NORTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Top leaders in Washington County are at odds over what type of new venue should be built along Racetrack Road, already home to the casino, hotels, restaurants, and Tangor Outlets.
The Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency this week announced a proposal to build a concert and events venue on Racetrack Road.
Agency President Jeff Kotula shared renderings with Channel 11, showing a 30,000-square-foot facility with room for 3,000 people. The venue would be designed to host not only concerts, but also corporate meetings, large weddings, and other events.
Kotula said the agency spent the past year studying the feasibility of an events center. The study determined there is a strong need for the project, and that it would complement, not compete with, other regional venues such as Starlake and Stage AE.
“We are looking for ways to make it flexible… host corporate meetings, large weddings… not just concerts, but a multifunctional facility for the region,” Kotula said. “We look at this as more of a complementary center than a competitor. Our study showed there’s enough business to go around in the region.”
But not all local leaders are on board. County Commissioner Nick Sherman said the county has already invested heavily in a venue that is planned to go up along Racetrack Road.
“We applaud that they did this, but it’s another glaring example of why we need better communication with our elected officials,” Sherman said.
Sherman is backing a proposed kids’ sports complex near the outlets. He said the county has completed its own study, secured grant funding, and is ready to break ground soon on the new road where it would go up.
“We want a sports complex where people can come for flag football tournaments, volleyball, everything in between,” Sherman said. “Washington has done a great job with bringing in big things for shopping, huge innovations for hospitals in our area. It’s time we refocused on something for our children.”
For now, the question remains whether there’s enough funding, support, and investment for both projects to move forward or whether one will take priority.
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