Shamokin revitalization refreshed by youth

Shamokin is seeing revitalization with younger residents helping to lead the charge – and they’re asking more youth to join them.

Danielle Hinkle, 18, and Marshall Buggy, 19, both graduated from Shamokin Area High School and are committed to reinvest in their community even amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and college plans.

They’re part of a group called Future Leaders and Achievers of Greater Shamokin (FLAGS) that Kathy Vetovich, a Shamokin business owner, started early this year. Vetovich is heavily involved with and is president of Shamokin Area Businesses for Economic Revitalization (SABER).

A key piece to reengage youth is the Skye Loft Youth Center that Vetovich is opening to teach life skills and give youth a positive and productive place to hang out. Youth will learn how to change a tire, write checks, learn about finances, have sessions on personal development, cooking classes, learn about Shamokin heritage, and more.

One room will be a meeting room for kids after school; another will be a quiet reading room. Another will have desks and computers along with games like shuffleboard and ping pong.

Vetovich bought the former Trinity Episcopal Church at 150 E. Liberty St. to house the youth center as well as a city welcome center, the Anthracite Heritage Museum, the Shamokin Music Mart, and a dog-friendly coffee shop.

It’s expected to open by year’s end.

Hinkle is helping to paint a mosaic in the Skye Loft and wants other youth to get involved with FLAGS. While she “made the best” of her youth in Shamokin, she sees today’s kids going down a different path.

“That’s why I’m really involved with the youth. We need to give kids more to do. Right now, they just hang in Dunkin or walk around Wal-Mart,” she said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a series of workshops in conjunction with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) earlier this year to create its Shamokin Community Rebuilding Action Plan. SEDA-COG supports and coordinates revitalization efforts in Shamokin with an office in the heart of the city.

Hinkle attended the EPA meetings and, as part of that plan, is leading a group to increase community involvement and partnerships.

Hinkle coordinates metal and clothing drives, collecting the community’s unwanted items. She’s also part of SABER and is on Mayor John Brown’s advisory board, and she got other kids to participate on his board, too.

“When I was little, my dad would drive around Philly and show us the work he did as a contractor on buildings. Now I get to drive around Shamokin and say I was involved in things, too,” Hinkle said.

When one of Hinkle’s high school teachers asked her class if they were going to stay in Shamokin after they graduated, the question hit Hinkle like a ton of bricks.

“I hadn’t thought about it before. I told her, ‘yes,’” Hinkle said, who graduated this year. That’s when she joined FLAGS. She and her family moved to Shamokin from Philadelphia at age 7, and now she wants to stay near her family here.

Buggy, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, was born and raised in Coal Township. In February, a friend told him about FLAGS and he was immediately interested. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the college sent students home and he participated in the FLAGS virtual Zoom meetings.

As part of his community involvement efforts relating to the EPA workshops and involvement in FLAGS, he’s promoting community service and helping to create a welcome packet with the city for new residents to introduce them to local businesses.

“We don’t want them to move here as outsiders and stay outsiders for five years. We want them to be welcomed, integrated, and become valuable members of our community,” Buggy said.

Shamokin was a booming city during the coal era, Buggy said, but as that shifted, so did its population, lowering the tax base.

“The quality of life did decline, but irreparable damage has not been dealt to Shamokin,” Buggy said. “People get too stuck in the idea that we aren’t as great as we once were – but we can be a different type of great. That’s the danger of nostalgia. It’s good to want to be as great as you were, but it’s not necessarily productive to be the exact same as you were.”

He loves how close-knit the community of Shamokin is.

“Everybody knows everybody. Whenever anything big happens in the community, everybody feels it. It’s not the town that’s bad – it’s the attitude toward it,” Buggy said.

Hinkle wants to be a forensic pathologist and perform autopsies. Buggy wants to be an astrophysicist and work for NASA. Both want to make a lasting impact.

“I want to make some sort of impact. If everyone thought like that – what small mark can I make on this city – it could build to something huge,” Buggy said.

Youth can get involved with FLAGS by joining the Facebook group at FLAGS – Future Leaders and Achievers of Greater Shamokin. For business owners or managers that want to be involved with SABER, join that Facebook page, or contact Kathy Vetovich at kvetovich@gmail.com.

To learn more about Shamokin’s revitalization, visit goshamokin.com.

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.

Application window open for Northumberland County entities to apply for COVID relief funds

The application window is open for Northumberland County businesses, organizations, and municipalities to apply to receive part of an $8.2 million grant the county received to assist them with COVID-19 expenses.

The deadline to apply to the county is Aug. 24. The funds do not have to be repaid.

The COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant (CRBG) funds must be for the prevention, preparedness, and response to the COVID-19 crisis. Funds must be used to assist municipalities, small business grants, and nonprofits to pay for any COVID-related cost they have incurred. The grant is from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act), through the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

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.

County Commissioner Samuel J. Schiccatano said this initial assessment will help establish the need throughout the county and described the information they’re seeking.

“The county is requesting information on any COVID-related expenses that your municipality or organization has spent since March 1, 2020 or anticipates spending by Dec. 30, 2020. The county also is seeking information on any expense or projected expense in your budgets that stems from the COVID-19 crisis. The CRBG funds may be able to assist in recouping these financial hardships, but first we must be able to quantify these expenses,” Schiccatano said.

He said that while they will do their best to meet the eligible needs submitted, sufficient funds may not be available for every need.

To submit information by Aug. 24, visit www.norrycopa.net/index.php/planning/ and complete the CARES Act Needs Assessment form. Send the completed form to Justin Skavery, county planning coordinator, at justin.skavery@norrycopa.net or 399 Stadium Drive, Sunbury, PA 17801.

For more information, contact Skavery at the above email address or 570-988-4220 or Geralee Zeigler of SEDA-COG at gzeigler@seda-cog.org or 570-524-4491 ext. 7218.

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 Awarded $6.3 Million for Small Business Relief

More relief for small businesses is on its way with additional loans through SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG), a regional community and economic development agency in Lewisburg.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded SEDA-COG $6.3 million from the CARES Act.

“The CARES Act succeeded in supporting employers and employees in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09). This “announcement is great news for small businesses in the 9th District and across the Commonwealth. CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants will provide necessary capital for Pennsylvania businesses to safely reopen and help grow our economy.”

SEDA-COG Executive Director John Brown said the EDA is investing in SEDA-COG to respond to this crisis.

“We are pleased that EDA made this investment in SEDA-COG, a high-performing, regionally-focused agency committed to helping our region respond to this unprecedented challenge by using creative solutions to help meet the current needs of businesses and communities in this ever-changing economic climate,” Brown said.

SEDA-COG Business Finance Director Doug Wilburn said businesses’ needs have been heard and SEDA-COG and the EDA are committed to working to meet those needs.

“The EDA funding award to SEDA-COG will provide loans for businesses impacted by COVID-19 in the SEDA-COG region. We know there is hard work to be done and we are committed to doing our part to help alleviate the acute pain from the pandemic in our region,” Wilburn said.

The funding award will capitalize a new revolving loan fund (RLF) to alleviate sudden and severe economic issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic for eligible small businesses in SEDA-COG’s region of Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, and Union counties.

Businesses can apply for loans of at least $10,000. No payments are due in the first six months. There is a $500 underwriting fee and a $100 filing fee. Interested business owners should visit the website below for the application materials and send completed applications to SEDA-COG at the email address below.

During the COVID-19 crisis, unemployment rates have increased exponentially. Small businesses that were unable to operate remotely closed. Among the top issues identified during this crisis by the businesses was an immediate need for capital to keep businesses open.

In response to this need, SEDA-COG previously allocated $400,000 from an existing EDA award and this $6.3 million is in addition to that prior award.

For more information, visit https://seda-cog.org/covid-19/ or contact SEDA-COG’s Business Finance Department at eda@seda-cog.org.

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.

Discounted elevation certificates for Milton homeowners

Milton homeowners who live in the 100-year floodplain (Zone AE) can get discounted elevation certificates that can reduce their flood insurance costs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) elevation certificates cost $700 for these homeowners. This 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.

Elevation certificates compare a structure’s elevation to the base flood elevation shown on the map being used for rating and determine the cost to cover flood risk. If the certificate shows the property at a high elevation, it will lower the flood insurance cost.

“The elevation certificate can be a useful tool when comparison shopping for flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) versus the private insurance market,” said Doug Diehl, Milton Borough’s zoning and code enforcement officer and floodplain manager. “You also can know the flooding frequency, history, and depths.”

Diehl said several local municipalities are involved in the Community Rating System (CRS). By meeting CRS requirements, a municipality can achieve a specific class designation which in turn gets the resident of that municipality an automatic flood insurance rate discount through the National Flood Insurance Program, which is not applicable to the privatized flood insurance market.

The group discount is available in Lewisburg and Selinsgrove for $700, and in Danville and Bloomsburg for $600. Interested Milton homeowners can contact Doug Diehl at 570-742-8759 or ddiehl@miltonpa.org or SEDA-COG’s Geralee Zeigler at 570-524-4491 ext. 7218 or gzeigler@seda-cog.org.

Homeowners in Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Danville, and Bloomsburg 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/.