Featured – Page 11 – SEDA Council of Governments

SEDA-COG Offers Clean & Tune Service at No Cost for Qualified Individuals

Posted on October 12, 2022 by

With colder weather approaching, SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is continuing to offer the LIHEAP Clean and Tune program for residents.

This program is a benefit available to provide homeowners and residents the assistance to maintain their new or repaired heating systems and to avoid interruption.

Annual servicing of your heating system will allow them to perform better and ensures your family’s safety. The more efficient the heating system runs, the lower your energy bills will be.

Heating systems should be serviced yearly to keep them running smoothly, improve their life span and heating efficiency. It provides general service with the goal of preventing crisis calls.

Residents should contact their local county assistance office to see if they qualify for this program.

Mandy Fox, chief of SEDA-COG’s Weatherization program, said, “Annual servicing of your furnace is necessary to ensure the safety of you and your family. It is no different than having your vehicle inspected annually.” Last year, there were 210 homes that capitalized on these funds.

SEDA-COG’s Weatherization program serves a seven-county area: Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Perry, Snyder, and Union.

If residents don’t qualify for Clean & Tune assistance, they may still qualify for SEDA-COG’s Weatherization services. SEDA-COG’s Weatherization services may provide furnace repair, although it is not immediate help, as it would be through Crisis. SEDA-COG’s Weatherization program can be reached at 570-522-7219.

Crisis Income Eligibility Guidelines

Family size: 1 – $20,385; 2 – $27,465; 3 – $34,545; 4 – $41,625; 5 – $48,705; 6 – $55,785; 7 – $62,865; 8 – $69,945.

County Assistance Offices

Columbia: 570-387-4232

Juniata: 717-436-2158

Mifflin: 717-242-6095

Montour: 1-866-410-2093

Perry: 717-582-5038

Snyder: 570-372-1721

Union: 570-524-2201

SEDA-COG is a community and economic development agency in Lewisburg and is one of seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania. SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in the 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives.

SEDA-COG Housing Rehabilitation Seeks Contractors for Juniata County

Posted on October 5, 2022 by

General contractors have an opportunity to perform housing rehabilitation work with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) in Juniata County.

Contractor work may include structural, roofing, plumbing, electrical, heating/furnace, window replacement, radon mitigation, energy-related improvements, and, if they have certain certifications, lead-based paint mitigation. 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.

Housing rehabilitation bids typically range from $20,000 to $65,000, with timely payment to contractors.

Local communities and SEDA-COG strive to work with local contractors to invest in the local economy, said Teri Provost, director of SEDA-COG’s Housing Rehabilitation program.

“We know that along with many others, contractors’ workload has been hard hit by the effects of the pandemic. With our housing rehabilitation work, we not only help our communities by rejuvenating housing stock, but we invest in our workforce by bidding out to local contractors,” Provost said.

Provost continued, “Contractors can choose where they want to work, so there’s tremendous work flexibility. Additionally, our work is year-round, so we offer a steady flow of projects. And if they don’t want to perform lead-based paint mitigation, we don’t require that certification for lead-free homes.”

Interested contractors also have the option of meeting one-on-one with SEDA-COG to answer any questions they may have. SEDA-COG streamlines the process for contractors with a rehabilitation specialist assigned to each community.

For more information and contractor requirements, contact SEDA-COG’s Danielle Rippon at 570-524-4491 or drippon@seda-cog.org.

Since 1989, over 1,100 houses have been rehabilitated through SEDA-COG totaling over $49.5MM. In FY 2020-21, the Housing program rehabilitated 34 homes, investing over $2.25MM in 12 communities. As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

New Hire in SEDA-COG’s Community Development Program

Posted on October 5, 2022 by

SEDA-COG recently welcomed Nathand Carter as a Project Coordinator within the department of Community Development.

Carter is a 2019 graduate of Bucknell University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a focus on Sustainability and Development. While at Bucknell, Carter served as an LGBTQ Resources Office Assistant, Lead Multimedia Consultant, Residential Advisor, and Teaching Assistant. Upon graduating, Carter travelled to Chongqing, China to work as an English as a Second Language teacher. Carter was most recently a member of Teach for America, which took him to Los Angeles, California as a 9th Grade Inclusion Specialist.

SEDA-COG is a community and economic development agency in Lewisburg and is one of seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania. SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in the 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives.

Local Projects Receive Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Grants

Posted on October 5, 2022 by

Two projects in Perry and Lycoming Counties recently received Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grants.

$500,000 was awarded to Clarks Ferry Tavern for the renovation of the historic building as an official Perry County “Welcome and Interpretive Center.” The Clarks Ferry Tavern is located in the downtown of the Borough of Duncannon, at 603 N. Market Street. The Tavern will welcome hikers on the Appalachian Trail, the 9/11 Memorial Trail, and thousands of tourists seeking to explore the county recreational opportunities and heritage sites.

The 1789 Clark’s Ferry Tavern and Inn located at 603 N. Marketing Street, Duncannon, Perry County, was a rest stop for travelers heading west into the American frontier. Steeped in history, the Tavern served as a stagecoach stop, an inn, the town’s post office, and a Civil War recruiting office. At the turn of the 1800s, travelers would check into the inn while waiting to cross the Susquehanna River. Today it is a heavily visited tourist site. Hikers also know Duncannon as the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail, stretching from Maine to Georgia.

Now a National Register of Historic Places site, Clarks Ferry Tavern will be a multi-use building suitable for historical interpretation and a Welcome Center to the Juniata River Valley and the Appalachian Region of Central Pennsylvania. The Clarks Ferry Tavern (CFT) Welcome Center is planned as a commercial enterprise that provides rental space for public events. The ARC and matching funds will include renovating the building to provide a catering kitchen, a large community room, break-out rooms, and restrooms. The building will also become ADA compliant and bring the building up to 21st-century codes.

$1,000,000 was awarded to the Timber Run Access Road located in Brady Township, Lycoming County. This project involves the construction of a new 2,600 LF (0.492 miles) access road through the Timber Run Industrial Park. The project will include a new 24 foot-wide access road with concrete curbing and associated storm drainage improvements and end in a cul-de-sac. This project will serve 396 acres, including one to four lots of varying sizes designated as a Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) until 2027. At full buildout, this project could employ over 300 jobs.

The Timber Run Industrial Park (TRIP) was developed to re-use the farm the County had purchased for use as a soil borrow area for its Landfill. The TRIP offers 396 acres of industrially zoned property with good access to major highways, US 15/I-80 and the nearby Williamsport Airport. This project will encourage the protection, modernization, and expansion of existing businesses and job opportunities, and where appropriate, encourage entrepreneurship and the recruitment of new business and industry consistent with the character of the Region.

SEDA-COG is a community and economic development agency in Lewisburg and is one of seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania. SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in the 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives.