Latest news with #PASITES
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Planned 5.5-million-square-foot industrial park in southern Berks gets $2.3 million PA grant
The developers behind plans for a 5.5 million-square-foot industrial park in New Morgan have been awarded a $2.3 million state grant to fund the project's utility infrastructure, state officials announced. The grant is part of the first round of Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites, or PA SITES, grant awards, which invests $64 million in 11 projects across Pennsylvania. The grant's goal is to prepare industrial sites for development, attract new businesses and create hundreds of jobs, state officials said in a release. The $2.3 million grant was requested by equitable landowners and developers Panattoni Development Company, Newport Beach, Calif. It will support the first phase of the Southern Berks Industrial Park project, which involves the construction of a 900,000-square-foot light industrial facility on 107 acres. The project calls for 5.5 million square feet of industrial space across the site's roughly 1,200 acres next to Route 10. State officials note the site is divided into 12 lots and the number of buildings could vary depending on the end user's needs for the lot. The first phase of the project is estimated to generate 450 jobs, with the entire industrial park eventually generating 2,750. Land development plans for the project are under review by state and local officials. When approvals are secured, the estimated construction time for first phase would be seven months, officials said. Panattoni will have to apply again for any grants to support future project phases. New Morgan is home to about 54 residents, according to 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The borough was established in 1988 from land formerly owned by Bethlehem Steel. Officials said Shapiro secured $500 million in the bipartisan 2024–25 budget for site development, including $400 million specifically for PA SITES. 'The PA SITES program is a first-of-its-kind effort created by Governor Shapiro in response to feedback from national site selectors who said Pennsylvania needs more shovel-ready sites to compete for major business investments,' officials said in the release. So far, 66 PA SITES grant applicants have requested $377 million in funding, officials said, and more awards are expected this year.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Frog, Switch receives $10M to demolish, clean closed Cumberland County facility
CARLISLE, Pa. (WHTM) — Pennsylvania is awarding more than $10 million to redevelop the former Frog, Switch Manufacturing Company site in Cumberland County. The Governor's Office announced that Real Estate Collaborative Frog Switch (REC FS), LLC. will receive a $6,136,698 grant and a $4,091,132 loan to redevelop the former Frog Switch & Manufacturing Company property in Carlisle. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest The Governor's office says the funding from the PA SITES program will also be used to conduct an environmental assessment and remediation, asbestos abatement, and demolition of about 40 buildings. The property's future beyond the demolition is not clear at this time. Carlisle's Frog, Switch Manufacturing Company property to be purchased In 2023, Frog, Switch Manufacturing Company closed its Carlisle facility after 125 years, with the Board of Directors determining that 'it was impossible for the company to continue due to international competition and the prohibitive costs of capital improvements necessary to keep the foundry competitive.' Operations at Frog, Switch Manufacturing Company officially ceased on June 30, 2023. Ten other projects received funding through the PA SITES program, which is focused on 'shovel-ready industrial sites across the Commonwealth in order to attract businesses, investment, and good-paying jobs to Pennsylvania.' 'When I took office as Governor, my goal was to make Pennsylvania more competitive, to make us a leader in economic development, job creation, and innovation. Our strategy recognizes that in order to compete and create opportunity, we need to invest,' said Governor Josh Shapiro. 'We've heard loud and clear that Pennsylvania needs to develop more sites we can use to sell our Commonwealth to companies that want to grow and thrive here. These sites are key to growing our economy, creating more jobs and thriving communities, and helping Pennsylvania compete ― and win.' The Governor's office also announced a $247,796 grant to Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority in Dauphin County to develop a plan for the development of the Crawford Power Generation Station for potential aeronautical use. A $4,613,046 grant was also given to the Franklin County Area Development Corporation to subdivide a 20.5-acre parcel in the Wharf Road Industrial Park into three lots and provide the necessary utilities and site prep for advanced manufacturing. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bedford County Development Association awarded nearly $3M for business park
BEDFORD, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Bedford County Development Association (BCDA) is receiving a $2.8 million grant to develop Areas 1 and 2 of a 151-acre site for the third business park in the county. The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon by Governor Josh Shapiro and Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger. The $2.8 million grant is the first of 11 projects through the first round of the PA SITES (Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites) program. Shapiro said the program is meant to build shovel-ready industrial sites across the Commonwealth to attract businesses, investment, and good-paying jobs to Pennsylvania. Johnstown officials plan to update Central Park, but residents oppose 'It had been about 20 years since Pennsylvania had an economic development strategy. We have one now,' Shapiro said. Bette Slayton, the President and CEO of the BCDA, said the grant comes at a perfect time. 'We've missed too many opportunities because we simply didn't have the sites that could accommodate the needs of the prospects who were calling us. But now, thanks to this investment, we're back in the game,' Slayton said. The funds will be used to make site improvements, including extending water and sewer lines and grading parcels. It will be constructed across from the REI Distribution Center on Country Ridge Road. 'Bedford County, as you can see, is real estate ready. We have the location for this program and to put the plan into action. Governor Shapiro's PA SITES initiative is just what's needed to move the ball forward,' Mike Stiles, Commissioner & Chair of Bedford County, said. It's an effort the Governor said he intends to use until Pennsylvania comes first in every category. 'Today is a great day to celebrate. Today is a day to turn this dirt into jobs and to see a great future of possibility and opportunity here in Bedford County,' Shapiro said. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. Before they can start building the 3rd Business Park, engineers will examine the land and start the excavation process and infrastructure improvements. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ -
