News – Page 16 – SEDA Council of Governments

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.

Public Notice: West End and Fishing Creek Flood Mitigation Studies Final Reports

Posted on July 1, 2022 by

The final reports for the West End and Fishing Creek Flood Mitigation Studies are now posted online.

With the support of Representative Millard and Senator Gordner, funding was secured for these pioneering studies. The Columbia County Board of Commissioners, working with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG), engaged Borton-Lawson to develop the West End Flood Mitigation Study and Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) to develop the Fishing Creek Flood Mitigation Study. The goals of the studies were to:

• detect flooding problem areas within the County’s 18 municipalities/West End of the Town of Bloomsburg,

• identify best approaches that can be implemented by the County to mitigate flood impacts, reduce flood risk and improve residents’ quality of life,

• highlight mitigation options for the problems identified and implementable projects offered as a solution to those problems.

Both final reports can be found on the County’s Resiliency Office website, http://columbiapa.org/resiliency/index.php and also on SEDA-COG’s website, https://seda-cog.org/departments/flood-resiliency/columbia-county-flood-mitigation-studies/ . The Columbia County Board of Commissioners have already begun the next steps and will continue to implement resiliency measures as a result of the studies.

The study kicked off with a combined public meeting in July 2021, two separate follow up public meetings held at the end of November and beginning of December 2021, and final meetings held in March 2022. Presentation slides and other materials can also be found at the website links above.

SEDA-COG assisted Columbia County in the grant administration of the studies. The studies were financed by grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority and the Department of Community and Economic Development.

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 Assists Centre County Business with EDA COVID-19 Loan

Posted on June 28, 2022April 7, 2026 by

SEDA-COG’s Business Finance Department recently assisted Hofbrau Pizza with an EDA COVID-19 loan to purchase the property and restaurant known as The Hofbrau located at 106 East Bishop Street, Bellefonte, PA. This loan is in partnership with Jersey Shore State Bank, working directly with Commercial Lender, Gregory Wendt.

The Hofbrau has been a Bellefonte staple since 1973, serving generations of hungry pizza lovers over the years. The restaurant was started by “pizza king” Bill McFadden who developed a special crust recipe that was used in his various restaurants including Bellefonte, State College (Faccia Luna) and Alexandria, Virginia (Faccia Luna). Now at the helm of Hofbrau Pizza are Ruth and Bryan Sampsel.

Ruth Sampsel has been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years and has been with The Hofbrau for 15 of those years. When the opportunity arose for her to take over the restaurant, she was ready to put her stamp on the next generation of the Centre County institution.

On March 17th, 2020, The Hofbrau went from a full dining restaurant with an in-house seating capacity of 80 people, to a take-out only concession. Throughout the pandemic, the restaurant was forced to move to paper plates, plastic silverware, and moving an employee from the kitchen to the front of the house to take phone orders.

As a result of the pandemic, prices for everything have skyrocketed. This loan eases the burden of the cost increases for The Hofbrau.

“We were able to get an amazing rate with this loan, which will in turn allow us to pass on savings to our customers. The cost of everything has gone up, but the loan grants us the ability to keep our prices down,” said Sampsel.

Sampsel continued, “this restaurant is not just to feed people – I am welcoming you into my home. It’s a place for friends and family to gather, laugh, and enjoy time together. We live and work in a wonderful community and our restaurant allows us to see everyone and connect for years to come.”

Tina Showers, SEDA-COG Principal Program Analyst worked with Jennifer Heebner, SEDA-COG Program Analyst, to bring this financing package to fruition.

“The pandemic presented immense difficulties for all businesses, but particularly those in the hospitality industry. We are thrilled to be able to assist such an iconic and long-standing restaurant in Bellefonte, and cannot wait to see them grow and expand,” said Showers.

Their hours are Monday through Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 9:30 p.m., and Sundays from 4 to 8 p.m.

For more information about SEDA-COG’s loans, please contact Tina Showers at tshowers@seda-cog.org.

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.

SEDA-COG and Union County Housing Authority Partner for Contractor Breakfast

Posted on June 8, 2022 by

On Monday, June 20, 2022, from 8-9:30 a.m., SEDA Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) and the Union County Housing Authority (UCHA) are partnering to host a contractor breakfast. This event will be held at the East Buffalo Township Building, 586 Fairground Rd, Lewisburg, PA 17837. Registration is required for this event. To register, contact SEDA-COG’s Danielle Rippon at 570-524-4491 or drippon@seda-cog.org.

Since 1989, SEDA-COG’s Housing Rehabilitation Program has invested $32 million in 9 counties and over 1,000 homes. The Program rehabilitates homes for limited-income families on behalf of our partnering communities (the Boroughs of Berwick, Jersey Shore, Milton, Mount Carmel and South Williamsport. The Counties of Juniata, Montour, Snyder, Sullivan, and Perry. The Cities of Lock Haven, Shamokin and Sunbury, the Town of Bloomsburg, and the Township of Mount Carmel.)

UCHA has been administering their Residential Rehabilitation Program since 1983. As of April 2022, 1054, homes throughout Union County have been rehabilitated. The purpose of the program is to allow people to remain in their homes and community. It also helps the community by preventing the deterioration of properties and blight. This program and other programs and services offered by UCHA aim to meet the mission of providing safe, decent, sanitary, affordable housing to income eligible residents and to provide related community services within Union County.

“This breakfast will provide an amazing opportunity for local contractors to learn the minimum requirements to get pre-approved for the various work opportunities provided by SEDA-COG, UCHA, and our client communities,” said Teri Provost, director of SEDA-COG’s Housing Rehabilitation program.

Sharon Leon, Executive Director of Union County Housing Authority, shared her thoughts, “UCHA is excited to work collaboratively with SEDA-COG to host this breakfast. We know there are quality contractors in this area, and our hope is to engage these contractors to work with our programs.

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.