HERMITAGE, Nov. 12 – A $730,000 state grant will fund roadway improvements at the Shenango Valley Mall property in Hermitage as part of an overall project to revitalize the site and create a Hermitage Town Center, state Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer, and state Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Crawford/Mercer/Erie/Warren, announced today.
“This funding is critical because it will ensure that the key infrastructure components are in place to support the planned Hermitage Town Center,” Longietti said. “Having a mixed-use, regional town center as a gathering place for our community is going to be truly transformative. But before the buildings, businesses and amenities can go up, the essential infrastructure needs to be in place.
“The grant announced today will make that happen, by allowing the city to move forward with reconstructing a roadway through the Shenango Valley Mall property that will connect East State Street to North Hermitage Road, installing a new traffic signal and realigning the intersection at McConnell Road and Hermitage School District Drive.”
Brooks added, “This funding was something we all worked very hard for at the state and local levels, knowing how significant it will be to the City of Hermitage. This support will further our efforts to fully develop the Hermitage Town Center Project at the current site of the Shenango Valley Mall.
“I appreciate the opportunity to again work with Gary Hinkson, Gary Gulla and Rep. Longietti in our continued efforts to maximize interconnectivity and move the Hermitage Town Center project forward as well as to enhance local infrastructure,” Brooks said.
Gulla, assistant city manager for Hermitage, noted, “Today’s announcement of assistance in the form of a $730,000 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for the Hermitage Town Center Project provides the city with an additional tool to work in collaboration with the private sector to implement the ‘vibrant city center’ component of the Hermitage 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Throughout the comprehensive planning process, the steering committee and community residents expressed that the enhancement and repositioning of the central business core was by far their highest priority.
The City of Hermitage is very appreciative of the hands-on efforts of Senator Brooks and Representative Longietti to deliver critical resources from Harrisburg to Hermitage to invest in transportation infrastructure and associated facilities consistent with the city center vision.”
Longietti and Brooks said the funding was awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority through the Multimodal Transportation Fund, which encourages economic development and ensures safe and reliable transportation is available to Pennsylvania residents. The CFA provides funding for projects focused on development, water quality, energy infrastructure and more. To learn more, residents may visit this website.
CONTACT: Liane Leshne CONTACT: Diane McNaughton
House Democratic Communications Office State Sen. Michele Brooks
Phone: 717-787-7895 Phone: (717) 787-1322
Email: lleshne@pahouse.net Email: dmmcnaughton@pasen.gov