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CAPITOL ROUNDUP: State highlights importance of strengthening PA's innovation economy
Feb. 23—WILKES-BARRE — Rick Siger, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) secretary, joined local leaders this week to tour businesses and organizations that are focused on advancing innovation in the technology and life sciences sectors. Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed 2025-2026 budget includes a total of $50 million for the new PA Innovation program — which includes a one-time $30 million initiative to spur life sciences job growth and $20 million to provide annual funding to support large-scale innovation. "The success of technology and life sciences entrepreneurs is key to Pennsylvania's economic growth in every region of our Commonwealth," said Secretary Siger. "Pennsylvania is open for business, and Gov. Shapiro's proposed PA Innovation program will continue to spur economic development, create jobs, and drive world-leading innovation." Gov. Shapiro has had many major economic development successes at the midway point of his first term including: —Creating the first statewide economic development strategy in nearly two decades with a focus on five key industry sectors: agriculture, energy, life sciences, manufacturing, and robotics and technology. —Securing $500 million in state funds to significantly expand the PA SITES program to develop shovel-ready sites and bring more commercial and industrial sites to Pennsylvania, building on the success of the pilot program that awarded $10.6 million to seven projects. —Creating the new Main Street Matters program and securing $20 million to fund it and support downtowns, main streets, and surrounding neighborhoods. —Expanding opportunities for small, minority-owned businesses by securing a $20 million investment for the Historically Disadvantaged Business Program in his first and second budgets. Rep. Meuser introduces bill to improve payment integrity laws U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, announced this week that he will soon introduce the PIIA Reform Act — legislation which will improve payment integrity laws to more effectively identify and reduce improper payments, especially over-payments in the federal government. In FY2023, Meuser said federal agencies estimated a staggering $236 billion in improper payments, spanning 71 programs. Since FY2003, the total estimated amount of improper payments has surpassed $2.7 trillion. Meuser said these figures are likely under-reported, as many agencies fail to comply with existing payment integrity laws. He said the PIIA Reform Act addresses these issues by implementing new measures and expanding accountability to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent more responsibly. Meuser said the PIIA Reform Act strengthens oversight by establishing an Over-payment Czar to reduce waste and enforce compliance. He said the legislation also expands reporting requirements for federal agencies and states, increasing transparency and accountability. To ensure enforcement, the bill introduces penalties — including budget reductions — for agencies that fail to meet payment integrity standards. It also enhances fraud detection in Medicaid, TANF, SNAP, and WIC and mandates continuous data sharing between the Social Security Administration and the Treasury's Do Not Pay system to prevent payments to deceased individuals. "The PIIA Reform Act is a crucial step toward addressing the billions of taxpayer dollars lost to improper payments every year," Rep. Meuser said. "Our social safety net programs must be accountable, efficient, and free from fraud. By establishing new oversight mechanisms and expanding reporting requirements, this bill will ensure that our federal agencies and states are held to higher standards of integrity. I am pleased to introduce this legislation to protect the American taxpayer and improve the delivery of services to those who need it most." The PIIA Reform Act will be introduced on Monday and will be referred to the House Oversight and Reform Committee for further consideration. AG DeFoor releases cyber charter school performance audit; calls funding reform Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor this week released a performance audit of five cyber charter schools which shows from 2020 to 2023, they legally increased revenues by $425 million and reserves by 144%, due in part to an outdated funding formula that does not use actual instruction costs to determine tuition, set guidelines for spending or set limits for cyber charter school reserve funds. "I am now the third auditor general to look at this issue and the third to come to the same conclusion: the cyber charter funding formula needs to change to reflect what is actually being spent to educate students and set reasonable limits to the amount of money these schools can keep in reserve," AG DeFoor said. "Our recommendation is that in the next six months the Governor should appoint a task force to review the funding formula and direct it to issue a report within nine months determining a new formula that is equitable, reasonable and sustainable, and the General Assembly should act within six months of the task force's report to facilitate the enactment of legislation." The five cyber charter schools selected for the audit were: —Commonwealth Charter Academy. —Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. —Insight PA Cyber Charter School. —Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. —Reach Cyber Charter School. "In this audit, we found these cyber charter schools legally increased their revenue from $473 million in the 2019-2020 fiscal year to $898 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year," AG DeFoor said. "We found instances of the cyber charter schools legally using taxpayer dollars on things like staff bonuses, gift cards, vehicle payments and fuel stipends. Additionally, Commonwealth Charter Academy spent $196 million to purchase and/or renovate 21 buildings, which to us seems a bit out of the ordinary for a public school that is based in online instruction." To view the full audit, including each school's specific audit, visit Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
