HARRISBURG – Three Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) grants have been awarded to the 46th District through the CFA’s Blight Remediation Program totaling $436,480, according to Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46).
The first grant, in the amount of $236,480, was awarded to the Aliquippa Economic Development Corporation to remove blight and make improvements in the West End Franklin Avenue Gateway. The project includes the purchase of eight properties, seven of which will be demolished. The eighth home will be rehabilitated, if feasible, upon inspection. The properties slated for demolition will be offered to the adjoining property owners for use as side yards or to prospective builders on the larger lots.
Additional blight remediation will include sidewalk rehabilitation along the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Franklin Avenue, including the replacement of four existing access ramps and lawn restoration adjacent to the sidewalks.
“Like all the remediation projects, the Aliquippa project will improve the area by helping to increase safety, enhance home values and remove eyesores. Making such investments in our communities is critical, so I am pleased that I was able to partner with the House to help secure funding to offset the costs.”
The second grant, which is $100,000, would fund a remediation project in Jefferson and Cumberland townships that includes the demolition of six units and the renovation of five homes. The project will save the affected municipalities more than $40,000 in demolition costs and will return formerly vacant tax delinquent properties to the tax rolls, which will generate an estimated $1,800 in annual real estate property tax revenue per renovated property. The project will expand upon an existing successful rehab for re-sale program that addresses blight within some of Greene County’s poorest communities, several of which are coal patch villages.
The final grant, which is also $100,000, will help to demolish the old bank building in Rices Landing Borough as the bank poses a health and safety risk to borough residents. The building has been vacant for many years, and the lack of upkeep has resulted in numerous deficiencies, including a failed roof system, rotting flooring, missing or broken windows, and the danger of falling bricks to pedestrians and vehicular traffic along Main Street.
“The new CFA Blight Remediation Program will be a huge help here in Rices Landing,” said state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Greene/Fayette/Washington. “It will allow for the expedited removal of an unsafe building and provides a great opportunity for redevelopment to spur future economic growth.”
All three projects were funded by the CFA, which is an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development that administers many of Pennsylvania’s economic development and community improvement programs.
CONTACT: Katrina Hanna, 717-787-1463