It's been more than four years since the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee first met to begin discussions about consolidating Sharon, Farrell, Hermitage, Sharpsville and Wheatland.

In about two weeks, Shenango Valley residents might have their first opportunity to hear public discussion regarding what that committee plans to recommend.

Seventeen of the 25 voting members of the committee met for more than two hours Monday in the second part of a retreat that convened on Aug. 23, but left some work unfinished.

Alan R. Kugler, lead consultant for the committee, said he's "been very comfortable" with the discussions that occurred at the two retreats while Dennis Puko, executive director of the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission, added they were "very productive."

Monday's retreat, held at the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments in Hermitage, was closed to the public, as was the one in August.

"We completed what we wanted to do with the financial part of it, which is what we had left over from the last meeting," Kugler said. "What's going to happen now is I'm to go back and finish writing the draft report, still not including recommendations, and present it at our next meeting."

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Hermitage City Building.

The draft, Kugler said, will include the committee's goals and objectives, all of the information that's been gathered over four years, subcomittee reports and the structure for financial analysis. The only missing piece to the puzzle is the recommendations and that piece might be found on the 25th.

"What people are going to see is another phase of the process, this time near the end with the possibility of recommendations," Kugler said. "The final recommendations may be developed that night."

Kugler said Puko will facilitate the discussion of options at the meeting and work on the possible recommendations of the group.

"We've not reached any recommendations," Puko said. "The two retreat sessions were held so we had as fully as an informed committee as we could have before we entertain the recommendations. And we wanted to do that in public. We didn't want to do that in private."

Kugler said the options include whether or not the group would want to pursue a recommendation for consolidation for all or some of the communities; and if not whether some or all of the communities might pursue shared services; or whether to recommend they do nothing.

"We aren't going to have bounds for what's fair game for a possible recommendation," Puko said. "It will be an open discussion to chart the best course these communities can take with the information we've learned."

Kugler previously said the committee has no authority to bring about any changes. The municipal governments involved will eventually have to decide whether to put a boundary change question on the ballot and voters would then approve or reject a change. The earliest any vote could take place is November 2004.

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