Latest news with #Act13
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Somerset County commissioners announce disaster recovery fund plan, make $10K donation
SOMERSET, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Somerset County commissioners will rely on an advisory board and eight flood-damaged communities when deciding how to spend money from a new disaster recovery fund, they said Tuesday. The commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday to formally create the fund, which was announced Friday and will be overseen by the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies (CFA), according to WTAJ media partners at The Tribune Democrat. The board also pledged $10,000 towards the cause, matching an identical donation made by the CFA. The CFA will oversee the fund as it grows and gather grant applications from municipalities and local nonprofits within the eight Somerset County communities that have issued disaster declarations in the week since the May 13 floods. The counties include Garrett, Meyersdale, Rockwood and Salisbury boroughs as well as Elk Lick, Greenville, Larimer and Summit townships. Much of the damage was reported to occur in the area surrounding the Casselman River and several tributaries, including the bridges and low-lying neighborhoods along the corridor. Commissioners Brian Fochtman, Irv Kimmel Jr. and Tokar-Ickes noted that there are ongoing reviews already in place to see what state aid might also be available to help residents and businesses recover from the storm. The county's disaster relief fund is meant to help cover any 'gaps' that might exist after state aid is approved, Tokar-Ickes added. As time goes on, the county's funding needs will likely become clearer. A disaster recovery fund committee of six Somerset County residents will review the funding requests submitted by municipal leaders and issue grant awards accordingly. Kimmel noted that the board lacks any elected officials as they are looking to take 'the politics out of it.' Somerset County officials said their $10,000 pledge is being drawn from the county's hotel tax and Act 13 natural gas revenues, more importantly, not from county tax dollars. Commissioners defended the move after one resident raised questions about the donation while listening to the meeting. Commissioners added that Tuesday's approval will lay the groundwork for a long-term fund that won't only support southern Somerset County's long-term recovery, but will also help address future, unforeseen disasters in the county. Additionally, the county's contracted grant writer, Aspire Grant Solutions, noted it will support the eight communities that issued disaster declarations by donating 30 hours each to help them apply for funds to help solve their unique issues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Norwood recognized by governor for planning efforts
It's said that failing to plan is planning to fail, but in Crawford County that won't happen on Zachary Norwood's watch. This month, the planning director's work has paid off as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognized Norwood as a recipient of the 2025 Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence. Norwood was one of 19 officials in local government to receive the honor, which recognizes officials for their dedication to improving public services through innovative initiatives. The award is presented annually during Local Government Week and recognizes people focused on community partnerships, fiscal accountability, and sound land use. Norwood, who moved to Crawford County and joined the planning department 10 years ago, took the seat of director eight years ago. Under his leadership, the planning office has undertaken various initiatives, including adopting the Crawford Inspired comprehensive plan and investing in physical amenities. Norwood's work has supported investments like millions in funding for local parks and trails, the county's ongoing housing rehabilitation program, and attraction of private sector investment — such as Evans Square, Adams Place and the proposed redevelopment of the blighted nursing home in Cambridge Springs. A decade ago, when Norwood first joined, the planning office had adopted a comprehensive plan and had numerous outstanding grant funds that needed to be administered for various projects and programs. 'I took on the role of starting the implementation of the comprehensive plan but also management and oversight of various grant programs,' he said. He focused on initiatives like the Community Development Block Grant program and the county's Act 13 program. Over the past decade, he has expanded the list to include other federal and state resources for investment. A key component for Norwood has been community engagement and communication. 'One of the most predominant ways we engage and secure public voices is through the comprehensive planning process,' he said. The comprehensive plan is like a road map that the county produces every 10 years and guides the county's decision-making. They do surveys, hold meetings, send out direct mailings and engage residents online. 'Every policy we put out, every grant we go after, every project or initiative we're investing in is intended to further the vision and further the priorities of our citizens that have been expressed in that planning process,' Norwood expressed. He has also collaborated with various entities like Allegheny College, Crawford County and Crawford Tech, which have all partnered on a federal application for workforce development. The commission is made of volunteer citizen planners and professional staff who aim to use solution-oriented services to grow the local economy, enhance quality of life and preserve the natural environment. It's that whole team that Norwood said deserves recognition. 