While the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee is looking at whether money can be saved by Farrell, Sharon, Hermitage, Sharpsville and Wheatland merging or consolidating, a new city council would face the problem of deteriorating parks and libraries with little set aside for repair projects.

The recreation and libraries subcommittee, whose report was accepted by the full committee Tuesday, would like to see a recreation program based on the city of York, which has three community centers, 23 parks, a sports complex with softball fields, batting cages, volleyball courts and miniature golf course, a full-sized gymnasium, a weight room, an ice rink and an outdoor pool.

York had a $2.1 million recreation budget in 2001 with 24 full-time staff members, but the budget was slashed to $1.5 million in 2002.

Subcommittee Chairman James "Pat" White, a Hermitage commissioner, said the big thing the Shenango Valley is lacking are the community centers.

"We would need $12 million to match that," he said. "Where is that $12 million going to come from?"

James DeCapua said he didn't think the Shenango Valley should try to "mirror the expense of York," but White responded, "I don't see why not."

Sharpsville Councilman Tom Lally said he wouldn't want a separate staff to be hired to cut grass and otherwise maintain playgrounds when municipal street departments already do that now.

Cheryl Panek, program coordinator of Sharon's Lifelong Learning Counsel, said she thought the report was "incomplete" because it did not go into detail on privately owned recreation facilities and programs, such as the F.H. Buhl Club, Buhl Farm, churches, the Shenango Valley Senior Community Center and the Quinby Street Service Center.

She said her agency and those she mentioned collaborate with other agencies.

Stephen Theiss of Sharon said the municipalities could subsidize private recreational facilities.

"We have a lot of recreational facilities available to our residents that are not a drain on the municipal budget," said DeCapua, executive director of Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, which hired a recreation expert and runs the Chestnut Run Swim Beach and other recreation facilities.

Tom Tulip, director of the Mercer County office of the Pennsylvania Economy League, said the committee's charge was to look at municipal government responsibilities and services.

The subcommittee also called for the merging of the Shenango Valley Community Library in Sharon and Stey-Nevant Public Library in Farrell.

Denny Puko, executive director of Mercer County Regional Planning Commission, said the budgets for the libraries have little money for capital improvements or debt service for completed work, while that kind of work will need to be done.

The stability of library funding is in doubt as the state is proposing cutting aid for libraries.

"If we're going to be cut, then we'd be in trouble," White said.

Carl Eirich, a Sharon citizen representative, said the libraries need to be strengthened. Strong libraries are more essential in tough economic times, he said.

"This is something good I get from my tax money," Eirich, a subcommittee member, said of libraries. "I can go and get a book or read an out-of-town paper."

DeCapua said library officials should again look into forming a countywide federation, which would bring all public libraries under the umbrella of one organization, and all county residents would be welcome into any library in the county.

A special county property tax millage could be assessed to make sure the libraries raise enough local money to meet a state-set threshold, making them eligible for state aid, he said.

Such a movement several years ago died because of the county's proposed share.

"It did require a six-figure annual contribution from the county," Tulip said.