News

4 County Rural Broadband Expansion Project ISP Meeting

Posted on December 3, 2020December 15, 2020 by DNS Admin

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

Broadband-RLF-Guidelines-draft Download

RFP-4-County-Rural-Broadband-Deployment-draft Download

SEDA-COG Natural Gas Cooperative and Frontier Natural Resources to provide natural gas to PA Options for Wellness

Posted on November 30, 2020 by DNS Admin

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.

SEDA-COG welcomes new staff

Posted on November 25, 2020 by DNS Admin

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) welcomed new staff in November.

Frankie Hockenbrocht joined SEDA-COG Nov. 24 as a program analyst for the Economic Development department.

Hockenbrocht has over five years of experience in project management, organization, and administrative support. He was the program manager for the Downspout Disconnection Program at the Rock Creek Conservancy in Bethesda, Md. He also was the director of programs and development at the Policy Studies Organization in Washington, D.C., among numerous other positions.

He earned his master’s degree in Public Administration from American University in D.C. and his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Juniata College with a minor in Anthropology. He also has an International Teaching English as Foreign Language Training Certificate.

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 broadband project awarded largest grant in 12 states

Posted on November 12, 2020 by DNS Admin

SEDA-Council of Governments’ (SEDA-COG) four-county broadband project earned the highest POWER grant award in 12 states by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), along with securing or partnering on two other POWER grants.

The ARC recently awarded $43.3 million across 51 projects in 12 states to support economic diversification in coal-impacted communities. More than half of these investments will support recovery-to-work efforts or strengthen broadband infrastructure.

In Pennsylvania, SEDA-COG’s project award also was the highest of 12 awarded projects.

SEDA-COG’s broadband effort was awarded $2.5 million for internet expansion to underserved areas in Clinton, Lycoming, Northumberland, and Union counties. This project will reach over 1,500 households, including over 20 businesses. Union County served as the main applicant.

Mike Fisher, SEDA-COG assistant executive director, said the grant award shows how powerful projects can happen with a regional effort.

“We are honored that our efforts earned the largest POWER grant award in the entire multi-state ARC region,” Fisher said. “This shows how vitally important it is for our counties to have better broadband service. It also demonstrates the collective power of our counties working together for the betterment of our communities and businesses.”

The grant will supplement $4 million of SEDA-COG’s revolving loan funds. The selected internet service provider will match these funds with $1.5 million of private investment funds.

SEDA-COG will provide funding through reimbursable grants and low-interest loans to incentivize an internet service provider to expand internet service into unserved and underserved rural regions of the four counties where traditional buildout is otherwise economically infeasible.

OTHER SEDA-COG POWER GRANTS

SEDA-COG also is part of a statewide broadband initiative in a separate grant and is a partner in a workforce grant.

SEDA-COG was awarded a $108,125 ARC POWER grant to expand internet service in the Snow Shoe Township area in Centre County. SEDA-COG will match the ARC POWER grant with the same amount, offering a $210,000 grant to incentivize internet service providers to provide high-speed internet in the area.

The grant is part of a statewide $1.2 million ARC broadband grant award to the seven Local Development Districts (LDDs) that serve 52 of Pennsylvania’s counties. The LDDs are organizations through which member counties share information, address common concerns, and develop regional responses to critical issues. SEDA-COG is one of the seven LDDs and serves 11 central Pennsylvania counties.

Additionally, SEDA-COG is a partner in a $1,018,500 recovery-to-work POWER grant awarded to the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation (CPWDC) and Geisinger.

SEDA-COG and the PA CareerLink® Business Service Teams will identify employers that are “recovery friendly” and assist other businesses to become recovery friendly to increase their pool of workforce talent. To accomplish this, SEDA-COG will work with their extensive business service provider network to power this initiative through education and information. Geisinger will focus on expanding telemedicine to broaden access to specialized services, like addiction treatment, in underserved rural areas. SEDA-COG will receive $18,500 for its partnership efforts.

Betsy Lockwood, SEDA-COG grants manager, described the void the initiative fills.

“Removing barriers to recovery has been a longstanding issue for people, and workforce issues have plagued businesses. Employers need staff and people need jobs, especially with the effects of the pandemic. By expanding the workforce toward those in recovery, we fill a valuable workforce need while providing someone in recovery a job that can help them remain in recovery,” Lockwood said.

SEDA-COG Board President Rich Ridgway said as an 11-county community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG is recognizing and meeting needs.

“We know the hardships our residents and businesses are facing. We are working hard to alleviate the most acute pressure throughout our counties, particularly with high-speed internet access,” Ridgway said.