'While this is a recognition for myself because I was the named individual, nobody gets to where they are by themselves,' he said. 'I am fortunate enough to have an outstanding staff with a number of extraordinary professionals and a thoroughly engaged planning commission. … And a board of commissioners who have supported us the entire way through and have bought into the vision of Crawford Inspired.' In addition to his role in Crawford County, Norwood serves as the chair of the Northwest Section of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association, chair of the Northwest Regional Transportation Advisory Committee, and a member of the statewide County Planning Directors Association of Pennsylvania. County Commissioner Chris Seeley applauded Norwood's achievement in a recent news release, saying, 'Zach has been a driving force behind Crawford County's ability to think long-term, work collaboratively, and deliver on a shared vision for the future. His leadership, professionalism and deep commitment to community engagement have elevated the work of our Planning agency and made a real difference across our county. This recognition is incredibly well-deserved.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New grant program aims to help municipalities with infrastructure projects
NORTHERN CAMBRIA, Pa. – A new Cambria County grant program approved by the commissioners at Thursday's meeting in Northern Cambria is aimed at assisting municipalities with infrastructure improvements that target mobility, safety and quality of life. The Municipal Infrastructure Assistance Program will be funded through revenues from state Act 89 – a $5 vehicle registration fee – and Act 13, which is a fund to improve municipal bridges in poor condition. 'This will allow a lot of municipalities around our communities to fix up critical infrastructure,' Cambria County Planning Commission transportation planner Jacob Zerby said. The planning department will administer the new program through a competitive application and vetting process. Staff will rank the municipal projects based on a variety of criteria, such as road or bridge conditions and detours, before advancing them to the commissioners, who will work with PennDOT to determine how to award the funding, Planning Commission Executive Director Mark Lazzari said. Each project must be PennDOT-approved and can apply to road and bridge repairs, sidewalk improvements, traffic signal updates and stormwater management. The grants cannot be combined with the annual distribution of county-supplied liquid fuels money, which topped $433,000 in 2025 for every municipality in Cambria County, except the City of Johnstown. President Commissioner Scott Hunt lauded the new program and said there would be roughly $350,000 available for grant awards under Act 89 alone. Act 13 revenues have yet to be determined. 'By doing it as a grant program, we will be able to give small, medium and large municipalities a fair shot at funding, which will complete much-needed road and bridge projects that they otherwise would not be able to complete,' he said. Hunt added that the program would also include the City of Johnstown. The board voted on each resolutions for each act separately, but passed both. Commissioner Thomas Chernisky voted against the Act 89 funding, but agreed to the Act 13 proposal. He said he cast a dissenting vote for the local use grants because he would prefer that these funds be shared with all municipalities using the same county formula as liquid fuels. 'For many years, we told people once all bridges are fixed that the (funds) should go back to each municipality in addition to liquid fuel dollars using the same formula,' he said in a statement. 'I do not want to pick winners and losers.' He and former Commissioners William 'B.J.' Smith and Mark Wissinger enacted the Act 89 fee in 2016 as a way to address 10 structurally deficient county-owned bridges and one that was closed. Those have since been fixed and reopened, and the pair voted in December 2023 to remove the fee before it was brought back in January 2024 due to its success and potential future use, such as the new grant program. More information about the assistance program can be found at The first round of grants will be open Friday to May 12, and the second round will open May 13 and close June 16. In other business, Chernisky requested Thursday that his objection and comments at the March meeting regarding a broker fee agreement with Pittsburgh-based MGI Risk Management for $3,750 per quarter from April 1 through Dec. 31, 2027, be officially included in the minutes. 'A commissioner who requests to have a segment of his discussion on a no vote preserved should be permitted to have that dissenting opinion reflected in the minutes accurately,' he said. Chernisky had raised concerns with the deal at the March gathering because the business was not awarded through a request for proposal, which Hunt told him isn't required because it's a professional contract. Chernisky noted similar objections in April 2024 when Gallagher and Co. became the new broker of record for the county's insurance policy. Hunt said in March that the switch to MGI Risk Management was simply the county's business following the broker from Gallagher to MGI. As for the comments being recorded, Hunt denied the request, stated it would be inconsistent with past practices and questioned if every conversation during the meeting should be recorded verbatim. Ronald Repak, county solicitor, supported this evaluation. Ed Cernic Jr., county controller, suggested if someone wants their words recorded exactly in the minutes to supply a written statement for the record, which Chernisky agreed with.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wayne County buys lot from PennDOT in Indian Orchard to aid Lackawaxen river access
