McNeill: over $2.5 million awarded in utility and critical school facility infrastructure

Rep. Jeanne McNeill    October 22, 2024 | 2:32 PM

HARRISBURG, Oct. 22 – State Rep. Jeanne McNeill announced today that more than $2.5 million in Local Share Account Program and Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program state funding has been approved for projects throughout her community.

“I was proud to work to secure this essential funding for our community,” said McNeill. “This funding provides a mix of investments for utilities, leisure activities, and critical school facility infrastructure so our children can go to functioning schools that are up to date.”

Grants awarded in McNeill’s legislative district include:

  • $750,000 to Bethlehem Area School District -- The roofs at school district facilities have begun to degrade at an accelerated rate after recent rooftop HVAC renovations were completed two years ago. This degradation has led to health, safety, and operational disruption concerns due to ongoing leaks into classrooms during wet weather events. The project will replace the roofing system at each facility. PSFIG funds will be used for renovation and engineering costs.
  • $500,000 to Whitehall-Coplay School District - Whitehall-Coplay School district is planning several improvements to Steckel Elementary School, which was constructed in 1975 and has had no major renovations since. Numerous systems are beyond repair or non-compliant with modern building codes and must be replaced. The project will include new HVAC, electrical work, interior classroom lighting, security system, fire suppression system, windows, and ceiling tiles. These improvements will address air quality, lighting, safety and health concerns. PSFIG funds will be used for the purchase and installation of equipment, construction, and engineering costs.
  • $336,059 to Sherwood Park Basketball and Pickleball Courts - Sherwood Park is one of the three parks that are owned and maintained by the township. The Sherwood Park Improvement Project would involve the construction of a full-sized basketball court and the repurposing and expansion of the existing basketball courts into two pickleball courts. A storm sewer system is also proposed to convey off-site stormwater runoff through the park and into an existing stormwater management facility to the west of the park.
  • $300,000 to Coplay Borough - Coplay Borough is seeking to purchase and upfit a truck to be used as a street sweeper. Street sweeping is currently outsourced to a private vendor or done by borough employees manually. Purchasing the truck would allow the borough to perform this service in-house providing a long-term cost savings and making the work safer for borough employees.
  • $217,802 to Catasauqua Borough - The borough intends to purchase a street sweeper to replace the current 28-year-old model. A street sweeper is necessary to keep up best practices for stormwater management, fulfill MS4 permit sediment load requirements, and improve local water quality.
  • $75,000 to Whitehall Township - Whitehall Township is planning to purchase a utility tractor and mowing attachments to assist its public works department in maintaining and repairing its 147 miles of streets and roadways, landscape maintenance, vegetation control, and mowing of public properties.
  • $71,198 to Fountain Hill Borough - The project will include the purchase of a fully upfitted police patrol vehicle. This new vehicle will replace an aging vehicle that needs replaced due to years of use and will assist in patrolling the community contingent to the host municipality for a gaming facility.

The Statewide Local Share Account funding comes from the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, which provides for the distribution of gaming revenues through the Commonwealth Financing Authority to support projects in the public interest withing Pennsylvania.

The Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program was created to provide grants to public school districts and area career and technical schools for eligible facility improvement projects. The program is administered by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development under the direction of the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Grants are available for eligible improvement projects with a total project cost of $500,000 or more and grants cannot exceed $5 million for any project.