May 26, 2020 – SEDA Council of Governments

Housing Rehabilitation Grants Awarded to Four Communities

Posted on May 26, 2020 by DNS Admin

Housing rehabilitation grants were awarded to Milton Borough, Montour County, South Williamsport Borough, and the City of Sunbury.

This is the second time in 20 years these funds have been awarded to Milton Borough.

Each is receiving $500,000 for no-cost home repairs for eligible residents. Residents may be eligible for up to $65,000 in repairs to their homes, dependent upon local rehabilitation guidelines. The waitlists are currently full since the potential grant awards were publicized last year when the applications were submitted in September.

Work is expected to begin this fall.

The funds are from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s HOME program and were recently awarded to the communities by the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Teri Provost, director of SEDA-Council of Government’s (SEDA-COG) Housing Rehabilitation program, spoke of the value of the program.

“We are passionate about empowering our communities to have the best, most affordable housing possible by rehabilitating existing homes at no cost to eligible homeowners,” Provost said. “When we partner with communities on these efforts, it helps the homeowner, it maintains the communities’ tax base, and it increases property values.”

Eligible repairs include structural, roofing, plumbing, electrical, heating/furnace, window replacement, radon and lead-based paint mitigation, and energy-related improvements. Also included are modifications for mobility-impaired residents. There is no cost to homeowners who maintain home residency over a five-year period from the date of signing.

SEDA-COG oversees the entire process for the homeowner, Provost said.

“We make the project easy on the homeowner by managing it from start to finish, including obtaining the contractor,” Provost said.

Interested homeowners who want to be on the waitlist for future grant opportunities may call SEDA-COG’s Stacy Anderson at 800-326-9310

UPDATE: Commerce Park Drive to be single-lane traffic starting May 28 – Work to begin one day early

Posted on May 26, 2020 by DNS Admin

Work on the railroad grade crossing on Commerce Park Drive in Williamsport will begin a day early, starting at 3 p.m. May 28. It will be down to single-lane traffic during construction until June 3.

The SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) will reconstruct its railroad grade crossing at the Faxon Exit, which is part of the Lycoming Valley Railroad operations.

Access to Water Tower Square, Planet Fitness, and other businesses will continue over a flagged, temporary one-lane crossing.

Jannotti Rail Consulting Inc. is the track engineer, Railroad Constructors, Inc. from New Jersey is the track contractor, and Glenn O. Hawbaker is the paving contractor. The SEDA-COG JRA owns the track and Lycoming Valley Railroad is the operator.

The SEDA-COG JRA was formed in 1983 by the forward-looking efforts of its eight member counties to save rail lines and service abandoned by Conrail. The JRA’s public-private partnership was recognized by the World Bank as a model for public-private partnerships to stimulate rural economic development. Since 2004, the JRA has invested or leveraged over $46 million in rail capital projects with over 40 public and private partners. For more information, visit www.sedacograil.org.

Limited no-cost elevation certificates for Selinsgrove homeowners Others can get discounted rates

Posted on May 26, 2020 by DNS Admin

SELINSGROVE – Homeowners who live in the 100-year floodplain have a limited opportunity to get no-cost certificates that could reduce their flood insurance costs.

Selinsgrove Borough is offering the first seven homeowner applicants no-cost Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) elevation certificates. The certificates normally would cost $700. Borough residents must own and occupy their homes.

This free-of-charge certificate is only available to Selinsgrove homeowners, said Sharon Badman, assistant borough manager, and urged homeowners to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

“We are unique in the region for offering these elevation certificates at no cost for residents,” Badman said.

She explained how elevation certificates can reduce flood insurance premiums.

“There is a correlation between how high your property is above the base flood elevation and the actual cost of a flood insurance policy. In a high-risk zone, the higher the elevation of your property, the lower your policy cost will most likely be. Conversely, the lower your elevation, the more your flood insurance policy will cost. You need to supply an elevation certificate for an insurance agent to compare it against your property’s elevation,” Badman said.

The normal certificate cost of $700 for Selinsgrove homeowners is a discounted group price that SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) negotiated with Orangeville Surveying Consultants Inc. Without the discount, the rate can be as expensive as $2,000.

Geralee Zeigler, a program analyst in SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency program, said the certificates also can help when homeowners want to sell their homes.

“Not only can elevation certificates greatly reduce flood insurance premiums, they also make a home more attractive for buyers since the buyer will know where the house stands in relation to the floodplain and knowing they’ll have less of a flood insurance cost,” Zeigler said.

Besides Selinsgrove, the group discount is available in Bloomsburg and Danville for $600, and in Lewisburg and Milton for $700.

Homeowners can get the application from their municipality or SEDA-COG.

Interested Selinsgrove homeowners can contact Badman at 570-374-2311 or sbadman@selinsgrove.org or SEDA-COG’s Geralee Zeigler at gzeigler@seda-cog.org or 570-524-4491 ext. 7218.

Homeowners in Bloomsburg, Danville, Lewisburg, and Milton also may contact Zeigler for more information.

SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency Program offers services related to flood resiliency and mitigation assistance both within and outside of its 11-county region. Its goal is to help break the damage cycle and stop its drain on people and communities. For more information, visit https://seda-cog.org/departments/flood-resiliency/.