The Wayne County commissioners agreed Feb. 27 to purchase a small piece of state-owned land on Route 6 in Indian Orchard, Texas Township, as a step toward another public Lackawaxen River boating access. The .37-acre parcel is immediately right of The Dime Bank (1055 Texas Palmyra Highway), as seen from Route 6. Vicki Botjer, county chief financial officer, said this lot, along with a long-term lease agreement signed in 2023 with the bank, will allow the access to reach the river behind the bank property. The Indian Orchard river access is the last of four that are part of the Lackawaxen River Trails project. The others include the improvement to an existing access at Hawley's Bingham Park, completed in 2020; the new access created at White Mills near the Rudy Schemitz ball field, dedicated in 2023; and the improvement to an existing access in Honesdale in 2024, part of the Sycamore Point Park project at the former Industrial Point. Working with the river trail group, the county received a grant from the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) for the river access. The small parcel alongside the road was acquired as part of the PennDOT right-of-way when PennDOT widened Route 6 some years ago. Calling it an "arduous process," Botjer said that the county reached an agreement with PennDOT for an appraisal of $7,200 for the lot. The county has a quit claim deed to file, which she said gives the county full control over the lot. The PFBC grant funds have to be used by Dec. 31, 2025, Botjer said. Woodland Design is ready to proceed, she said, now that the county has purchased the parcel. In 2022, the county received the PFBC grant of nearly $250,000 for the Indian Orchard site for the Lackawaxen River Trails and its steering group, the Wayne Pike Trails and Waterways Alliance. The county served as the grant applicant. The Trails' 2022 press release states that plans include parking, a rain garden as well as stormwater treatment, a pre-cast launch, a comfort station and a picnic area. 'The site is particularly scenic, sunny, and open, so our approach was to provide access and limit the impact and built items,' said Jayson Wood of Woodland Design Associates, Inc. in the release. Woodland Design provided the professional landscape architecture design plans, Interviewed later by email, Botjer said that the Trails group through the Wayne County Community Foundation is providing matching funds for the grant, originally planned for $60,000. 'Depending on the bid costs, if we need additional match, the Trails Alliance does have additional resources, thanks to the generosity of the public,' Botjer emailed. The funding for the lot, she stated, came out of Act 13, approved by the legislature in 2012, raised from natural gas drilling impact fees in the Marcellus Shale. Most of the funding is allocated to counties where drilling occurs, and a lesser amount is allocated to other counties such as Wayne, where most natural gas development is prohibited by the Delaware River Basin Commission. It is allowed in the small parts of the western and northwestern areas of Wayne County that are under the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. Annually, the county receives between $30,000 and $60,000 from Act 13. 'The money is restricted for recreation, green space, [and] natural area activities,' Botjer said in an email. The county also contributed $15,000 from Act 13 for the river access, Botjer said. Planning Director Craig Rickard presented the Wayne County Planning Commission's annual report for 2024. Available online, the report details work done including municipal application reviews, total applications and new lots by municipality, county GIS mapping work, reviews of municipal ordinances, PennDOT projects, county and municipal population changes and an updated index of municipal officials with contact information. The report may be found at Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publicationssince 1994. Reach him at pbecker@ or 570-253-3055 ext.1588. This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Wayne County buys lot in Texas Township to aid Lackawaxen river access
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grant money for flood mitigation, recreation and environmental projects in Lackawanna, Luzerne counties announced
