Drilling Company Coming to Mt. Morris

Washington, PA Observer-Reporter
22 January 2010
By Cara Host, Staff writer
chost@observer-reporter.com

WAYNESBURG - A Morgantown, W.Va., drilling company is set to buy over half of Meadow Ridge Business Park in Mt. Morris.

Royal Crown Development, which also does business as Shaft Drillers International and North American Drilling, is set to buy about 62 acres of business park, which is jointly owned by the county, Greene County Industrial Development Authority and Regional Industrial Development Corp.

The company has agreed to buy the land for $875,000, but some terms of the sales agreement have not been finalized. Commissioners directed Solicitor Cheryl Cowen to complete the process so that the county can close on the deal soon.

Several messages left at Royal Crown's offices in Morgantown were not returned Wednesday or Thursday.

The IDA and the RIDC in Pittsburgh started developing the 108-acre business park in 1998. In recent years, the county has tackled several infrastructure projects to make the park more appealing to businesses.

Those efforts attracted state and federal money to make improvements to the access road and to extend a water line to the area. Allegheny Power's 138-kilovolt power line project near the area will essentially upgrade the electricity system to the park.

The park is designated as a Keystone Opportunity Zone, which gives businesses that move into a KOZ a break on local and state taxes. If the drilling company moves to Meadow Ridge Business Park, it will enjoy tax abatement through 2017.

In other business, commissioners approved an agreement with Management Engineering Corporation of Pittsburgh for preliminary engineering services at Greene County Airport. Commissioners want to replace and relocate hangars at the airport to free space along Route 21 for business development.

MEC, which served as construction manager on the courthouse renovation and more recently, Murtha Drive, will work on an as-needed basis to give cost estimates and complete preliminary engineering work. MEC will be paid between $11 and $65 an hour, depending the level of expertise needed to complete the task.

Commissioners renewed a contract with Maximus, an accounting firm that helps the county with cost allocation. Maximus will be paid $7,100 a year to audit county expenses and determine how much of state subsidies can be used to offset utility bills and other costs.