SEDA-COG – Page 22 – SEDA Council of Governments

Promotion in SEDA-COG’s Administration

Posted on March 8, 2022 by

SEDA-COG has recently created a new role within their administration: Chief of Staff. Promoted to that position, is Kristen Moyer. Moyer has worked within SEDA-COG for 30 years and was previously the Director of Community Relations.

Moyer serves the entire organization and each department in this role. Due to her 30-year tenure, she has a great depth of knowledge and understanding of the organization, its partners, and the region’s needs. Moyer began her career at SEDA-COG as a Project Coordinator in Community Development, after which she worked with Procurement Technical Assistance staff helping businesses obtain government contracts. She had been the Director of Community Relations since 2019.

The Chief of Staff will serve as the Agency’s main point of contact and advocate with external partners, lead and manage special projects, and provide oversight and guidance to staff for projects of high importance. In this role, Moyer will remain the primary connection between SEDA-COG and the federal and state legislative offices.

“As my Chief of Staff, Kristen will be utilizing all of her knowledge, experience and gained insights to advise the Executive Team when it comes to external issues and how it affects the organization and its operations. Today’s landscape outside of our walls looks very different than it did 5 or 10 years ago. Having her in this position will allow the organization to more efficiently handle the complex set of circumstances and issues that we contend with. It is wonderful to have Kristen, with such astounding tenure and experience, step up into this important role for the region,” said Kim Wheeler, Executive Director of SEDA-COG.

Wheeler continued, “I look forward to working with Kristen in this new capacity that will help lead SEDA-COG’s strategic direction for the next generations.”

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 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.

For more information, please contact Elaine Stauder, communications coordinator, SEDA-Council of Governments, at 570-522-7429 or estauder@seda-cog.org

SEDA-COG Assists Centre County Restaurant

Posted on February 22, 2022 by

Lori and Jessica Sabatino, co-owners of Alloy Kitchen, LLC, are opening their restaurant’s doors on February 23, 2022, after a year of planning, construction, and patiently waiting for equipment to arrive. They are located in Titan Hollow, a place of enchantment nestled down in Victorian Bellefonte, Pennsylvania at 2042 Axemann Road.

Alloy Kitchen, LLC partnered with SEDA-COG and received a SEDA-COG EDA COVID-19 loan for the purchase of the kitchen equipment for the new restaurant.

“We are very happy to have played a part in this new start-up in the Bellefonte area of Centre County. The SEDA-COG EDA COVID-19 loan program was designed not only to assist existing businesses facing financial hardships due to COVID-19, but to assist individuals who were impacted by the pandemic as well. Lori had been displaced from her restaurant job and this endeavor with Jessica will allow her to continue her passion in the food service industry,” said John Reichard, SEDA-COG Business Relationship Manager.

Lori has been in the food and beverage industry for almost 30 years. Her creativity and passion are apparent in Alloy’s diverse menu which brings familiarity, while also forging something unique. Alloy Kitchen, LLC is a full-service restaurant with take-out sales available. They are partnering with Mad MacIntosh Cidery and Witches Hollow Winery, and Titan Events, who have a large event space and tasting room in Titan Hollow. This space will be available to host events such as weddings, baby showers, holiday parties, birthday parties, and retirement parties. The restaurant will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can check them out on their website (https://titanhollow.com/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Alloy-Kitchen-112767994227295/about/), or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/alloy_kitchen/)

For more information about SEDA-COG’s loans, please contact John Reichard at jreichard@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.

For more information, please contact Elaine Stauder, communications coordinator, SEDA-Council of Governments, at 570-522-7429 or estauder@seda-cog.org.

SEDA-COG Weatherization Receives Additional UGI Funding

Posted on February 14, 2022 by

The Weatherization program at SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) has received additional funding from UGI to help residents of our area not only stay warm this winter, but to prepare their homes for cold weather throughout the year. This program improves energy usage within the entire house at no cost.

The Low-Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP) provides energy saving improvements to qualifying households to help reduce their utility bills and/or usage. This program presents no cost to qualifying UGI customers. It allows residents a safer living environment with a warmer home during the heating season and a cooler home during the summer. After the home energy evaluation, the following conservation services and/or equipment may include: insulation, air sealing, heating system repairs, furnace clean, tune, and safety inspection, door and window caulking and weather stripping, or carbon monoxide and smoke alarms.

SEDA-COG’s coverage includes three different areas of our region: Penn North (PNG), Electric Riders – Penn North, and Central Penn (CPG). PNG covers the following counties: Columbia, Lycoming, Northumberland, Snyder, Montour, and Luzerne. CPG covers Huntingdon, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, and Union counties.

UGI has granted a budget of $567,000 to PNG, $467,500 to CPG, and $10,000 to Electric Riders.

Mandy Fox, chief of SEDA-COG’s Weatherization program, said, “This new funding offers people more opportunities to weatherize their homes and stay prepared for whatever weather comes our way.”

To qualify for LIURP services, residents must meet the following requirements:
• An active UGI residential gas heating or electric account
• 12 consecutive billing periods
• Higher than average gas or electric usage within the past 12 months
o 950 CCFs (UGI GAS)
o 6,000 Kwh (Electric Non-Heating)
o 12,788 Kwh (Electric Heat)
• Gross annual income within the 150% of the Federal Poverty Level
• If renting, written permission from the landlord to proceed

LIURP Household Income
150% Federal Poverty Guidelines 2022-2023

Household Members | Annual Income | Monthly Income | Weekly Income
1 $20,385 $1,699 $392
2 $27,465 $2,289 $528
3 $34,545 $2,879 $664
4 $41,625 $3,469 $800
5 $48,705 $4,059 $937
6 $55,785 $4,649 $1,073
7 $62,865 $5,239 $1,209
8 $69,945 $5,829 $1,345
Above 8 +$7,080/person +$590/person +$136/person

To reach out and get signed up for LIURP, residents can call 800-844-9276, email liurpteam@ugi.com, or visit www.ugi.com/assistance=programs/liurp.

If residents don’t qualify for LIURP services, they may still qualify for SEDA-COG Weatherization’s LIHEAP or Crisis assistance. SEDA-COG’s Weatherization program can be reached at 570-522-7219.

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.

For more information, please contact Elaine Stauder, communications coordinator, SEDA-Council of Governments, at 570-522-7429 or estauder@seda-cog.org

New Hire in SEDA-COG’s Housing Rehabilitation Program

Posted on February 1, 2022 by

SEDA-COG recently welcomed Danielle Rippon as a Program Analyst in their Housing Rehabilitation Program.

Rippon has over fifteen years of experience providing administrative support, managing client data, and supervising accounts payable. She was previously an Administrative Assistant for Shield HealthCare in Valencia, CA. She was also the Electronic Data Lead for DiscoverReady. Rippon is a graduate of Mifflinburg Area School District.

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.

For more information, please contact Elaine Stauder, communications coordinator, SEDA-Council of Governments, at 570-522-7429 or estauder@seda-cog.org