Published: January 16, 2018 |

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The first two weeks of 2018 in Greene County have been both turbulent and hopeful.

The year began with the unfortunate news that Dana Mining plans to idle its 4 West Mine near Mt. Morris in March before closing it in June. The closure will result in the loss of 370 jobs and likely be another economic blow for Greene County.

The closure leaves only two major mining operations — CONSOL Energy’s Bailey complex and Contura Energy’s Cumberland Mine – in Greene County after Emerald Mine near Waynesburg closed in November 2015.

Out of these closures, however, is an understanding by both local and state officials that something must be done for the county and its residents to escape the cyclical, boom-and-bust industry of coal.

In response, the state recently announced it was providing a $3 million grant through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to transition the former mine training center near Ruff Creek into a facility that helps retrain unemployed workers.

Just a couple of years ago, the training center was bustling with activity, with safety courses and rescue drills, along with competitions in a simulated coal mine. The facility’s mission is changing from training miners to work underground to retraining them to find other careers on the surface.

Gov. Tom Wolf visited the site Thursday to see for himself what the a 64-acre facility on Dunn Station Road will look like when it offers a variety of courses, including cybersecurity, coding, diesel mechanics and other heavy machinery opportunities.

“What we’re talking about is the changing nature of the economy,” Wolf said during the tour. “To get to where we are today, we’ve had a lot of change. The key in a perfect world is to make sure we’re allowing individuals to adjust to those changing realities.”

That was exactly what Greene County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman wanted to hear. Zimmerman, who has talked for several years of the need to diversify the county’s economy, said the new retraining center won’t matter if there aren’t good-paying jobs available for the students when they graduate.

“Help us help ourselves,” Zimmerman told the governor. “We need other opportunities in Greene County.”

The redesigned UMWA Career Centers Inc. Ruff Creek campus is a good start. But more needs to be done.

The county and its residents, while both identify with coal, need to think beyond the energy industry. The natural gas industry has been a wonderful asset for landowners with large royalties and companies that provide services to the drillers, but its boom-and-bust cycle make it somewhat unpredictable for employment.

The new training center is now generating some of those new ideas on what sustainable jobs might look like in Greene County. The conversation has stated and now has the governor’s attention.

The opportunity is Greene County’s for the taking.

Source: Observer-Reporter

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