White House economic adviser tours Erie projects benefitted by ARP funding
White House Economic Adviser Heather Boushey was in Erie on Wednesday touring projects that benefited from American Rescue Plan funding.
Wednesday's tour included a stop at a manufacturing business that transformed a scrap yard into a warehouse, elevating the surrounding neighborhood in the process.
Mayor Joe Schember welcomed the Boushey to Erie giving her a chance to see firsthand how federal dollars are being put to use here.
Erie was the recipient of American Rescue Plan funding in 2021 and the city has invested that money in hundreds of projects.
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"Blight remediation, brownfield cleanups, small business loans and grants — so we created various programs, capitalized those programs with these funds and then by creating those programs, we were able to accomplish projects like this," said Chris Groner, Director, City of Erie Office of Finance.
Berry Global received a $1 million low-interest loan, which it used in the Little Italy community.
"This was a scrap yard, an environmental site. It's been a big huge help to clean that up and make it productive again," said Bob Guthrie, plant manager, Berry Global.
A Berry Global distribution center was built in April making the business's operations smoother while also cleaning up a blighted neighborhood.
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The truck traffic in the neighborhood has also been decreased.
"When we put this project together, it's more energy efficient for us. It's right next door to the plant, so we're not commuting trucks back and forth through the community," said Guthrie.
"This is a firm that said, 'Hey here's an opportunity to get some funds to be able to expand to build out a new warehouse for their materials but also a way of cleaning up an old site and cleaning up their community,'" said Boushey.
"It's great to be able to show that their trust in us paid off," said Groner.
One thing Guthrie told us they're short on since the pandemic is skilled workers. They provide in-house training and encourage those who are mechanically inclined to apply.
