State Representative Pam Snyder took notice to the River Town Program’s momentum in 2013. The program by then had assisted in raising over $1 million in project funding since the start of the program in 2011, and helped the Monongahela River to secure 2013 River of the Year recognition.
Representative Snyder encouraged the program team to leverage the River Town Program to spark a dialogue around heritage and recreational tourism. The River Town Program partnered with the National Road Heritage Corridor in hosting a September 2013 legislative briefing at California University of PA.
What grew out of this was the Mon River Valley Coalition, an effort that complements the River Town Program and goes wider in scope. The coalition includes a broad list of stakeholders from throughout the entire Mon River Valley. The coalition has developed an action agenda that includes river access and recreation, and also places emphasis on public art, artist communities, regional marketing, a regional sign program, and higher education.
Learn more by reading Capturing Opportunities in the Mon River Valley or click here to download the Executive Summary/Action Plan.
Emerging Collaborative Governance Models: The Monongahela River Town Program
Click here to learn more about the Mon River Coalition