SEDA-COG – Page 23 – SEDA Council of Governments

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

SEDA-COG’s 2022 Board Officers Elected

Posted on January 31, 2022 by

Board officers for SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) were elected at the Dec. 7 public meeting.

The 2022 SEDA-COG Board of Directors’ officers will be Mifflin County Commissioner Kevin Kodish, president; Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins, first vice president; Montour County Commissioner Ken Holdren, second vice president; Larry Reisinger of Perry County, secretary; and Dennis Van Benthuysen of Snyder County, treasurer.

The 2021 officers were Juniata County Commissioner Mark Partner, president; Kodish, first vice president; Higgins, second vice president; Reisinger, secretary; and Van Benthuysen, treasurer.

Kodish said he is looking forward to serving as board president in the new year.

“Serving as board president for 2022, I look forward to continued service with our dedicated board of directors and our professional staff. Together, we will continue to administer existing programs and identify new opportunities to encourage and support long-term economic growth. These efforts serve to strengthen the quality of life throughout our 11-county SEDA-COG region.”

SEDA-COG Executive Director Kim Wheeler thanked outgoing board President Mark Partner for his service to the agency.

“Board President Partner has done an exemplary job leading throughout unprecedented times. We deeply appreciate his guidance,” Wheeler said. “We are eager to see what we can accomplish with Commissioner Kodish at the helm.”
Board member appointments and reappointments took place in January. The SEDA-COG board is a 22-member, county-based policy board representing both public and private sectors.

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