On August 1, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the approval of Round 1 of Redevelopment Assistance Capital Projects Grants for this year funded under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. 

The environment, recreation and energy-related projects funded include--

Allegheny County

-- Homewood Park Expansion, Pittsburgh - $500,00: Design and first phase construction, including providing a new athletic field, ADA accessible routes through the park, lighting, stormwater management, and associated amenities.

Beaver County

-- Mycellia Development, Beaver Falls - $1.3 million: The MDCA Project will be constructed by the Beaver County Redevelopment Authority on a brownfield site at 1410 7th Avenue in the center of the downtown core of Beaver Falls, utilizing sustainable and Passive House building principles.

Bedford/Fulton Counties

-- Old PA Pike Trail - $1 million: Bedford and Fulton Counties have created a joint recreation authority for long-term ownership and to guide/control its implementation. The project consists of approximately 8.5 miles of abandoned turnpike between Breezewood and Pump Station Rd. in Fulton County. A new pedestrian access bridge over Route 30/trailhead parking in Breezewood is one of the critical first components of the project, as is the restoration of the former Cove Plaza site in Fulton County. The project includes detailed design for the trail surface, Rays Hill and Sideling Hill tunnels, two bridges, trailheads, wayfinding signage, restrooms, etc.

Bradford County

-- Expansion Of Eureka Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility - $1.5 million: The project includes expansion of Eureka Resources’ existing centralized oil and gas wastewater treatment facility in Standing Stone. The expansion will provide additional throughput capacity. The upgrades will allow for a 100 percent increase in pretreatment and sodium chloride crystallization capacity, provide systems necessary for recovery of methanol and calcium chloride byproducts, provide additional liquids and byproduct storage, and provide much needed natural gas service to the facility to fuel existing and proposed systems.

Crawford County

-- French Creek District Initiative - $2 million: In recognition of the need for Meadville to attract and retain young talent, the area along the French Creek Corridor in Meadville has been identified as a strategic area to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy. Developing this area will include access to the creek for canoes and kayaks, and the development of publicly accessible trails complemented by appropriate commercial and retail services.

Delaware County

-- Brandywine River Museum Of Art - $1.5 million: The Brandywine River Museum of Art RACP grant will be used to fund hard costs related to the renovation of its Museum building and three National Historic Landmark properties on the Brandywine campus. This project will expand the Museum's cafe to accommodate more guests, address the circuitous accessible entry sequence and the limited loading functions for both facilities and art needs, and reconfigure the building's floorplan to improve visitors' experiences, including the addition of a first-floor bathroom and ADA accessibility upgrades.

Erie County

-- Green Junction Park, Corry City - $1 million: This project will entail the construction of Green Junction Park at the exact center of the City of Corry. It will consist of the renovation and development of approximately 1.7 acres of land that includes two existing and historic train depots, new public restroom facilities, the addition of a pavilion/amphitheater, along with new Hardscapes and Greenways.

Jefferson County

-- Taylor Memorial Park Revitalization, Brockway - $3 million: Brockway Borough will use the funds to revitalize, improve and expand facilities and amenities in Taylor MemorialPark, adjacent areas and other areas throughout the borough. The project will include the following: (1) Park & Playground Restoration and Installation of ADA area for all-inclusive play; (2) Sports Facilities and Fields Development and Restoration - Restoration of Recreational areas, to include basketball courts, hockey rink, skateboard park, volleyball courts, and any other activities; (3) Waterfront Walkway - Development of a waterfront walkway along the Little Toby Creek; (4) Aquatic Facilities Restoration and Development; (5) Trails and Streetscape Project - Develop multi-use trail network that will integrate other trails into an exceptional value hub that will accommodate local, regional and interstate users; (6) Multi-use Recreational Development - Create space for multi-use recreational activities.

Lackawanna County

-- Old Forge School District - $500,000: Old Forge School District will do a district wide analysis of energy improvements as part of an ESCO project that will change out existing lighting to more energy efficient lighting, update their HVAC system, install security measures, address building envelope issues, auditorium issues and improvements will be made to the grounds that will provide much needed security upgrades and a more comfortable environment for the students.

Lawrence County

-- Westminster College Hoyt Science Resources Center- $1.5 million: The epicenter of STEM education at Westminster College is the Hoyt Science Resources Center. The grant will be used to support phase III construction of the three-story addition to Hoyt; phase IV renovation plan for the third floor, exterior façade, and courtyard of the Hoyt Science Resources Center.

Montgomery County

-- First Avenue Linear Park, King Of Prussia - $1 million: The King of Prussia Business Improvement District will construct the First Ave. Linear Park in two phases. The first phase will construct an accessible multimodal path on 11 parcels. Improvements along the trail include pedestrian lights, seating plaza, benches, rain gardens, trees, and bus shelters. The second phase will utilize RACP funds to extend the trail across 6 more parcels. Site improvements include 79 solar powered pedestrian lights, benches, 2 pedestrian bridges, 16 ADA curb ramps, retaining walls, planting beds, trees, and 3 solar powered bus shelters. All property owners along the First Ave. Linear Park will donate bikeway easements to KOPBID extending 25'-50' into each parcel.

