PITTSTON — The Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development approved $286 million in awards through the Statewide Local Share Account (LSA) program on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
In the Greater Pittston area, the City of Pittston was awarded nearly $590,000, Dupont Borough received $100,000, Pittston Township got just over $112,000, and the North East Land Bank was awarded $75,000 for demolition/rehabilitation of blighted properties in Pittston, Dupont, and Plains Twp.
The City of Pittston will utilize $300,000 for an elevator for the future Market & Main/American Theater project and $289,200 for the Main Street Stage project at the Tomato Festival lower level lot.
The future elevator will actually service housing above Fuji Restaurant but will only be accessed from the inside of the new Market & Main complex.
According to City of Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo, the parking lot will be transformed, re-graded, sewer system relocation and a new permanent bandshell will be erected on the east side of the parking lot replacing the outdated portable bandshell.
“The City of Pittston would like to thank Sen. Marty Flynn and State Rep. Jim Haddock for their leadership in securing $664,200 in Statewide LSA funding to be utilized to advance three projects including the Fuji Elevator Project that will facilitate the creation of 4/5 additional downtown loft apartments, the Festival Main Stage Project that will finalize the development of a permanent stage structure to be constructed on the lower Main Street Bob Conroy parking lot and funding for the Northeast Pennsylvania Land Bank to continue their multi-municipal blight remediation work as well as attainable housing accelerator work,” Lombardo said. “Great things can be achieved when all levels of government work together.”
Dupont Borough will utilize the $100,000 to purchase an eight-yard Diamondback rear-loading garbage truck.
Pittston Twp. will purchase equipment for an emergency-management utility vehicle and an emergency generator for the municipal building.
Other Greater Pittston municipalities receiving LSA money are Avoca ($121,735 for a dump truck), Avoca Hose Co. No. 1 ($250,000 for fire station renovations), Duryea Borough ($284,081 for the municipal building roof and parking lot), Exeter Twp. ($200,00 for the Della Lane Stormwater and Roadway Restoration Project), and Laflin Borough ($250,000 for the replacement of a pedestrian bridge).
Although West Pittston was not officially awarded LSA money, they were including in the West Side Council of Governments award of $250,000 for a waste grinder, tar kettle, and bucket truck to be shared with Edwardsville Borough and Forty Fort Borough.
LSA is funded with gaming revenue generated by Pennsylvania casinos. The Statewide LSA program is administered through the Commonwealth Financing Authority, rather than being a conventional DCED competitive grant program directly administered by the department itself.