HARRISBURG (December 6, 2021) – Thiel College, Buhl Recreation Center, and JCL Development in the City of Sharon will be better positioned to grow and give back to the community, due to $1.7 million in state grants obtained by state Sen. Michele Brooks and Rep. Mark Longietti.
This funding, awarded under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), includes the following:
- $500,000 for Buhl Community Recreation Center – F.H. Buhl Club, Sharon City, for extensive building and exterior renovations to enhance space for hundreds of new members.
- $500,000 to Downtown Penn State Shenango’s Community Initiative – JCL Development – Sharon City – for residential and commercial mixed-use space, on the former Carine and Company warehouse site, adjacent to the Penn State Shenango campus.
- $700,000 for Thiel College Academic Center Phase 2 – Greenville Borough, for classrooms and laboratories to expand programs that include the physician assistant program, speech pathology, and other in-demand professions.
“There are so many shared spaces within our community that our residents benefit from, either directly or indirectly,” Brooks said. “They provide jobs, career development, and educational, health and recreational opportunities, along with vital services and programming.”
“These grant funds will build on community and private investment in these areas of our hometowns. We have taken the long view to see how we can connect our communities and our residents together in the long-term for the future,” she added.
“These grants are terrific news for our region because they build on prior investments in ways that keep us growing,” Longietti said. “By helping fund construction of the mixed-use facility adjacent to Penn State-Shenango, the grant to JCL Development will not only expand the foot traffic needed to sustain Downtown Sharon’s developing commercial base, but it will also help create the campus community long envisioned by Penn State-Shenango.
“The grant to Thiel College will help fund Phase II renovations to the Academic Center, which will solidify Thiel’s reputation while meeting regional workforce development needs, by creating laboratories, classrooms and common areas to bolster courses of study in high-demand fields.
“Likewise, the funding to Buhl Community Recreation Center – which complements private investments that allowed the center to expand its facilities – will help make the facility accessible to all members of the community, opening the door to hundreds of new members while providing for increased health benefits for people in our district.”
Brooks added, “I always look forward to working with residents to meet the needs of our local communities. Please contact me to see how we can partner together to enhance our hometowns. We are always looking for projects such as these, which meet not only needs of today, but fulfill a vision for tomorrow,” Brooks said.
CONTACT: Liane Leshne CONTACT: Diane McNaughton
House Democratic Communications Office State Sen. Michele Brooks
Cell: 978-549-1868 Phone: (717) 787-1322
Email: lleshne@pahouse.net Email: dmmcnaughton@pasen.gov