HARRISBURG – Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-49) today announced nearly $5.3 million in Local Share Account (LSA) funds and $2.4 million in Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program (PSFIG) dollars have been awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) for 18 Erie County municipal projects and three school districts.
“This funding coming to Erie County municipalities will be used either directly or indirectly to improve the lives of the residents of each assisted community,” said Laughlin. “I’m glad to have helped secure this money for these important projects and purchases.”
Five of the 18 projects are in Erie City, with the single-largest of the 18 grants being $750,000 to help the city reconstruct a section of West 8th Street between Liberty Street and Weschler Avenue.
Other grants approved for Erie City include:
- $500,000 to purchase a new fire pumper truck for the Erie City Fire Department, which currently has five aging reserve pumper engines, three of which need to be retired.
- $487,750 to procure a SWAT armored response and rescue vehicle for high-risk situations.
- $120,380 to buy five vehicles for the city’s Code Enforcement Department to replace its aging vehicle fleet.
- $105,249 purchase two Bobcat Toolcats for the Erie Downtown Partnership to replace current equipment at the end of its useful life.
Outside of Erie City, the largest LSA grant awarded is $683,300 in funding for Union Township to renovate a purchased building to replace the current township municipal building.
Other grants include:
- $500,000 for the Fairview Township Sewer Authority to install new sewer lines throughout the township.
- $344,450 for Mill Village Borough to develop the borough’s first community park.
- $331,695 for Millcreek Township to build new sidewalks and ADA-compliant ramps on West 6th Street near the entrance to Presque Isle State Park.
- $309,927 to restore a collapsed streambank and repair a section of Cherry Street in Washington Township.
- $270,000 for Platea Borough to purchase two ambulances for the West County Paramedic Association.
- $250,000 for Summit Township to make improvements to Downs Drive.
- $172,285 to create a trailhead access area on 1st Avenue for Albion Borough’s planned public trails system.
- $121,844 for Lawrence Park Township to purchase two police utility vehicles, outfitted with the required police vehicle equipment, to replace existing aging vehicles.
- $103,500 for the Erie County Land Bank to renovate the two-story historical Union City Chair Office Building in Union City Borough.
- $97,900 for Girard Township to procure a single-drum compactor/roller for road work.
- $63,950 for Fairview Township to purchase a remote-operated mower to safely mow ponds that present safety issues for manually operated mowing equipment.
- $58,674 to improve the Middleboro Municipal Authority’s wastewater treatment plant in McKean Borough.
Local Share Account funds are generated by the PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act (Act 71 of 2004), which provides for distributing gaming revenues through the CFA to support projects in the public interest within Pennsylvania.
As for the PSFIG awards, the following school districts received funding:
- Northwestern School District will receive $1 million for a roof replacement project at Northwestern Middle School in Albion Borough.
- Wattsburg Area School District is getting $900,000 for HVAC, plumbing and safety upgrades at Senenca High School in Greene Township.
- Millcreek Township School District will get $500,000 to replace windows at Belle Valley Elementary, Chestnut Hill Elementary and McDowell Intermediate High School facilities located in Millcreek Township.
PSFIG funding is allocated within the Pennsylvania General Fund budget and awarded to public school districts and area career and technical schools for various facility improvement projects.
The Commonwealth Financing Authority was established in 2004 as an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development to administer Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages.
For more state-related news and information, constituents can visit Laughlin’s website at www.senatorlaughlin.com or follow him on Facebook and Twitter @senatorlaughlin.
Contact: David Kozak 717-787-8927