated in 1898, Ellwood City has a rich industrial history, primarily due to the success of the seamless tube industry. Reach a population peak of over 12,000 residents in 1940, Ellwood has experienced population decline over the years due to the collapse of the steel industry. With a 2015 estimated population of approximated 7,600, Ellwood City continues to reinvent itself to support an active downtown and high quality neighborhoods. As part of its revitalization efforts, the Borough constructed its Community Plaza in 2013, featuring cascading waterfalls, flowering planters, stately tress, a staging area for entertainment, and open area for seating and a comfort station. The Plaza is home to the Borough’s Summer Concert Series and Farmer’s Market. Continuing its focus on improving public spaces, Ellwood City is now looking to its parks and recreation network to not only better serve its residents, but also to attract visitors and tourists. The current parks and recreation network consists of two community parks (Ewing and Stiefel) and five neighborhood parks (Pittsburgh Circle Heritage Park, Merit Book Park, Rosannah Park, City Centre Mini Park and West End Playground). In addition, Ellwood City is home to PA Bike Route “A,” which stretches nearly 200 miles from Erie to Waynesburg and the Connoquenessing Creek Gorge. The Connoquenessing Creek is an unofficial water trail for paddlers, with public access available along Route 488 in Wurtemburg Village and at Rock Point.
About the Pennsylvania Municipal League
The Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 19000 as an advocate for Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. The PML represents participating Pennsylvania cities, townships, town, boroughs, and home rule municipalities that all share the League’s municipal policy interests. PML provides a wide array of municipal serves including legislative advocacy (on both the state and federal levels), publications designed to educate and inform, education and training certification programs, membership research and inquires, consulting-based programs, group insurance trusts, and the statewide Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification. Specific to Southwestern Pennsylvania, PML is partnered with Sustainable Pittsburgh for outreach.
About Sustainable Pittsburgh
Sustainable Pittsburgh affects decision-making in the Pittsburgh Region to integrate economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental quality as the enduring accountability brings sustainable solutions for communities and businesses. Over the past 18 years, Sustainable Pittsburgh has proven adept at building coalitions for the policy and practice of sustainable development for southwestern Pennsylvania. SP educates and engages decision-makers and in turn elevates expectations for integration in the 3Es (environmental conservation, social equity, and economic prosperity) among government, businesses, nonprofits and academia.
Saving people money?????….ever check electric bills, what a joke