In January, the York County Economic Development Corp. pulled together representatives from six cities in Central Pennsylvania to discuss how they could tap more federal grants for development projects.
The idea was to create a regional economic development district that would include Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, Carlisle, Lebanon and Reading. The goal was to identify a wish list of what the cities wanted so the corporation could help them apply for at least $2.5 million in federal grants to make their wishes come true.
About two weeks ago, one of the cities heard back.
Lebanon will receive $50,000 to study building a technology park in the city, said Russ Montgomery, director of regional economic development initiatives for York County Economic Development Corp. The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the money to determine where the structure should be built, how much it would cost, and who would be interested in occupying it, he said.
"Once Lebanon identifies its site, we can look for brick-and-mortar public works funds," Montgomery said. He declined to estimate how much money would be needed to complete the tech park project. However, in January, Lebanon Valley Economic Development Corp. President Bob McNary said the project would cost about $1.5 million.
The federal grant money, along with private investor funds and state and local government dollars. could be used for similar development projects in the other cities. The federal government's grants provide up to 50 percent of a project's total cost.
In anticipation of the district's approval, Lancaster, Reading and Carlisle, as well as Lebanon, have selected their priority projects and applied for federal grants, Montgomery said. York and Harrisburg have yet to identify their priority projects, he said.
Lancaster has applied for $800,000 of the federal grant money to redevelop a 20-acre brownfield site into a light industrial park. The park is in a Keystone Opportunity Zone in southwest Lancaster city, said Charles H. Maneval, the city's director of economic and community development. While the city awaits word on the grant, one company has already invested in the site. In July, Rhoads Energy, a heating oil distributor that serves Lancaster and Chester counties, built a new headquarters there. The project is expected to create more than 200 jobs.
Carlisle has applied for $350,000 to expand its Murata business center. Reading has applied for $1.3 million to redevelop a 40-acre site in the northwest part of the city, said Debra Millman, director of business development for the Greater Berks Development Fund. St. Joseph Medical Center, a hospital in Reading, hopes to relocate to the site if it is redeveloped, she said.
Lebanon also might be getting a parking garage from an unrelated program. The state Department of Community and Economic Development awarded Lebanon a $30,000 grant to hire a consultant to study the city's current and future parking needs. If the consultant concludes a parking garage would benefit the city, a site and construction costs will be determined.
In January, McNary estimated it would cost $1.5 million to $2 million to build a parking garage.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий