News – Page 39 – SEDA Council of Governments

SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority Awarded $1.5 Million

Posted on December 20, 2021December 20, 2021 by

The SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) will receive 1.5 million dollars through the PennDOT Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP). The funds will be used to rehabilitate nine railroad bridges on four of the JRA’s railroads operated by the North Shore Railroad group.

The bridges to be rehabilitated are:

• Nittany & Bald Eagle Railroad (NBER) Bellefonte Branch: Benner Township, Centre County

• NBER Mainline Bridge: Worth Township, Centre County

• NBER Mainline Bridge: Union Township, Centre County

• Lycoming Valley Railroad (LVRR) AVIS IT Bridge: Woodward Township, Lycoming County

• LVRR IT Bridge: Muncy Township, Lycoming County

• Juniata Valley Railroad (JVRR) Burnham Branch: Burnham Borough, Mifflin County

• JVRR Maitland I.T: Derry Township, Mifflin County

• JVRR Maitland I.T.: Derry Township, Mifflin County

• North Shore Railroad (NSHR) Mainline: Rupert, Columbia County

*A map of where the rehabilitated bridges are located.*

Gov. Tom Wolf announced the approval of the grant along with 24 other rail freight improvement projects that will enhance freight mobility while creating or sustaining more than 200 jobs across Pennsylvania.

“Keeping goods moving efficiently has proven to be more important now than ever,” said Governor Wolf. “These investments in Pennsylvania’s rail system create jobs, support efficient freight travel and help keep the business community connected to the global economy.”

The SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) is an eight-county joint municipal authority formed in 1983 to preserve essential rail service in central PA. The JRA owns the railroad properties in public trust, which are privately operated by the North Shore Railroad group. For the past 38 years, the JRA has become an engine for high value industrial development.

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

SEDA-COG… Building Strong Economies & Strong Communities

Grant Bolsters Centre County Small Businesses

Posted on December 17, 2021December 17, 2021 by

Through the Centre County Commissioners Small Business Grant, using funds distributed under the American Rescue Plan, over 250 small businesses received assistance totaling $2.7 million dollars.

Businesses in Centre County were able to apply for these funds from July through October of 2021. Funds could help cover operating expenses incurred during 2021. Operating expenses included but were not limited to payroll, rent, mortgage, utilities, costs of goods, supplies, raw materials, etc. The average amount of grant funds awarded was $10,767.44.

SEDA-COG worked with independent contractor, Harry Mathias, for setting up the grant parameters, application, and review. Applicants were selected based on loss of revenue, having fewer than 500 full time employees, and impact felt from the COVID-19 pandemic. SEDA-COG worked in partnership with small businesses and the Centre County Commissioners to ensure they received the support they needed, including handling the accounting and distributing of grants funds.

Kim Wheeler, Executive Director of SEDA-COG says, “The Commissioners of Centre County recognized the need to support a diverse range of small businesses during an extremely trying time. SEDA-COG is grateful for this leadership in the region that had a positive impact on so many businesses and their families. The opportunity to collaborate with our member counties and coordinate this kind of support for the region’s economy is of upmost importance to us.”

“We appreciate SEDA-COG’s assistance in awarding the money so quickly to so many small businesses throughout the 4th largest county in Pennsylvania by area. Without SEDA-COG’s help, disbursement of the small business grant funds would have been delayed,” says Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins.

Commissioner Higgins continued, “The Centre County small business community has been very appreciative of the Commissioners’ assistance. We have actually seen fewer businesses close than usual. Since so many of our businesses survived, our downtowns are now thriving. We also want to thank the citizens of Centre County for strongly supporting their locally owned businesses.”

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 estaude r@seda-cog.org

Request for Quote: Penn Vale Stormwater and Paving

Posted on December 16, 2021January 15, 2022 by DNS Admin

REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS
PENN VALE STORMWATER AND PAVING
Loyalsock Township, Lycoming County

Loyalsock Township proposes to use a recently approved Community Development Block Grant for the Penn Vale Stormwater and Paving Project. The following narrative outlines the major responsibilities of the proposers. These responsibilities include the entire project from design to final inspection. It should be recognized by all proposers that the Scope of Services included herewith might exclude some minor, incidental Engineering responsibilities not currently identifiable.

Quotations shall include the attached “Standard Engineering Estimate” and be submitted to:

Bill Burdett, Township Manager
Loyalsock Township
2501 East Third Street
Williamsport, PA 17701

All quotations shall be sealed and clearly marked on the outside, “Engineering Services Quotation,” and must be received by 10:00 am, prevailing time, January 14, 2022, at which time they will be publicly opened at the Loyalsock Township Municipal Building at 2501 East Third Street, Williamsport, PA 17701.

Questions regarding this quotation should be directed to:

Shannon Rudy, Project Coordinator
SEDA-COG
201 Furnace Road
Lewisburg, PA 17837
shannonrudy@seda-cog.org

Quotations that are faxed or e-mailed cannot be accepted.

Downloads

RFQ Ad Loyalsock Penn Vale

CHIRP Funds Success in Central PA Businesses

Posted on December 13, 2021 by DNS Admin

Throughout the pandemic SEDA-COG has assisted over 300 restaurants and other businesses in the hospitality industry, helping them obtain CHIRP (COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program) funding totaling $7,156,564.19.
Following is the amount of funds awarded and number of businesses receiving grants per county:

Centre: $1,809,992.00, 84 businesses
Clinton: $426,792.00, 20 businesses
Columbia: $717,306.12, 37 businesses
Juniata: $275,973.00, 9 businesses
Lycoming: $1,264,226.00, 54 businesses
Mifflin: $512,576.00, 20 businesses
Montour: $203,080.00, 10 businesses
Northumberland: $994,997.02, 35 businesses
Snyder: $449,268.05, 16 businesses
Union: $502,354.00, 19 businesses

Pennsylvania established CHIRP to allocate $145 million in funding assistance across the state for businesses adversely affected by COVID-19.

Businesses applied to the grant through the Community Giving Foundation website. The applications were then reviewed by SEDA-COG and staff from the CGF. Applicants were selected based on eligibility, those with priority need, date of application, and availability of funds. SEDA-COG then distributed funds to the awarded businesses.

Kim Wheeler, Executive Director of SEDA-COG, says, “These businesses were hit especially hard during the pandemic, and we are thrilled to be able to help them navigate the often-complicated world of government grant opportunities. This grant allows businesses some breathing room to get back on their feet.”

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… Building Strong Economies & Strong Communities