EMPORIUM — A grant of more than $30,000 has been awarded to the Cameron County Industrial Development Authority to be used in a façade improvement program in the Emporium Borough.
State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, announced last week that a grant of $31,150 is being awarded through the Keystone Communities program. Keystone Communities is designed to encourage partnerships between public and private sector entities in the community to support local initiatives to grow and stabilize communities, ensure economic diversity and enhance the overall quality of life for residents, according to the announcement.
Cameron County IDA Director Cliff Clark confirmed that the grant will be combined with money already pledged by several agencies and governmental bodies, including the Emporium Borough, the Sylvan Heritage Council, the IDA and Act 13 funds pledged by the Cameron County Commissioners. In total, about $86,000 has been raised for the façade program, which will be stretched further due to a required 25-percent match from the property owners of improved buildings.
Clark believes that the projects will probably cost less than $10,000 each, and it is therefore likely that the funds will cover improvements at eight or ten properties. Not all projects have been determined yet, and applications are still being accepted. The façade program is open to any storefront business in the borough, with priority given to those located on Fourth Street and East Allegheny Avenue.
At each property, the scope of the work must first be determined, and then bids will have to be solicited. It will be difficult to determine how many projects will be completed until the majority of them have been bid and costs per project calculated. More information is expected as the process continues.
The Sylvan Heritage Council is spearheading this initiative, partnering with the IDA to administer the state funding. The program is part of a ten-year effort by SHC members to beautify downtown Emporium.
County commissioners pledged funds toward the project about one year ago when the IDA and SHC announced their efforts to secure the grant. The application process was completed in the spring, but the grant awards could not be made until a finalized state budget was passed and funding released.
