Stars in the Rocks
Unlocking the potential in McKees Rocks
As Pittsburgh continues its postindustrial comeback, it’s important to remember that other river towns are still working hard to replicate that success. Few work harder than McKees Rocks.
A new incubator program is giving fledgling nonprofits and businesses a boost in the borough along the Ohio River. Regional leaders who are trying to woo employers like Amazon should remember that McKees Rocks has a lot to offer, too, and give officials there a shot when big opportunities surface.
In McKees Rocks, afflicted with crime, poverty and heavy opioid use, civic leaders have comprehensive plans for improvement. Success has been incremental, however, with each small achievement cause for celebration. Over the past five years, officials launched holiday and summer events to attract visitors and spread cheer. In 2015, Hollywood Music & Sound, a business district mainstay for more than a half-century, unveiled a restored facade giving new luster to its signature giant guitar. Last year, CSX opened a 70acre intermodal facility in McKees Rocks and neighboring Stowe that links both communities more closely to the transportation economy.
The incubator, called Launch StoRox, a name referencing Stowe and McKees Rocks, continues the slowbut-steady approach by helping nonprofits and businesses grow from concepts to community assets at their own pace. It’s a collaboration with the McKees Rocks Community Development Corp. and Focus on Renewal, a comprehensive social service agency that operates a community resource center, arts center and library.
So far, incubator participants include a nonprofit working with unemployed men, an art and design studio, a yoga and healthy eating business and a moving company. Operated by New Sun Rising, itself a nonprofit that has worked in various struggling communities, the incubator provides technical and financial assistance while also focusing on human capital and the community.
That’s in keeping with the people-centered approach the community development corporation and Focus on Renewal have incorporated into other work. In 2016, after learning that McKees Rocks had an above-average number of residents with mental illness, the groups held a summit of government agencies, nonprofits and social service providers to see how they could better serve their neighbors and make them part of community rebuilding efforts.
Community leaders are quick to point out that negative perceptions of McKees Rocks will be difficult to overcome even as they lay the building blocks for a better future. As they court future employers, regional officials should remember the comeback efforts of towns outside of Pittsburgh, especially McKees Rocks, and promote all that these boroughs and townships have to offer.