HARRISBURG -- State officials can't say whether the $7 million in state aid that was earmarked for the Westinghouse renovation project can be recycled for other redevelopment projects in Mercer County.

The future of the money is up in the air since developer Jim Winner announced Thursday that he won't be using $7 million pledged in 2000 for a project to renovate the former Westinghouse plant in Sharon.

"It ($7 million) will still be in the fund," said Jason Kirsh, a spokesman for Gov. Mark Schweiker Friday. "I can't say for certain if it will be going in that direction or not."

But the well is running dry for the pot of stadium money -- known formally as the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program -- that was authorized by lawmakers in 1999. This is the state fund used to finance the building of new sports stadiums in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as well as dozens of development projects in other parts of the state.

All told, the Ridge-Schweiker administration has released