State awards grants to 14 projects throughout Cumberland County

Fourteen projects planned for Cumberland County will receive a total of almost $5.64 million in state grants drawn from Local Share Account revenue collected from casinos and other gaming establishments.

The Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp. will receive $1,457,687 for four projects involving nonprofit organizations.

Ten other projects will receive another $4,181,230, bringing the total to $5,638,917, according to CAEDC.

The Local Share Account is funded through the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act of 2004, which provides for the distribution of gaming revenue through the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

Local Share Account grants support projects that are in the public interest throughout the state, said Greg Welker, CAEDC economic development director. Eligible projects include park improvements, building acquisitions, equipment purchases for road and bridge maintenance and new vehicles for first responders.

"The program is set up with a list of eligible applicants, such as municipalities, municipal authorities, councils of government and economic development organizations," Welker said. "CAEDC falls into that last category."

Nonprofit organizations must partner with an eligible applicant to be considered for a Local Share grant, Welker said. "We work with them to collect all the necessary information to submit a complete and through application."

Grant applications are submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, which administers financing authority. The latest round of grants were announced in late October.

"The program provides value because there may not be other sources of funding to do these types of projects," Welker said. "Nonprofit organizations operate primarily on donations and grants so securing funding like this can make all the difference in helping them to provide better services to the populations that they serve."

State Sen. Greg Rothman issued a news release to announce authority approval of funding for local and municipal projects in the 34th Senatorial District, with details on the use of grant funds.

Cumberland County continues to experience growth that attracts and requires investment, Rothman said. "It's gratifying to help secure funding for our local communities with these important infrastructure, safety, emergency response, recreational access and educational projects."

The four grants involving CAEDC partnerships are:

$575,000 for the Link 4 Youth Elevating Communities skatepark. This project will involve the acquisition and renovation of a property on Drexel Hills Boulevard in New Cumberland Borough to increase services for at-risk youths.

$457,466 for the Peyton Walker Foundation 4 Minute City project. This would implement the deployment of automatic external defibrillators to improve the response time to a cardiac arrest emergency.

$323,381 to the Shippensburg University Foundation to update equipment at the university's chemistry, biotechnology and engineering labs.

$101,840 to the Cumberland Valley Preservation Society to install a new driveway, parking lot and stormwater drainage to support improved access to the historic Junkin House in Silver Spring Township. Site improvements are necessary to establish a museum within the 277-year-old stone structure.

The 10 other grants are:

$848,250 to the Newville Water and Sewer Authority for an additional water tank and booster upgrades in West Pennsboro Township to increase capacity and enhance efficiency to allow for future growth.

$600,000 to Silver Spring Township for construction of a 70,000-square-foot building to house the public works division and allow for the expansion of staff and equipment to keep pace with population growth.

$597,022 to Wormleysburg Borough to update and upgrade the sanitary sewer system along South River Street.

$500,000 to the Hampden Township Armitage Golf Club irrigation update.

$500,000 to Mechanicsburg to support phase one of the Renaissance Mechanicsburg Center Square Park project at 2 E. Main St.

$331,834 to the Letort Regional Authority to reconstruct two footbridges in South Middleton Township along a connector to the Letort Nature Trail from a parking area on Bonnybrook Road.

$300,000 to Penn Township so that the local volunteer fire department could update its radio system to improve communications between responding units and county dispatch.

$256,849 to South Newton Township to replace four culverts on Big Pond Road. The new culverts will enhance safety, comply with current stream crossing standards and reduce labor costs.

$157,275 to North Middleton Township to buy three fully equipped patrol vehicles from the local police department.

$90,000 to the South Middleton Township Municipal Authority to develop a water supply master plan and a distribution system hydraulic model, which will evaluate future needs.

Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

News Reporter