There are no easy answers for communities in western Pennsylvania when it comes to trying to halt the disintegration of business and industry and population loss.

That became clear at a meeting this week in Greenville to kick around ideas on how to promote that area of the county, which like many small towns has been devastated by the loss of industry.

When there are seemingly as many for-sale signs in yards as there are dandelions this spring, you know you’ve got a problem.

Greenville and the surrounding townships face the same kind of problem if they want to attract industry — they are too far from the interstates that criss-cross the commonwealth. How can that area become attractive enough to lure companies to build there, when they can develop in areas closer to transportation centers?

With the high price of diesel fuel for trucks, every mile traveled means greater expense to companies and eventually the consumer. So obviously, they need to channel their development efforts in other directions.

The meeting brought out many positive ideas, but those ideas were only small steps that will have only minor influence on the future of that area.

And once again, a plan that would have the biggest influence — consolidation — brought negative replies. Hempfield Township Supervisor Dave Geisel felt the communities could work together without merging. Really?

Small-minded people throughout western Pennsylvania refuse to change and that’s why we continue to see a deterioration of the region. As the saying goes: United we stand, divided we fall.

Admittedly, Greenville is a distressed community under state Act 47. And Hempfield has developed into a strip business area, luring away some of the borough’s former downtown business. But the future of the two is firmly locked together. If Greenville continues to die, so will Hempfield when the businesses there drop off.

Yet with all the problems, only about 20 people showed up for the meeting. That in itself is a sad commentary on today’s society.

One positive consolidation move that has seen some positive strides is the United Way of Mercer County and the Northern Mercer County United Way discussing combining forces. Maybe this can lead to bigger and better things.

The biggest plus for Greenville is Thiel College. Working with the school to develop programs that combine with business approaches in the borough is one way to restore some small industry.

Another big plus is the UPMC Horizon hospital there. If there is a possible tie-in between Thiel and programs geared toward the medical field, it could create some spinoff for high-tech businesses in the area.

That area of the county — the gateway to Pymatuning Lake — still holds a lot of charm, but it’s rapidly disappearing. Someone needs to plug the hole in the dam.

The Greenville-Hempfield-West Salem area may not be drowning, but people there are certainly treading water.