Harrisburg – November 14, 2017 – Grants totaling more than $1.3 million were approved to address transportation, recreation, flood mitigation and public safety in the Mon Valley and eastern Allegheny County, state Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland) and state Rep. Joe Markosek (D-Allegheny) said.
The grant funding was approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) at a meeting this morning in Harrisburg. Grants were targeted for Monroeville, Pitcairn, North Versailles and East McKeesport.
“The projects approved today will address specific needs of municipalities,” Brewster said. “This funding will help build up and enhance our transportation system, curb flooding, improve recreational opportunities and promote public safety.”
“These projects improve the quality of life in the region and aid economic development and job creation efforts,” Markosek said. “State support for these local projects is essential because many communities do not have the local resources to properly fund the work.
“Plus, it is critical to draw down state grant funding to help alleviate the local tax burden.”
The projects approved today include:
- $279,433 for flood mitigation along Dirty Camp Run in Pitcairn;
- $211,241 for Crestas Park renovation in North Versailles;
- $795,690 for pedestrian and streetscape improvements in East McKeesport;
- $100,000 to help the Monroeville Police Department upgrade its mobile radio system.
Brewster said that the CFA approval of these grants provide important pieces of funding for projects in the communities and that both he and Markosek represent.
“Communities in our region have great needs that can, in many cases, only be met by applying state resources,” Brewster said. “Local tax dollars are already being stretched and Representative Markosek and I are aggressive in pursuing state dollars so projects can be completed.”
Markosek noted that he was pleased that the state is making these investments and that funding of over $1.3 million is significant.
“Both Senator Brewster and I work to ensure that projects in our municipalities are funded and that state dollars are used to pay for a lion’s share of the costs,” Markosek said.
Brewster serves as Democratic chair of the Law and Justice and Game and Fisheries committees in the state Senate. Markosek is Democratic appropriations chair in the state House of Representatives.
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