Sharpsville Councilman Thomas Lally found it interesting that some of the people who did not like the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee's failure to make a recommendation on consolidation stood at opposite sides of the actual issue of consolidation.

You have Farrell Mayor William A. Morocco Sr. on one side -- he's for consolidating Farrell, Hermitage, Sharon, Wheatland and Sharpsville -- and Hermitage Commissioner Pat White -- he's against consolidation -- on the other.

Hermitage citizen representative Robert Jazwinski said he thinks not making a recommendation was the best move the committee could make.

The committee was not able to come up with a financially suitable way to consolidate the communities, but to make a negative recommendation closes the door on the issue.

"I don't think we should close the door to anything," Jazwinski said Thursday. "We couldn't agree on all the steps and things that need to happen in a consolidated community. Maybe others will."

The committee ended its work Thursday by accepting a final report for consideration by the municipalities.

The committee originated from a July 27, 1998, recommendation by Tom Tulip of the Pennsylvania Economy League, Farrell's economic recovery coordinator.

Sharon and Hermitage were asked to participate in a study, and agreed in November 1998.

On May 20, 1999, the committee met for the first time and decided to ask Wheatland and Sharpsville to join, which they did do later in the year.

The committee, working with consultant Alan R. Kugler, collected information on the services and government structure of each town and hammered out a model city that combines the towns into a city run by a home rule charter.

But officials could not make the numbers work in an overall budget or agree on the size of a police force, nor find a way to combine the fire departments, which run from fully paid to all-volunteer.

Pro-consolidation forces said they believed those issues could be resolved because other towns have done it.

Although the committee has completed its work, it is hoping the municipalities will not kill discussions for intergovernmental cooperation.

The committee recommended the municipalities and the Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority seek a nonbinding study on the privatization of the sanitary sewer systems, and set up a framework for continued cooperation.

The report includes a draft resolution that, if passed by the communities, would make both recommendations a reality.

"The work that has been done has laid the groundwork for so much that can be done in the future," said Wheatland citizen representative Tom Lewis.

The committee's report is available at www.mcrpc.com/svisc. The documents also will be available at the municipal buildings, Shenango Valley Community Library and Stey-Nevant Public Library, Farrell.