As a part of the urban studies group, we decided we would spend most of the first visit in Connellsville. Over the course of the weekend, we identified many community assets—first which was the Touchstone Center for Crafts, our lodging for the duration of the trip. Touchstone Center for Crafts is a seasonal craft school in Farmington. The campus hosts workshop classes in blacksmithing, glass, metalwork, and ceramics among others. Another asset was the Penn State Fayette Campus, which we explored Saturday morning. The campus, as we learned, enrolled over 400 students and accommodates over 100 faculty and non-instructional staff members. The Coal and Coke Heritage Center offered a storied look into the history of Fayette County. Before visiting the campus, we were made aware of its rumored closure which made the visit especially poignant—after all, Penn State Fayette is the only four-year school in the county. However, this prompted conversations about adaptive reuse—reimagining what the campus infrastructure could be used for. I liked the idea of repurposing the campus into a collaborative space where different academic institutions would operate concurrently. This partnership would have multiple benefits. First off, it would require minimal infrastructure, which would be cost effective. Second off, a partnership would allow different institutions to pool capital—which is more economically sustainable. Third, it would allow students to explore more universities and gain access to a wider variety of programs and opportunities. Fourth, the campus would maintain staff and therefore continue to contribute to the local economy.  

After visiting Penn State, we proceeded to Connellsville. The Connellsville Canteen and adjacent Entrepreneurship and Education Center were both significant assets. After exploring these spaces with Dan and Micheal, we conducted a walking tour of the town through which we identified several more important community assets. The first of which was the Appalachian Creativity Center, operated by the deeply passionate artists Ann and Shirley. In addition to promoting local artists and contributing to a thriving art scene, the Appalachian Creativity Center offers various art classes including basket weaving and stained glass. Next, we visited the Connellsville Redevelopment Authority, managed by Paula and Micheal. We also visited the Carnegie Free Library, another valuable asset, where we set up our community engagement booth. After meeting with the rest of our cohort, we identified several other assets: the Trailhead Arch, Connellsville Hiker-Biker Campground, Rivers Edge Restaurant, and South Connellsville Athletic Field—where we enjoyed a high school football game between Connellsville and Dubois. On Saturday, we also visited the town of Donora, in the Mon Valley. There we identified another significant asset: the Donora Smog Museum. The museum commemorates the storied history of Donora and the 1948 smog disaster that laid the framework for the Clean Air Act of 1963.

Looking forward, our team plans on conducting more field investigation, particularly in Connellsville, to better map the local art scene. However, we also have plans to establish ourselves within the broader region through driving tours and interviews with locals who might better advise us on where to visit. The best way, after all, to familiarize ourselves with Fayette County, is to experience it.

Over the course of the visit, we were surprised often by the community in Connellsville. First off, we were surprised by the willingness of the community to get involved in our project. Everyone we came across was quick to offer their time and resources. Second, we were surprised by how rooted the community was in art. Everywhere we looked there was some manifestation of art. There were murals (i.e. “Jesus and the Children”), stained glass displays (i.e. at the canteen), art galleries (i.e. Appalachian Creativity Center), music stores (i.e. Atkins Music Center), and public art projects (i.e. Trailhead Arch and Fairview Avenue Steps). Third, it seemed like everyone knew everyone—evidence of a tight knit community. Fourth, it was surprising to see the capacity of the Fayette County Cultural Trust: for example, the erection and output of the Entrepreneurship and Education Center. Already, the center operates in partnership with Seton Hill University and the University of Pittsburgh which both offer classes for the community. Seton Hill offers business courses while Pittsburgh focuses primarily on its non-accredited courses and OSHER classes. In addition, the trust has the capacity to administer grants for local and regional development. Fifth, I was surprised by the energy at the high school football game we experienced Friday night. The stadium was full, and the crowd was roaring; the band was booming and exceedingly impressive. Sixth, we were surprised by the community’s willingness to embrace change and, at the same time, ability to remain rooted in history and tradition. An example of this was the adaptive reuse of a former school into the Connellsville Community Center. Seventh, we were surprised by the liveliness of the Connellsville Hiker-Biker Campground, situated adjacent to the Great Allegheny Passage. The campground offers overnighting off the trail. It contains several Adirondack shelters and space for 20-30 tents. The space also offers grills, picnic tables, and bathroom facilities. On Friday evening, we visited the campground and spoke to cyclists and runners off the trail. We met travelers from both Pittsburgh and Washington D.C., many of whom were very enthusiastic about Connellsville and noted its growing popularity for tourists. In the half hour that we spent there, roughly ten cyclists and runners had come off the trail to settle for the night in the campground.

