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September 19, 2018

The Lawrence County Senior Expo will be held this week on Friday September the 21^st. I look forward to seeing everyone there!

State Grants Awarded

The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) today approved four separate projects in the 47th Senatorial District to receive state grant funding from various programs.

In Beaver County, the borough of Conway will receive a $70,595 grant from the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program to rehabilitate the Conway Borough Community Playground. Additionally, Darlington Township will be receiving a Small Water and Sewer Program grant in the amount of $263,670 for installation of a new potable water line to service an industrial park.

In Butler County, the Western Butler County Authority will be receiving $90,000 from the Sewage Facilities Program to conduct a planning study to update Zelienople Borough’s Act 537 plan.

In Lawrence County, the New Castle Sanitation Authority in the City of New Castle will receive $425,000 from the Small Water and Sewer Program to rehabilitate sanitary sewer lines in the city along with additional lines that extend into neighboring Union and Shenango Townships.

I am thankful for the Commonwealth’s continued investment in our region. These projects will help to improve our infrastructure needs and provide residents with beautiful updated parks that they can enjoy with their families!

For more information please call my office at 724-774-0444.

New School Safety Grant Guidelines

In June, state lawmakers approved the creation of a new School Safety and Security Grant Program to assist school districts in their mission to provide a safe learning environment for children.

The new School Safety and Security Grant Program will provide $52.5 million in grants to school districts, intermediate units, area vocational-technical schools, charter schools and private residential rehabilitative institutions for a wide variety of projects to improve school safety.

Eligible uses include:

• Hiring school security officers
• Purchasing security-related technology
• Completing safety and security assessments
• Implementing violence prevention curricula
• Offering counseling services for students
• Other programs and services to protect students

In order to be eligible to receive a grant through the new program, school entities must submit an application no later than October 12^th, 2018. Applications may be revised by the applicants at a later date, but applications must be submitted by October 12^th in order for a school entity to be considered for a grant.

For more information involving the grant and grant applications please click here to visit the webpage.

PA Dairy Investment Program

The Pennsylvania Dairy Industry Investment Program, which was created by lawmakers in June, is designed to improve the production, processing and distribution of dairy products throughout the state. The program will provide grants of up to $100,000 for research and development and marketing projects, and up to $50,000 for value-added processing projects and dairy operations transitioning to organic products.

The dairy industry is one of the most important parts of Pennsylvania’s agriculture economy, but market conditions have created enormous challenges for dairy operations in communities throughout the state. This new program will provide a much-needed opportunity for members of the dairy industry to modernize, streamline and expand their operations while keeping pace with changes within the industry. Dairy farmers have been struggling for years due to a variety of financial issues that are largely beyond their control. Being able to purchase new equipment, offer new types of products for consumers or expand the market for their existing products will help many dairy operations not only survive, but also succeed and grow.

Eligible applicants include dairy businesses and cooperatives, not-for-profit agricultural organizations, schools, and institutions of higher learning. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis as long as funding is available. The program is administered by Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA). Grants are only available for projects that are not already underway; commencement of work on a project before receiving CFA approval will result in the project being deemed ineligible for funding. A 15 percent cash match of the total project cost is required.

Interested applicants must submit an application online with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Electronic Single Application for Assistance at www.esa.dced.state.pa.us. Additional program details will be available soon on DCED’s website at www.dced.pa.gov.

Floodplain Management Workshops

In response to the recent flooding events in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region, four workshops are being offered by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission Water Resource Center on Holistic Floodplain Management. The workshops are free, from 9a.m to noon and the content is the same at all of the workshops.

The dates and locations are as follows:

• Thursday, September 27^th

City of Washington City Hall
Council Chambers
55 West Maiden Street,
Washington, Pa 15301

Click here to register

• Friday, September 28^th

Community and Recreation Center at Boyce Mayview Park
1551 Mayview Road
Upper St. Clair, PA 15241

Click here to register

• Thursday, October 4^th

Fay-Penn Business Event Center
1040 Eberly Way
Lemont Furnace, PA 15456, Room 151

Click here to register

• Friday, October 5^th

Allegheny Township Community Building
136 Community Building Road
Leechburg, PA 15656

Click here to register

Effective floodplain management goes beyond simply enforcing a community’s floodplain management ordinance. During this workshop you will learn how a strong floodplain management program also includes informing your residents and businesses of the risks they face and other flood-related information.

In addition, information will be provided to communities on how they can take steps to minimize the likelihood of a flood impacting structures in the community, whether by making it less likely for a flood to occur or by improving existing structures to better withstand floodwaters. Finally, a municipality can develop emergency plans and procedures for what to do when a flood does occur. Workshops will discuss these best practices, so that attendees can decide which practices could be implemented in their communities’ holistic floodplain management programs.

Thank you to everyone who attended my Beaver County Senior Expo. I was happy to see all of you.
A special thanks to all of the sponsors that helped make this event a success.

Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grants

The Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program makes an annual grant program available for volunteer and career fire companies, emergency medical services and rescue squads. The program provides grant eligibility information and makes an on-line grant application available for all eligible applicants.

Eligible organizations may apply for grant funding for a combination of up to two projects in the following categories:

• Facilities – Construction and/or renovation of the fire company’s or ambulance service’s facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services
• Equipment – Purchase or repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue equipment. Includes the purchase of fuel for company vehicles
• Debt reduction – Debt reduction associated with the facility (1) or equipment (2) categories above
• Training – Training and certification of members
• Training and education materials regarding fire prevention for the general public
• Career Departments Only – Overtime costs associated with backfilling positions while fire fighters are attending training

The Grant Application is available online in September of each year the week following Labor Day. For more information please click here to visit the PA State Fire Commissioner Webpage.

National Recovery Month

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recognizes September as National Recovery Month. Individuals seeking recovery resources for themselves or a loved one can call the toll-free PA Get Help Now helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). A live chat option is also available online or via text message at 717-216-0905 for those not comfortable speaking to a helpline operator.

For other details about recovery or extra help you can also click here to visit the PA Drug and Alcohol webpage.

Veterans Registry

The PA VETERANS REGISTRY is an online application that allows veterans, family members and people who work with veterans to connect with Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to request information related to the valuable state benefits, programs and services offered. By connecting with DMVA, registrants can also opt-in to receive ongoing communications such as the weekly DMVA DIGEST (view the most recent edition here), breaking news and other updates.

The PA VETERANS REGISTRY is DMVA’s first step in a long-term strategy to achieve a higher level of communication with veterans as well as the many partners who support them. Please take a moment to register by clicking here to go to the PA Military and Veterans Affairs webpage.

I had a great time visiting and reading with Pre-K students at Slippery Rock University. To learn more about Pre-K in Pennsylvania, visit www.prekforpa.org or checkout their Facebook page, Pre-K for PA.

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