FOXBURG, Clarion County — Community leaders from the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District and Clarion County met Wednesday at the A-C Valley Elementary School to discuss opportunities and challenges in the district.

The 67-acre Allegheny-Clarion Valley Business Park in Allegheny Township, Butler County, is home to seven businesses with about 600 employees from five surrounding counties and has a combined annual payroll of $25 million, said Jim Hite, a board member of the A-C Valley Development Corp., which owns the park.

A new water and wastewater plant being built at the park should help retain businesses and attract new ones, Hite said.

Construction of the $3.8 million plant begins this summer, he said.

The Butler County Infrastructure Bank provided a $1,277,771 grant for the project, and Allegheny Township received a $931,920 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for the project.

After the plant is completed, it will be expanded to the area north of Interstate 80 to service existing businesses such as the Emlenton Truck Plaza and hopefully attract new businesses, Hite said.

Bill Henry of Bruford and Henry Real Estate Services of Shippenville described the district as a bedroom community for people working in Butler and other areas.

With only 11 homes and nine parcels of land for sale in the district, water and sewer infrastructure and more land for sale are needed to increase residential development, Henry said.

The overall residential property market has been hot as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. People from large cities such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Philadelphia are looking to move to “safe, small” communities like those in the district, and recreational property is in high demand, he added.

“It's a wonderful area to live in,” Henry said.

Efforts are underway to provide more recreational opportunities along the Allegheny River.

The section of the Allegheny River in Emlenton has been named an Eco Corridor.

Eco Corridors serve as a passage between areas to facilitate biodiversity, preservation of habitat and movement of wildlife.

The Eco Corridor designation is intended to show Emlenton embraces the river's ecology and recognize its importance in the community.

A group called the Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County is developing a three-mile section of the Emlenton–Foxburg section of the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail.

The trailhead will be located at the Foxburg Bridge, and the first mile to the north has been secured, said Bob Jennings of ARTinCC. Plans include a parking lot and a riverside park in Foxburg.

The organization is raising money to use as a match needed to secure state grants and is looking for volunteers to work on the trail.

“If we get the money, we'll get a construction grant and get this puppy done in a couple years,” Jennings said.

Venango County Commissioner Wayne Brosius encouraged the group to continue to work to make A-C Valley thrive.

The county will receive $7.5 million from the American Rescue Plan, and the commissioners are hoping to receive guidance on how it can be spent, Brosius said.

He said 40% of the people who work at the business park live in the county.

There are jobs available in the county, but there are not enough people to fill those positions, Brosius said.

The $300 in weekly benefits from the American Rescue Plan that unemployed people receive in addition to their benefits “helps people stay unemployed,” he said.

“I hear from employers almost everyday, they cannot find help,” Brosius said.