Lackawanna and Luzerne counties received more than $700,000 in state grants for flood mitigation, recreation and environmental projects. Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, announced the $736,585 in Act 13 grants Tuesday. Eight projects include five in Lackawanna County and three in Luzerne County. Among them, Pittston will use $42,500 to improve accessibility and amenities along the Laurel Line Trail. Mayor Mike Lombardo explained the city hopes to revitalize the land used by the former Laurel Line passenger rail, which operated between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in the early part of the 1900s. 'We did a walkability study a year or so ago, and said, 'How do we connect all of our neighborhoods together, but also with downtown,'' said Lombardo, describing a series of easements that run throughout the city. 'We are looking into reinvigorating those areas.' He explained the money will spearhead 'a study to lay out a game plan,' and determine how to forge ahead regarding a path around town. 'What kind of infrastructure is going to be there, is it ground resurfacing? Is there lighting? Are their safety phones? That's essentially what we're doing,' said Lombardo, adding that there may be opportunities for additional use, such as informational signs, and 'micro-operations' like a bike shop, or kiosks that may offer provisions including smoothies, water or lunch to those out walking the trail. 'So, we'll have all these intersecting walking paths that people can use either for exercise, or to get places,' he said, putting an emphasis on the benefits the project will deliver to the area. 'Walkability and connectability is extremely important, not only for health benefits, but for the direct economic ties to it.' In Scranton, $121,462 was awarded for flood mitigation and to alleviate flooding issues impacting local homes and businesses in the Stafford/Meadow Brook neighborhoods, a project Flynn and Rep. Kyle Donahue, D-113, Scranton, had involvement in and commitment to, said Thom Welby, the chief of staff from the office of Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp. Welby explained that the two lawmakers 'fought like crazy' to get the funding, and said that even though it wasn't Kosierowski's direct project, she supported it and spoke up for her compatriots, as all the Northeast delegates tend to do. 'They always try to help each other,' said Welby, describing aspects of the issue, including a residential home there that typically gets flooded. 'It's just a bad project.' Additionally, the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority was awarded $37,051 by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, Kosierowski said. Natural gas drilling fees under the Marcellus Legacy Fund supply the CFA with money, including those used in the the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program, which will be applied in construction and engineering costs to close a critical gap in the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail in Dickson City Borough. 'This project will create an important recreational and transportation corridor along the Lackawanna River starting at Railroad Street in Dickson City and continuing north to Eagle Lane,' Kosierowski said. 'These grants represent a significant investment in the safety, quality of life and environmental resilience of our communities,' said Flynn. 'From upgrading parks and trails to implementing vital flood mitigation projects, this funding will have a meaningful impact on residents throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.' Rep. Jim Haddock, D-118, Pittston Twp., who took a role in obtaining funds, specifically called out the Jenkins Twp. Main Street Flood Mitigation Project in Luzerne County as a meaningful grant for the community. 'There's some vacant land that people looked at developing a project on, and the water standing on the roadway became a deterrent to economic development,' he explained. 'So this one stemmed from something that was for the good for the environment, and maybe the land will now be developed in that area. So that's a great project,' he said, calling it a 'longstanding sore spot in Jenkins Twp.' Haddock said he keeps in close contact with the 19 boroughs and townships he works with to understand the community's needs, which helps to determine who gets grants, and for what purposes. He said keeping lines of communication is imperative to being able to solve community problems. 'We've got to know what is on their wish list, and what problems they have, and then when grant opportunities come out, we can talk about potentials and what their needs are,' Haddock said. Grant awards Watershed recreation and protection projects: Dalton: Dalton Streamside Park Enhancement Project (Lackawanna County): $82,264 to improve the park's ecological features and recreational facilities. Scranton: Flood Mitigation for Stafford/Meadowbrook neighborhood (Lackawanna County): $121,462 to alleviate flooding issues impacting local homes and businesses. Greenways, trails, and recreation projects: Taylor: Noakes Park Upgrade (Lackawanna County): $45,582 to revitalize the community park. Flood mitigation projects: Lackawanna County: Dunmore Missy League Field Lighting Project — Second Field (Lackawanna County): $132,725.50 to install lighting and enhance facilities at the Missy League Field. Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority: Lackawanna River Heritage Trail — Dickson City Rail Connector Development (Lackawanna County): $37,051 to advance the development of a critical trail connector. Pittston City: Laurel Line Trail (Luzerne County): $42,500 to improve accessibility and amenities along the trail. Pittston Twp.: Oriole Park Renovation Project (Luzerne County): $125,000 to upgrade park infrastructure and enhance recreational opportunities. Jenkins Twp.: Main Street Flood Mitigation Project (Luzerne County): $150,000 to address flooding concerns and improve public safety in the area.
