On October 3rd through October 5th, I embarked on an adventure with The University of Pittsburgh’s Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) cohort to Fayette County, Pennsylvania. This trip is part of the ongoing 10-year commitment and collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh and the Fayette County Cultural Trust. I was particularly excited about this trip, as we had been talking, researching and studying the area for quite some time, the trip also lined up perfectly with some spectacular fall weather. This trip was the culmination of several weeks’ worth of preparation to build on the foundation left by the previous cohorts to advance our knowledge and understanding of not only Fayette County, but the community members as well.
We arrived at the Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, Pennsylvania on Thursday evening. Touchstone Center for Crafts is nestled in the mountains of the Laurel Highlands and located just 60 miles south of Pittsburgh, and one look around and it seems we have been transported hundreds of miles away. This would be our home away from home, and our first glimpse into the community, geography and atmosphere in Fayette County. Once checked in and settled, we had dinner at the Historic Summit Inn a foundation of tourism in Fayette County since 1907. We returned to Touchstone and gathered around a campfire to reflect on our day and strategize for the following day.
The following morning, we (the Urbans Studies) cohort, planned an interview with Lindsay Ketterer Gates, the Executive Director at Touchstone Center for Crafts. This single interview changed our entire perspective and the trajectory of our interviews. While the previous cohort had identified transportation for tourists as an area for further exploration, our interview with Lindsay revealed housing and not transportation to be the critical need in the community. While increased visibility and accessibility to the area would bring much needed economic growth to the area, it does not come without problems.
Lindsay explained that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the entire community. Social distancing meant new people were frequenting the parks and trails, so much so that trails were eroding, trash was left, and parks were consistently over capacity. Once the pandemic receded, the capacity problems did not, and the increase in visitors revealed a surprising problem. Available homes were being purchased and turned into short-term rentals (like Airbnb or Vrbo). Lindsay went on to explain, this has affected the community but also has a profound effect on Touchstone Center for the Crafts. As a communal craft space that hosts various workshops, festival and artist exhibits and installations, Touchstone has struggled to attract new employees or artists to relocate due to the scarcity of local housing. She approximated that 20-25% of the local properties for sale have been converted into these short-term rentals.
Touchstone Center for Crafts is not necessarily a tourism destination, not yet anyways. Touchstone is an experience-based tourism asset. By developing exhibits and festivals curated in local folklore and traditions, Touchstone serves as a compass between the past and the present. Returning younger generations to the work of their great-great-grandmothers or fathers. A place to learn their regions’ history and foster a sense of belonging with curiosity and confidence.
Our second interview of the day was at Historic Fallingwater in Stewart, Pennsylvania. Fallingwater is a National Historic Landmark, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a popular tourist destination for people from all over the world. We interviewed three staff members at Fallingwater: Max Adzema the Public Programs Manager, Jenny Wagner the Director of Visitor Services, and Ashley Andrykovitch the Curator of Education. Our conversations with these three echoed our previous findings at Touchstone. Jenny and Ashley have been longtime residents of Fayette County and show great pride in their community, their culture and the unique tourism assets in Fayette County. They addressed the housing situation pointed towards the impact on the community, two schools in the area will be combined. This they explained, is due to decrease in school-aged children in the area, as well as the economic loss that occurs when there is a large absentee homeowner presence in the community.
While our work in Fayette County takes an asset-based approach to focus on the county’s strengths rather than its weaknesses, we were able to identify that these strengths can also become liabilities if foundational capacities are not built to sustain them. While the urge to leverage these unique tourist destinations for economic growth and development, these interviews have revealed that they must also be managed sustainably. One of those assets is the strong sense of community and culture that ties residents to each other and anchors them to Fayette County. The people and communities of Fayette County are an asset unto themselves, they are invested and committed to building a better future for everyone in Fayette County.
We also had the opportunity to speak with Fayette County Commissioners at the Connellsville Canteen during the luncheon with the Fayette County Cultural Trust with founders and co-collaborators Daniel Cocks and J. Michael Edwards. Speaking with County Commissioners provided invaluable insight into the goals and strategies that have been deployed to spur economic growth. The Commissioners’ spoke briefly about the housing shortage, revealing the statistics from a recent housing survey that showed over 99% of the rental properties in the county are occupied. This coupled with the startling numbers of thousands of individuals who commute in and out of Fayette County daily, the desire to attract new business and young families to the area face significant barriers to actualization.
The luncheon at the Canteen provided valuable information about the longevity of local leaders, some commissioners serving more than 25 years, the strategies moving forward to build capacities in grant writing and proposals to secure funding for projects, and the ways in which commissioners have had to adjust or pivot their strategies based on the growing needs of the community. These strategies are essential for Fayette County to avoid the lure of low-road economic development, exploitive practices, or boosts in tourism that is unsustainable to the community at large.
Based on the limited time I spent in and talking with the community, I firmly believe the housing crisis in Fayette County needs to be further researched and addressed. Growth, economic or otherwise cannot happen without the space to grow in. Further research into the Airbnb process, zoning, taxation and permitting can be an avenue to not only generate additional tourism income but also regulate and potentially limit the practice in certain communities and municipalities. This would also help to ensure that any new homes built to alleviate the housing crisis do not end up as short term rentals and continue the cycle.
Doubling down on the tourism in the area, while places like Ohiopyle are consistently over capacity creates a dangerous free-riding situation for the residents that may become untenable. Excessive and unmanaged tourism taxes the infrastructure and if not managed properly, the costs fall to the community. As tourism climbs, revenue generated from tourism occupancy tax can be redispersed to meet the needs of the community. Revenue for marketing and advertising could be temporarily reduced and redirected to shore up infrastructures and ensure tourism areas aren’t negatively impacting the community. Once the balance is restored, the revenue can be redistributed back to advertising and marketing or diverted to meet other pressing needs in the community.
After the luncheon at the canteen, one thing was very clear, the County Commissioners are fiercely committed to the investment in their community, the people. Work involving infrastructure projects, education, building strong partnerships with state and local partners, and listening to the needs of the community. The Commissioners stressed the importance of finding and mentoring new community partners and leaderships, getting the community involved and invested in its’ future.
The deep sense of pride, heritage and culture is clearly on display in places like Touchstone Center for Crafts where there is an ongoing commitment to foster a renewed love for glassblowing, pottery, and ironwork native to the area, while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. The Fayette County Cultural Trust is another example of the deep commitment to the community through the work of Mike and Dan. The Connellsville Canteen was not only a host site for our community luncheon, but a reclamation of Connellsville’s history memorialized as a museum. The Fayette County Cultural Trust through the work of Mike and Dan have numerous upcoming projects, or projects that are they are working towards completion. One of those projects is the Education and Entrepreneurship Center and Black Box theatre which will promote theatre performances, provide classes, and art exhibits highlighting local talent. This will provide the area with another opportunity to create place-based community and opportunities.
As we continue our work with Fayette County and the Cultural Trust, our team has already lined up additional interviews with Stakeholders in the community to gain a more diverse perspective of how tourism operates and affects the communities of Fayette County. We look forward to speaking with folks from Ohiopyle State Park and GO Laurel Highlands to provide alternative pictures of tourism in Fayette County. Moving forward we have identified additional stakeholders in the community that may be able to provide supplemental information that may enhance our understanding, and we look forward to speaking with them soon.