Category: News

RUN DATE: December 7, 2020
CONTACT: Nicole Hogan, (570) 524-4491

It is the intent of Centre County to submit an application, on or about January 31, 2021, to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for Federal Community Development Block Grant Competitive (CDBG-C), in the amount of $1,148,650. These funds, if awarded, will be allocated to the Haines-Aaronsburg Municipal Authority for their water well rehabilitation project.

A public hearing to receive comments, documentation of public testimonials, and letters of support for the proposed use of the CDBG Competitive funds will be held on December 18, 2020 at 4:00 PM. Keeping with federal and state guidelines regarding COVID 19, this meeting will take place as a virtual video web and tele conference. The public is invited to observe and participate in the hearing as follows: To access via web video, type the link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/8383951780. To access via telephone dial +1(470) 869-2200 and enter Meeting ID: 838 395 1780. The meeting will be recorded. The meeting platform is accessible to persons with disabilities. If accommodations are needed for those with special needs related to language, sight, or hearing, please call (570) 524-4491 at least five days in advance. As an alternative, Centre County will accept written comments on the proposed use of CDBG Competitive funds until 2:00 PM on December 18, 2020. Written comments can be emailed to mgallagherlong@seda-cog.org or mailed to SEDA-COG at 201 Furnace Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837. The Centre County Commissioners will then consider the approval of the County’s CDBG Competitive application on January 5, 2021 at 10:00 AM during the regular scheduled Commissioners Meeting.

The Centre County Commissioners will strive to make all programs and activities accessible to the learning, mobility, vision, hearing, and language-impaired persons. If you have a disability or limited English proficiency and require an auxiliary aid or accommodations, please contact Nicole Hogan at SEDA-COG, 1-800-332-6701, 1-800-654-5984 TTY, 1-800-654-5988 TDD, to discuss your needs at least five days in advance. Translators will be available upon request.

Any complaints should be written and submitted to Mitzi Gallagher-Long at SEDA-COG. Written responses will be addressed within 15 working days when practicable.

Übersetzer sind für die öffentliche Sitzung auf Anfrage erhältlich.

可應要求提供翻譯服務

Переводчики будут доступны по запросу.

SEDA Council of Governments (SEDA-COG), in partnership with Union, Clinton, Lycoming, and Northumberland counties has been awarded funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to incentivize Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to build out highspeed internet in un/underserved areas.

An ISP meeting will be held on December 17, 2020, 11:00 AM to allow the ISPs an opportunity to become educated on the project, as well as provide feedback and discussion before the Request for Proposal (RFP) is published.  ISP support is critical for this project.

Keeping with federal and state guidelines regarding COVID 19, this meeting will take place as a virtual video web and tele conference.

To access via web video, type the link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/7257334434.

To access via telephone dial +1(470) 869-2200 and enter Meeting ID: 725 7334 434.

The meeting will be recorded.

The meeting will be facilitated by staff from the SEDA-Council of Governments. Items of discussion include:

• • Project Description & Requirements
• • Project Funding (Loan & Grant)
• • Application Process & Schedule
• • Project Timeline

To learn more about the 4 County Rural Broadband Expansion project and, more importantly, how this project may affect you directly, please contact:

Scott Kramer
SEDA-COG,  Principal IT Specialist
skramer@seda-cog.org
570-524-4491 ext 7332

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DUNCANNON – The SEDA-COG Natural Gas Cooperative and Frontier Natural Resources will provide Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to Pennsylvania Options for Wellness (PA Options) in the Perry Innovation Park in Perry County.

The availability of low-cost, cleaner natural gas to PA Options will provide significant cost savings and allow future expansion of operations to the licensed medical marijuana grower.

Thomas Trite, R.Ph., CEO of PA Options, said, “We are excited to partner with SEDA-COG and Frontier Natural Resources in utilizing a virtual pipeline to supply our Combined Heat and Power plant with LNG, a reliable fuel source, especially one coming from Pennsylvania. This was the best solution to overcoming a lack of energy at the Perry Innovation Park. The impact it will have on our operations and in turn the community in general cannot be overstated. LNG has been used as fuel for decades. Safe storage, safe transportation, and safe usage are the mandated requirements for any fuel and LNG continues to demonstrate a long track record of safety in all these three requirements.”

The cooperative and Frontier won a contract after responding to a Request for Proposal to provide LNG through a “virtual pipeline” vehicle-based delivery service starting next spring. The virtual pipeline approach allows liquefied natural gas to be provided to areas where no delivery pipeline infrastructure is available, offering a more energy-efficient option to businesses such as PA Options.

SEDA-COG Natural Gas Cooperative President Pete Smeltz said the PA Options initiative is the type of project the cooperative is ideally suited for supporting.

“Natural gas produced in Pennsylvania continues to be a viable clean energy source for existing businesses and new economic growth,” Smeltz said. “The PA Options project fulfills the cooperative’s objective of promoting use of this efficient energy source to regions in central Pennsylvania, and we are very pleased to partner with PA Options and Frontier Natural Resources in accomplishing this goal.”

PA Options, whose headquarters are in Harrisburg, collaborates in a research partnership with Penn State University College of Medicine. The university is a state-approved Academic Clinical Research Center and PA Options is a state-approved clinical registrant.

PA Options will provide funding to Penn State over 10 years to study health outcomes-based research and pre-clinical studies on the benefits of cannabinoids and medical marijuana. The College of Medicine will assist PA Options determine which types of marijuana extracts are best for health conditions. It initially will focus on pain management and anti-cancer research.

An expansion of LNG service also is planned to the remainder of the Perry Innovation Park through a standalone pipeline delivery network that may be developed. The cooperative will work with park owners and the Perry County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) on expansion plans.

Rich Pluta, president of the Perry County EDC, commented on the importance of having natural gas available for continued economic development at the Perry Innovation Park and in Perry County.

“This will be the first meaningful installation of natural gas in Perry County. Our goal has been to bring businesses into the park to create family-sustaining jobs. This project will eliminate a major barrier to development of the park that opened over 20 years ago,” Pluta said.

The SEDA-COG Natural Gas Cooperative is based in Lewisburg and was formed in 2016 to promote access and delivery of natural gas to unserved and underserved areas of central Pennsylvania. Sponsoring members of the cooperative are Centre, Clinton, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, and Union counties, and SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG).

Frontier Natural Resources is an independent oil and natural gas producer based in Bellefonte, with a primary focus on conventional and unconventional resources across the Appalachian Basin. Frontier is a pioneer in the innovative field of LNG production and delivers LNG at affordable prices from resources that have been previously inaccessible.

For more information, contact Cooperative Executive Director Don Kiel at dkiel@seda-cog.org or 814-553-8689.