Featured – Page 42 – SEDA Council of Governments

Lycoming County awards $3 million to school districts for COVID relief

Posted on October 22, 2020 by DNS Admin

The Lycoming County commissioners awarded $3,010,200 in COVID-19 relief funds at their public meeting on Oct. 13 to 11 school districts. Districts serving Lycoming County students were eligible to receive $200 per student to assist them with COVID-19 expenses.

The county received a $10.2 million COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant (CRBG) grant from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act), through the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

The funds do not have to be repaid. Funds can be used for eligible costs from March 1 to Dec. 30, 2020 to cover costs associated with providing distance learning or for in-person learning associated with meeting Centers for Disease Control guidelines. This can include student laptops for remote learning and personal protective equipment for students for in-person learning, among other items.

County Commissioner Scott Metzger said investing in the county’s youth and education is vital.

“We wanted to ensure our schools can use these funds to keep our students safe while providing an excellent education, as they always have. We know teachers and students alike are facing unprecedented challenges and we hope this can ease the burden,” Metzger said.

Following are the funds for each school district.

School District	No. of Students	Student Allocation @ $200/Student	TOTAL
Canton	81	200	$ 16,200
East Lycoming	1,646	200	$ 329,200
Jersey Shore	1,643	200	$ 328,600
Loyalsock	1,585	200	$ 317,000
Montgomery	936	200	$ 187,200
Montoursville	1,933	200	$ 386,600
Muncy	984	200	$ 196,800
South Williamsport	1,244	200	$ 248,800
Southern Tioga	147	200	$ 29,400
WASD	4,832	200	$ 966,400
Wellsboro	20	200	$ 4,000
TOTAL			$ 3,010,200

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is assisting the county by providing professional expertise and grant administrative services, as well as activity development and management to ensure accuracy and adherence with federal and state regulations.

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.

For more information, contact the Lycoming County Department of Planning and Community Development at Covidrelief@lyco.org or 570-320-2130.

Jersey Shore Borough residents may receive no-cost home repairs

Posted on October 22, 2020 by DNS Admin

Homeowners in the borough limits of Jersey Shore Borough may be eligible to receive up to $65,000 in home improvements from the HOME Existing Owner-Occupied Housing Program.

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is encouraging borough residents to apply now to get on the wait list. SEDA-COG manages the program on behalf of the borough.

Interested residents may call SEDA-COG’s Stacy Anderson at 800-326-9310, ext. 7215.

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 contract signing.

Homeowners can go through the process hassle-free with SEDA-COG managing it from start to finish, said Teri Provost, director of the agency’s Housing Rehabilitation program.

“Eligible homeowners can enjoy a rehabilitated home at no cost to them while we help them from start to finish, from obtaining a contractor, managing the project, to anything that may arise during or after the rehabilitation process,” Provost said.

Qualifications:

Own the home or have Life Rights to live in it;
Meet income qualifications based on household size;
Be current on local taxes and municipal utility bills;
Provide proof of homeowner’s insurance;
If located in a flood zone, provide proof of flood insurance;
Live in the home an additional five years.

Additional requirements may apply.

Annual Gross Income Limits:

Family size: 1 – $36,350; 2 – $41,550; 3 – $46,750; 4 – $51,900; 5 – $56,100

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.

High-speed internet expands in Mifflin, Perry counties

Posted on October 21, 2020 by DNS Admin

Mifflin and Perry counties are expanding high-speed internet access to hundreds of customers, expanding on SEDA-Council of Governments’ (SEDA-COG) broadband project with Juniata County.

Centre WISP will provide high-speed internet to 210 residents and five businesses in the River Road region south of McVeytown in Mifflin County and to 100 residents and three businesses in the Horse Valley Road area in west Perry County. Centre WISP has begun providing service to Juniata County residents and businesses within 8 miles of the Black Log tower near the Village of Honey Grove in Reeds Gap and plans to expand to more of the county by year’s end.

Service will be available to portions of the Mifflin County pilot area by November. Centre WISP expects the remainder of the Mifflin County pilot area, and the Perry county pilot area, to begin receiving service in the next few months.

The counties worked with SEDA-COG to secure state and federal funds to incentivize the internet expansion project and to select Centre WISP.

Mifflin County Commissioner Robert P. Postal gave the background of the county’s involvement.

“Mifflin County has been working on improved internet connectivity since the formation of the Mifflin County Internet Advisory Committee in 2016. Last year, the Committee sponsored, with funds from the Commissioners, a broadband study that identified the River Road neighborhood as a priority for attention,” Postal said. “By partnering with SEDA-COG and the Appalachian Regional Commission, funds to finance broadband development in this area is a great win for the businesses and households.”

Perry County Commissioner Brenda Watson said this is a tremendous boon for the county.

“We understand how vital high-speed internet is, especially with more people than ever working remotely because of the pandemic. We are committed to narrowing the digital divide and enhancing our county’s residents’ and businesses’ competitive edge,” Watson said.

SEDA-COG will provide Centre WISP low-interest revolving loans from a state Keystone Communities Program grant, totaling $95,000 per county served. A U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant gives $47,000 per county served. Centre WISP will receive a total of $426,000 from the loan and grant funds for servicing the three counties.

The funds incentivized Centre WISP to provide internet service where it wasn’t financially feasible to reach on their own, helping to bridge the last-mile funding gap.

SEDA-COG Assistant Executive Director Mike Fisher thanked Sens. Jake Corman and John DiSanto and Reps. John Hershey, Kerry Benninghoff, Rich Irvin, and Mark Keller for helping to secure the grants. He also recognized the counties and their staff for driving the project.

“We could not have done this three-county broadband project without our legislators and the leadership of our counties,” Fisher said. “We are thrilled that this project is meeting such a crucial need across several counties. We are here to fill the gaps and create public-private partnerships to meet needs that otherwise would not exist.”

Customers can choose from four packages providing speeds up to 40 megabits per second, all with no data caps. Interested customers should visit the website at www.centrewisp.com and pick their county to see pricing and speeds, and to sign up. Centre WISP will not raise their prices for at least two years.

Dave Gibbons, Centre WISP owner, thanked the project partners and explained the impacts of the expansion.

“We are excited to be working alongside SEDA-COG and Mifflin and Perry counties. These public-private partnerships provide much-needed broadband internet access in locations that presently lack the kind of connectivity modern life demands. This funding phase will allow Centre WISP to expand our coverage all the way from Centre County to Perry County, servicing each valley in between. The expansion puts thousands of customers into our service footprint, and we’re looking forward to providing fast and reliable internet access from these new towers.”

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.

SEDA-COG welcomes new staff

Posted on October 20, 2020 by DNS Admin

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) welcomed new staff in October.

Denise Feese joined SEDA-COG’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) as a program analyst on Oct. 5. She has experience in administrative, customer service, sales, marketing, accounting, purchasing, inventory control, and management.

Feese was a buyer at Metso in Danville from 2008 to 2016 and worked for Fabtex, Cargill, and GAF since, among other earlier positions. She attends Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. for Business Management, and earned her Associate in Science (AS) in Business Management from Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke.

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.