It’s only the start of what those involved with Warren Worx have on their agenda for the coming year.

The free WiFi was discussed during a recent Council of Governments meeting as well as a recent Warren City Council meeting. Sheffield, Youngsville, Sugar Grove, Warren and Tidioute have received the new hot spots.

“She mentioned in COG that the internet units have been deployed to the five locations,” said Warren City Councilwoman Danielle Flasher during a recent City Council meeting. “So those are going up and I think most of them are operational. I thought that was a pretty big thing – that was their first big deliverable that they’ve come out with.”

Communities that have received funding for WiFi hotspots will also receive $1,000 to either create new events in those areas or to resurrect events that are no longer. Warren Worx officials noted in a news release that in Tidioute, for example, the hotspot is likely to be placed at the boat launch with the funding utilized to restart the World War II reenactment that had been a staple there for many years.

Student-developed virtual business tours are an outgrowth of discussions that have occurred through Warren Worx.

Warren Worx has also partnered with Warren County to help drive a county-wide housing study across the finish line.

Lack of housing options came up regularly during the comprehensive planning process that took place over the past few years, and housing is mentioned regularly in the comprehensive plans completed for the city and county.

“Housing has been a major discussion point in Warren Worx meetings, to understand the situation a County wide study needs to be completed,” said John Papalia, senior vice president with the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry. “Allocating funds to this study would allow us to set up ourselves for future initiatives, funding requests, and long-term success.”

The comprehensive plans called for the development of Warren Worx as an initiative to bring Warren County entities together on a regular basis and with a common agenda in an effort to reduce redundancy when it comes to projects and funding. So far, revitalization groups have been facilitated in Sugar Grove and Sheffield and those entities will be undertaking their own downtown planning in the coming months.

“We look at it as an investment in the future, being more collaborative,” Papalia said in a news release marking the one-year anniversary of Warren Worx. “It’s a county-wide project.”

One of the most-discussed aspects of Warren Worx during its formation was the creation of a branding effort. That work is largely finished, with the branding effort to be unveiled this fall, according to a presentation by Jenny Phillips, Warren Worx marketing director, during May’s Council of Governments meeting. A series of public meetings were held in 2024 that helped lead to a series of committees and work groups being formed, while the public comments helped drive the creation of the brand that will soon be unveiled.

“At the end of the day, we set out with a goal to use these as a map,” Papalia said. “The number one priority in year one is the development of the brand. We’ve remained focused on that from the start. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into that.”

The effort has included the development of a series of subcommittees, including Business Development and Quality of Life, where the work is happening. Those results are then reported out during Warren City Council and COG meetings, among other places.

There has also been a concerted effort to engage with Warren County students, recognizing that connecting with the next generation is a critical strategy in addressing the county’s continued population decline. That includes development of 3D virtual business tours and funds raised for School to Work efforts as well as direct engagement with students through an entrepreneur course at the Warren County Career Center. Phillips has assembled a Junior Warren Worx to engage with students directly to “work with them to build out a brighter Warren County.”

“You leverage each other’s strengths and try to help each other,” Papalia said of how those groups have taken shape. “We all bring different strengths and resources to the table.”

The city and county each provided $100,000 in seed money to help get Warren Worx off the ground. In the year since, Papalia said private individuals and foundations have committed another $150,000.

“Many of those dollars are going to support projects we’ve outlined in addition to the branding and marketing campaign,” Papalia said. “There is a lot of private investment that has come into this. Why? Because they understand what needs to be done for the future of Warren County. “They understand for the community’s survival that we have to take this stop together.”

Papalia, according to a news release, recently testified before the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s Rural Population Revitalization Commission last month, specifically to highlight both the solutions underway as part of Warren Worx but also to detail some of the structural challenges with revitalization in a rural area.

Infrastructure building continues, especially in recent months with state partners as local projects shift to identifying funding sources.

“Success is continued buy-in in coming together,” Papalia said. “We’ve laid a lot of blocks. We’re setting the foundation for community success, building out planning throughout the county, identifying what projects are. Working collectively to drive those home is essential for long-term success in Warren County.”