-- Musser Scout Reservation, Malborough Township - $2 million: Musser Scout Reservation, located on 1,400 acres of contiguous forest in Southeastern PA and offers programs to develop character, cultivate leadership and wilderness skills, foster a commitment to service, and provide outdoor experiential learning opportunities. The project will transform 350 acres and 27,000 sq ft into centers for biking, boating, climbing, aquatics, and shooting, create a Dining Hall and Welcome Center, and expand capacity with 12 Campsites and 4 Comfort Stations. Sitework will include trail improvements, demolition, building new structures, mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) work, painting, and installing recreation equipment.

Northumberland County

-- Delaware Township Logistics Center - $2 million: This project will consist of the construction of a new, modern state-of-the-art logistics facility with a focus toward energy efficiency.

Perry County

-- Perry Innovation Park Cogeneration Power Project - $1 million: The Perry Invocation Park Cogeneration Power Project will establish the use of cogeneration power within the county for a new building that is planned and provide the opportunity for others. This proposed project will consist of the construction of the cogeneration power unit and processing facility.

Philadelphia

-- Panati Playground Recreation Center - $1 million: The project will improve and benefit the community by supplying more community space through the new construction of a recreation center located at Panati Playground on the N. 22nd Street Commercial Corridor. The current recreation center serves as the central location for recreation and public participation for nearby neighborhoods and the Allegheny West community as a whole.

-- Passyunk Solar Energy Center - $2 million: With RACP funding, the Passyunk Energy Center would invest in approximately 5.2 MW of solar PV equipment at the Passyunk site. This would be the largest single solar installation within the City and a commitment to zero emission energy throughout the Commonwealth. This solar production will generate enough electricity to operate all the equipment with the Passyunk Energy Center, as well as all the Philadelphia Gas Works electricity needs for the Passyunk site. With associated equipment, this production will support a microgrid, enabling the site to operate normally even when the local electric grid is done, ensuing a safe, robust and redundant operational capability for the City.

-- Schuylkill River Trail - $1.48 million: The Schuylkill River Trail is a 128-mile multi-use trail running along the Schuylkill River with trail segments at various stages of development. The project will fill the last major gap in the Schuylkill Banks trail, along approximately 3,000 feet of the riverfront between Christian and 34th streets.

-- Venice Innovation Island II Brownfield Redevelopment - $4 million: The project is the redevelopment of a massive 31-acre former industrial site into a vibrant 21st century live/work/play community in Manayunk. This project will entail a master plan that will transform a recently decommissioned paper mill into a new “Innovation Island.” The plan includes the adaptive re-use of nearly 500,000 square feet of existing space, selective demolition and sitework, new construction of several commercial buildings, a limited number of multi-family residential units, public access to two miles of waterfront and amenity space.

Tioga County

-- Marsh Creek Greenway - $1.5 million: The MCG project includes 17,800 linear feet of ADA accessible trail, bike/pedestrian amenities, bridge improvements/ replacements, stormwater controls (bioswales, rain gardens), curbs, sidewalks, informational signage, and public amenities. The project also includes the acquisition and demolition of the freight building to be replaced with the construction of a 5,000 sq. ft. trailhead building and parking lot to provide public restrooms, retail space (bike sales/rentals/repairs, gift shop, conservation/outdoor shop), office space, an eatery and a small museum. The refurbishing of the existing railroad siding will accommodate an alternative passenger pick-up for the Tioga Central Railroad to expand tourism opportunities.

Westmoreland County

-- Latrobe Sports & Recreational Complex - $625,000: This project specifically entails the construction of a multi-purpose sports and recreation facility located in Unity Township, Westmoreland County. The project includes: A dek hockey rink, dog park, maintenance facility, site prep, planting for grass, and non-traditional sports field, an adventure park, canoe/kayak launch, riparian buffer planting, and other miscellaneous costs.

Click Here to download the complete project list, including projects funded and projects pending.

The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) is a grant program administered by the Governor’s Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.

RACP projects are authorized in the Redevelopment Assistance section of a Capital Budget Itemization Act, have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact, and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity.

RACP projects are state-funded projects that cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.

For more information on the program, visit the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program webpage.

(Photo: Old PA Pike Trail in Bedford, Fulton counties.)

NewsClips:

Marsh Creek Greenway Project Receives RCAP Funding In Tioga County

Pike 2 Bike Trail Gets $1 Million State RCAP Grant

DCNR Officials Tour McKean Conservation Area, Talk About Restore PA

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[Posted: August 3, 2019]

8/5/2019