Kelly secures $25 million for Community Project Funding requests in 2023 budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) announced he has secured $24.8 million in federal funding for nine local Community Project Funding requests in the FY2023 budget. Rep. Kelly's 2023 projects return triple the funding to the 16th Congressional District following FY2022 projects, which totaled nearly $8.5 million. The projects have been included in their respective subcommittee bills within the House Appropriations Committee. The projects, along with the funding amount, are listed by county below.
Butler:
Karns Crossing Bridge – $6 million
Located between SR 0068 and SR 0422 Section 253 and Hospital Way in Butler and Summit Townships. The project will replace a 12-span bridge that spans over the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad and the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad in addition to the Connoquenessing Creek. The project will also have intersection improvements and replace an existing twin-cell arch culvert. The Karns Crossing Bridge is a critical connector to the Butler Memorial Hospital. Any closure of the bridge due to structural deterioration would close and/or restrict access to the Butler Memorial Hospital. There are 2,953 businesses, and 19,842 persons employed within 3 miles of the project location. The area around the project generates roughly $2,548,026,560 in annual revenue.
Brush Creek Watershed – Amount: $5 million
The Plant requires a certain concentration of pollutants to operate effectively. Cranberry Township's investment to upgrading and upsizing the Plant will improve in-plant flow management, thereby improving the ability of the treatment system to respond to peak weather flows and improve the effluent quality of the discharge. The proposed upgrades will further limit hydraulic overloading, which is key to reducing the possibility of chemical containments or pathogens entering the Brush Creek Watershed.
Harmony Fire Department – Amount: $1.5 million
The Harmony Fire District Station Construction project will build a more centrally located facility that will allow for response to any fire inside the district within 8 minutes. The relocation of the facility is a critical step in ensuring that the 9,000 residents of the fire district are equally provided services and will ensure that all health/safety/welfare for the residents is retained. Currently, the fully volunteer Harmony Fire District serves one of the fastest growing areas and the current location used for the facility does not allow for adequate movement or storage of equipment. This project will construct a roughly 10,000 Sq Ft, facility that will allow for growth as the communities continue to become denser and more diverse.
US 422 Bypass Phase 2 – Amount: $2.5 million
Located along US 422 from Duffy Rd (SR 3039) overpass to Whipporwill Rd (Old Route 422/T-439). Project is for highway surface improvements including patching existing concrete four-lane roadway and overlay with bituminous binder and wearing courses, update drainage and guide rail, replace concrete median barrier, preservation work on structure, and other miscellaneous construction. US 422's current asphalt overlay is fatigued and in need of preventative maintenance work so that the mobility and travel safety is maintained through future life cycles. Included is preventative maintenance paving of SR 8008 ramps between SR 356 and US 422. This project will provide better corridor and highway surface consistency for both the traveling public and corridor truck traffic and will adjoin with the recently completed Butler Bypass Phase 1 project. There are 5,143 businesses, and 34,682 persons employed within 3 miles of the project location. The area around the project generates roughly $2,421,670,640 in annual revenue.
Erie:
Former Erie Malleable Iron Site (EMI) – Amount: $3 million
Extreme industrial blight has plagued the Erie urban core for decades. Disinvestment over the past four decades, specifically, has resulted in negative economic impacts for our community. This will address effects of a toxic hazardous site, in the former EMI, and turn its burden into opportunity for new industry and well-paying, sustainable jobs in Erie County. The renovated spaces will allow for job retention and expansion to take place relatively quickly. Plans are in place to move forward at an expedited rate, and facilities will be move-in ready.
Erie PAL Program – Amount: $500,000
This request is for additional Erie Police Athletic League (PAL), Community Outreach Program (COP), and juvenile unit officer hours and youth program resources during federal fiscal year 2023. Erie PAL and officer-involved juvenile activities are going to be growing more rapidly than ever during 2022. In 2016, after a 40-year hiatus, Erie PAL was restarted as a volunteer-based effort, operating in only one city school with 6 officers and about 30 elementary school children. Now, Erie PAL and COP initiatives have expanded to all 11 City of Erie Schools (elementary, middle, and high school) and 5 community centers with 80 actively participating officers from 4 additional law enforcement agencies. Each week, Erie PAL has contact with 550-600 students for afterschool programs.
Erie Police Vehicle and Tactical Needs - Amount: $319,000
One Police PPV Chevy Tahoe’s Fully Outfitted – This vehicle would be used as front-line police patrol vehicles for Police Patrol Supervisors. Erie Police SWAT Team new Tactical Ballistic Vests and Ballistic Helmets. Current SWAT Ballistic Vests are set to expire, the new vest would equip our SWAT Team with proper ballistic coverage for all tactical situations. SWAT Covers PEMA Region 2 and has mutual aid agreements with PEMA Region 13 in PA. SWAT Team Night Vision that attaches to helmet. This equipment will give SWAT Night Operational capabilities enhancing Tier 1 Status. SWAT Aiming Illuminator this will be used in conjunction with the night vision to project an invisible IR Laser that can only be seen with Night Vision.
Lawrence:
East Washington Street Bridge – Amount: $3 million
This project will replace the bridge located on SR2006, East Washington Street over Neshannock Creek. This project will address the poor condition rating of the bridge. If the bridge were to be posted due to not being replaced and the poor condition worsening, this would cause detours and delays to the local traffic. Closure of this bridge due to a poor rating would impact the freight deliveries and the local traveling public. The bridge facilitates vital socioeconomic activities within the local communities. Data show that within a 1-mile radius of the projects, there were over 21,623 businesses employing over 9,445 people and $606.7 million in local sales. Expanding the radius to 3 miles shows 4,314 businesses with employment over 24,880 and over $1.7 billion in sales.
Mercer:
U.S. Route 62 Railroad Tunnel – Amount: $3 million
A new tunnel will meet current safety and design standards, solving the inadequate size and dangerous highway turns approaching the tunnel. The height at its center is 11' 7", todays trucks require at least 14'. It will prevent loose concrete and winter ice from falling on traveling public, allow free flow of commercial traffic for economic benefit of the area, allow emergency use by traffic being rerouted due to accidents on I-79 and I-80.
Note: A project request for Crawford County was submitted to the Appropriations Committee but was not selected. A full list of Rep. Kelly's requested FY2023 projects can be found here.
BACKGROUND
Congressional leaders resumed Community Project Funding (CPF), formerly known as 'earmarks', for the 117th Congress. With increased transparency and stricter guidelines, lawmakers were permitted to submit specific funding requests during the budget process. Rep. Kelly fielded input from local leaders throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania before selecting these projects. Of the fifteen (15) requests Rep. Kelly was allotted, nine (9) have been included in the FY2023 House Appropriations Subcommittee bills.
Details on CPF rules and guidelines can be found here.
This funding comes after Rep. Kelly secured $8.5 million in Community Project Funding requests in the FY2022 budget. In 2020, Rep. Kelly also delivered two BUILD Grants for the 16th Congressional District, including $25 million for improvements along State Route 228 in Butler County, and $21 million for the City of Erie's Bayfront Parkway Project.