After this visit, I can make several links between our experience in Connellsville and course content. First off, in the classroom, we have learned a lot about asset-based approaches to development—likewise, Connellsville has been building off their assets in pursuit of revitalization. This is most evident in its tourism recreation scene. Connellsville has leveraged its proximity to the Great Allegheny Passage by building out its cycling infrastructure (i.e. bike lanes and cycling repair shops) and Connellsville Hiker-Biker Campground. More broadly, Connellsville has expanded its capacity to accommodate tourists (i.e. restaurants and lodging), recognizing its proximity to tourist attractions (i.e. Falling Water, Ohio Pyle, Laurel Highlands, etc.) and economic utility of its own attractions (i.e. Yough River and Crawford Cabin). In addition, much of the development in Connellsville is place-based, another concept we have studied in class. The Connellsville Redevelopment Authority has adopted a comprehensive plan that pledges to expand place-based multimodal infrastructure projects (i.e. bike lanes, sidewalks, traffic calming tools, shuttle bus investments, etc.). The completion of the Crawford Bridge is one such concrete example.

In addition to these development approaches, I can also draw comparisons to our study of socio-economic mobility in Thomas and Davis West Virginia. Thomas and Davis West Virgina were both revitalized through grassroots art movements—I believe that Connellsville is following a similar path towards revitalization. As local artists continue to attract tourism (i.e. art shows and events, art galleries, art landmarks, etc.) they will consequentially spur economic growth (as tourists support local businesses like restaurants and inns), as was the case in West Virginia.

Based on our limited experience in Connellsville and greater Fayette County, my group and I have developed several initial ideas about spurring economic development in Fayette County. We maintain our ideas of tapping into the local art and tourism scene through the development of our arts-based community sticker project. In conjunction with this project, we also want to begin to map the local art scene. We have recognized many disconnected artists and art-related businesses throughout Connellsville (i.e. Appalachian Creativity Center, Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass, independent artists, high school art students, Red It Up, The Ink Spot, etc.) and feel there is utility in mapping them. Through communicating with community members and local artists for our sticker project, we can begin to attain a broader understanding of the local art scene, and the artists that make it. By mapping this scene, we might begin to foster a synergy between them, and local stakeholders, and more easily highlight the broader art scene to attract tourism and investment to Connellsville. We might consider building up a website or ArcGIS StoryMap to highlight these art assets (or at least setting up the grounds for future cohorts to pursue this).

Looking forward, our group has identified the next steps we need to take based on the information we have gathered during this site visit. First, we need to reach out to the Appalachian Creativity Center for help in identifying local artists that might help us render sticker designs. We plan to produce a poster outlining the details of our project and encouraging local artists to submit design submissions. We must also continue to monitor our community feedback to ensure these sticker designs are based on community suggestions. In addition, we plan on conducting more walking tours to speak with individuals about their perceptions of the local art scene. Through this, we may also develop leads about artists and businesses to contact. We also plan on contacting The Ink Spot in South Connellsville, a local printing company, to discuss a partnership to produce our stickers. Finally, we plan to build on the asset map produced by the previous cohorts—after all, the production of asset maps should be an iterative process.