Butler undergoes year of change
Change swept over the landscape of Butler County in 2015 covering such diverse interests as business, education, politics and sports.
It touched numerous communities from Cranberry and Middlesex townships in the south to the Slippery Rock area in the north.
Here's a look at several of the important events.
Educational actionsOne of the most significant changes occurred in the Butler School District as it closed schools and realigned grades at all levels.The school board voted in May to close five of 11 elementary schools, but the Center Avenue Elementary School was reopened as an alternative and special needs school. Broad Street, Clearfield, Meridian and Oakland elementary schools are closed and up for sale.The remaining elementary schools became the buildings for kindergarten through fourth grade. Fifth and sixth graders moved to what is now the middle school at the former junior high building downtown.The intermediate high school now houses seventh through ninth grade students, and the high school has 10th, 11th and 12th graders.When the new school board was seated in December, it created the After-Action Review Committee to study the impacts of the consolidation.The Freeport School District also changed buildings.It built a new $33 million, 115,000-square-foot middle school adjacent to the high school in Buffalo Township.The new building has 26 classrooms, three computer labs, a gymnasium and a library.Armstrong County developer Ronald Mailki bought the district's former junior high school and the kindergarten center in Freeport for $175,000.He plans to convert them into a medical office, day care and housing.
<b>Centre City work starts</b>Another major change in the Butler area was the finalization of the plans to build a hotel and parking garage downtown.The city and developer J.S. Capitol in September approved financing for their respective garage and hotel projects. The city's nearly $5 million garage is under construction near the corner of Cunningham and McKean streets, while the $8.2 million hotel is being built next-door on Jefferson Street.The 76-room hotel is a joint effort of J.S. Capitol and the city redevelopment authority.City officials have been planning the Centre City project for nearly a decade. Both structures are expected to be completed near the end of 2016.<b>New county leaders</b>Countywide the face of government changed with the election of three new county commissioners.Republicans Leslie Osche and Kim Geyer and Democrat Kevin Boozel made it through a competitive primary and won in the Nov. 3 election. They will be sworn in Jan. 4.During the primary, Osche and Geyer battled eight other GOP candidates. Osche had a wide first-place victory, but Geyer beat Bob O'Neill by just two votes, which he challenged.After several recounts and hearings, Geyer won, beating O'Neill by three votes.Boozel and Jerry Johnston beat out Jim Eckstein and Dave Johnston in the Democratic primary, and Boozel earned a seat by placing third in the general election.<b>Challenge to drilling </b>A group of Middlesex Township residents and two environmental organizations challenged a township zoning amendment to allow gas well drilling, which caused a series of long hearings before the zoning board. The development of five wells at the Bob and Kim Geyer farm on Denny Road was suspended during that time.The challengers oppose those wells because they are near the Mars School District schools and Weatherburn Heights, a housing development.The board upheld the amendment, which determines where shale gas operations can be done in the township. The groups then appealed that decision to county court. Judge S. Michael Yeager in November dismissed the challenge.Other county court action on the matter had a group of Middlesex gas leaseholders sue the challengers because the appeals prevented them from earning income through their shale gas leases.The suit was dismissed by county court Judge Marilyn Horan. But the suit was resubmitted, and the case switched from Horan to Yeager.A hearing on the case is scheduled in Yeager's court in April.
<b>Business projects</b>Jackson Township is showing signs of development as new businesses are moving into the area.Construction of the new FedEx distribution center on Tomlinson Road off Route 528 started this spring and is expected to be completed by August 2016.The distribution center will be more than 300,000 square feet, and some reports say more than 500 jobs will be created.The Jackson Pointe Commerce Park at the intersection of Routes 19 and 528 is preparing for new businesses.A new Speedway gas station and convenience store opened in early November. Penske Truck Rental and a medical supply company are in talks to move there.A Steamfitters trade school and a Murphy Tractor store also are building new facilities in Harmony and Zelienople.Sign Innovation made plans in January to move its business into a new building on Halstead Boulevard in Zelienople. The 32,500-square-foot building was completed in early December and the grand opening will be in February.About 30 people are expected to be employed, and the company's three locations in Evans City and Harmony are to be closed and consolidated into the new manufacturing building.In Center Township, Clearview Mall added a new anchor store when Rural King opened later in the year.In Butler Township, work on the shopping center on New Castle Road and Route 422, known as Greenwood Plaza, got under way. The center, which includes a new Dick's Sporting Goods, a Mattress Firm and several other retail businesses, is a multi-million-dollar venture.The township is also the site of an $11 million, eight-building housing development along North Duffy Road by Ohio-based developer Woda.Iron Mountain in Boyers is undergoing a $200-million expansion at its underground facility.The project is meant to increase capabilities at its data center and keep data center rooms cool. Planning began in 2013 and the project is expected to run through 2019.<b>Health care expands</b>The health care industry experienced several significant events in 2015 with major projects and announcements from Butler Health System and VA Butler Healthcare.The health system unveiled a new three-story medical office building in Summit Township, calling the $20 million project a serious advancement for its women's care and palliative care departments.In Center Township, work began in September on a new facility for VA Butler Healthcare. The 168,000-square-foot facility is being built by Cambridge Healthcare Solutions PA, and will be rented by the Department of Veterans Affairs for 20 years for $163 million.VA Butler Healthcare also welcomed a new director, David Cord, in November.<b>A home for hockey</b>A major sports venue that will draw amateur and professional athletes as well as many visitors opened in Cranberry Township.The $70 million UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex that combines the Pittsburgh Penguins and UPMC brands opened Aug. 17.The facility is a two-story, 185,000-square-foot building with two rinks open for public skating, figure skating and amateur hockey. The complex also features 1,500 square feet of hockey skills training space and a dedicated sports performance space.The Penguins have an NHL-quality locker room and weight room. The Penguins will use the rinks for practice, training camp, development camp, youth clinics and other activities.The sports medicine center has 24 exam rooms and six teams of physicians who are experts in sports related injuries to care for athletes from any sport and any level.
