Latrobe will recognize a cost savings after welcoming neighboring Unity back as a partner in a regional recreation organization.

City council this week approved an intergovernmental cooperation agreement that reinstates Unity as a member of the Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation organization after an absence of six years.

Township supervisors signed the agreement May 13. Other partners include the Greater Latrobe School Board, which will consider a similar vote Tuesday, and Youngstown Borough, which is involved as a member municipality of the school district.

With Unity returning to the fold and contributing $100,000 to the annual parks and rec board budget, Latrobe’s annual financial commitment to the organization will drop from $59,700 to about $38,000, according to city manager Michael Gray.

“We’re going to see a pretty good savings by everyone working together, by Unity Township coming on board and helping with some of the costs the city had to pay every year,” Gray said.

Having a greater amount of resources to draw upon will provide a recreational boost for everyone within the Greater Latrobe School District, Mayor Rosie Wolford said. “It’s good for the greater Latrobe community as a whole,” she said.

Under the cooperation agreement, the school district would contribute $74,000 annually, while the district, city and township each would appoint three representatives to an expanded rec board. Youngstown, the smallest member in terms of population, would make no financial contribution nor have representation on the board.

Unity left the rec board at the end of 2014, after an initial 10-year partnership. With its return, township residents no longer will pay a higher fee for Latrobe-GLSD programs.

For Unity residents, that will result in an average savings of $10 per program, according to Latrobe-GLSD Executive Director Craig Shevchik.

Unity had been involved in a partnership with the Greensburg YMCA, for which it most recently paid $56,700 per year for overseeing recreational programs in the township.

“We did enjoy our relationship with the YMCA, but we just felt that we needed a little bit more,” Unity Supervisor Mike O’Barto said.

He expressed hope the return to the regional group will promote expansion of soccer programs in the township.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)