Ellwood City councilwoman, Judy Dici offers insight into the Ellwood City council and its history.

GREAT  JOB  EVERYONE !!!   The children were so well behaved and were such a joy to see.  I was a timer in the City Council chambers where the students learned why the city has a Borough style government, but is called a city, and so much more.

They sat and listened, and as I watched them I thought there are our future Council members, business owners, teachers, workers and home owners. The young are really the only way we will keep Ellwood City alive and well.  Let us do every thing we can to make it a place they will want to stay in and grow in.

The walking tour of our towns history is something I want to go on myself.  Thank you all for the hope and joy we all saw that day.  We truly all had P.I.E. May 10th 2012.

Thank you and God bless you,

Lenore Bazzichi, President of the Ellwood City Revitalization

Some of the vendors are:

The Enchanted Olive
Partylite
Tastefully Simple
Laine Photography
Silpada
Pure Romance
Stella and Dot
Pampered Chef
Scentsy
Uppercase Living
Mary Kay
Jamberry Nails
ThirtyOne
Usborne Books
Tupperware
BeautiControl
Ashlee Lamenza, Licensed Massage Therapist (Chair Massages)

During the show Team George will have their “Cancer Sucks” bracelets for $1.00 and Luminary bags to be displayed at the Relay for Life for a $5.00 donation.

Please contact Nicque Karis at 724-996-9281 for more details.

The open houses are schedule for Thursday, March 29 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm and Wednesday, April 1 from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

Financial aid and enrollment information will be available.

A large project to upgrade the electric power grid is responsible for a surge in orders for Jet Industries, said Don Williams, company owner and chief executive officer.

Jet Industries Front Page Article

JET Industries, which manufactures overhead traffic sign structures, light poles and mast arms, items for electric transmission substations and electric transmission poles, is at the forefront of a project to upgrade the power grid in Maine.

The Maine Power Reliability Program is using Jet Industries to build the steel structures that will carry electric transmission lines throughout the northeastern section of the country. Jet is also teaming with other regional companies, such as Union Metal, which has manufacturing facilities in Canton, Ohio.

More than 200 steel structures, the tallest of which is 175 feet high, will be installed as part of the power grid project.

Steel structures are preferred because of the need for additional height and because of the increased tension with lines being carried longer distances between poles and to traverse obstacles such as rivers. The steel structures are also used instead of poles that would use guide wires because of other structures or because of the proximity to others’ property.

The improvement and expansion of the power grid is leading to “massive economic growth,” Williams said.

Williams said the company recently added 15 certified welders, an increase of 25 percent to the local plant’s workforce. The additional workers were added to a second shift. He said the company is looking to add a third shift, but is in immediate need of 10 more welders to go ahead with the plan. “I would hire them today,” Williams said.

“We needed skilled laborers, but it seems that some of the trades, including welding and fitting, have become lost arts,” Williams said.

“It’s exciting,” Williams said, noting that in 2007, his company helped with providing fencing materials used between the U.S. and Mexican border. “I’m happy to be here in Ellwood City,” he said.

He sees the boom as a positive for the economic growth of Ellwood City. There are a number of major projects going on in the utility industry to transport power and to retool the power grid, Williams said. The U.S. Department of Energy is working to improve the nation’s power grid in  the next two to five years, and with that improvement comes the need to supply the needed materials, which Jet Industries manufactures, he said.

“The United States is coming back (economically),” Williams said, citing help from local government officials such as state Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-10, Franklin Township, and U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-4, McCandless Township.

In addition to the employees of Jet Industries bolstering the local economy, Williams said that about 14 trucks travel into and out of the plant each day, with those truckers stopping locally for gasoline, food or other services. Williams noted that about $150,000 in employee payroll funds are distributed weekly.

“It’s grass-roots efforts like we see here that’s allowing America to come back (economically),” Williams said.

While much of the new work is from the utility industry, the company continues to work on filling orders for overhead traffic structures. Under President Barack Obama, Williams said, there are also many highway and transportation projects nationwide, from which the company will benefit.

Source: Ellwood City Ledger, February 29, 2012, Mark E. Crepp

Representatives participate in the Community Plaza Ground Breaking ceremony

The Community Plaza will serve as a venue for a 40 foot diameter preforming stage and community gathering place that includes a unique water feature.  The plaza will help connect an under-utilized public parking lot with the main business district.  The parking area will be reconfigured and re-graded to accommodate a very successful weekly Farmers’ Market and provide seating for over 1000 people when large events are held at the preforming stage.  Combine Construction of Sharon has been awarded the contract with a bid of about $1.75 million and is expected to complete the project by December of 2012.

The private/public project is the first phase of a comprehensive revitalization project for the entire downtown district inEllwoodCity.  The project’s concept and design was formulated by the public’s input from February 5, 2008 meeting.  The participants at the meeting were asked to share their opinions regarding the type of improvements and enhancements that they would like to see implemented in their downtown. 

A common theme of the meeting was the community’s desire for a green space gather place that would provide family entertainment and activities for the area residents.  Locating a farmers’ market in the downtown business district and improving pedestrian safety.  Overall the community wanted to create a high quality environment for the businesses and residents while preserving and promoting our small town character.

The project’s funding sources for design, engineering and construction are  a mix of private, local, county, state and federal sources. To learn more about Ellwood City Main Street Project Revitalization, Inc. please visit our website at www.ellwoodcityrevitalization.org.  

Invited Guests:

Governor Tom Corbett, Congressman Jason Altmire, Senator Robert P. Casey, Senator Patrick J. Toomey, State Senator Elder Vogel, State Senator Bob Robbins, State Representative Jaret Gibbons, DCED – Secretary Alan Walker,

DCNR – Secretary Richard Allen, Lawrence County Commissioners, Beaver County Commissioners, Ellwood City Borough Council, Ellwood City Mayor, Ellwood City Chamber of Commerce, Ellwood City Revitalization and EG&G