September 24, 2020
BUCKS COUNTY – September 24, 2020 – State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and Representatives Perry Warren (D-31) and Wendy Ullman (D-143) announced $320,000 in Community Conservation Partnership Program grants through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
Newtown Borough will receive $70,000 for the development of the Bird-in-Hand property.
“The funds going to Newtown Borough to develop the Bird-in-Hand property will benefit the community by increasing accessibility to the area through the creation of pedestrian walkways, while also making improvements to the grounds that will highlight the historic home and lot,” said Sen. Santarsiero. “The partnership between the borough and the Commonwealth to preserve this property shows the commitment of both Newtown Borough and the state to developing outdoor community spaces for all to enjoy.”
“This historic property is a Newtown treasure,” said Rep. Warren. “Borough Council creatively structured a plan to purchase, protect and preserve the Bird-in-Hand lot, and this state grant helps the Borough improve this historic property for the benefit and enjoyment of our residents and for generations to come.”
Doylestown Borough will also receive $250,000 for the development of the Broad Street Gateway Park.
“Last week I had the honor of participating in the groundbreaking for the new municipal complex in Doylestown, which includes the Broad Street Gateway Park development across the street,” said Sen. Santarsiero. “These additional state grant funds for the development of the park is a celebration of open space that will create a beautiful community gathering place in the heart of Doylestown Borough.”
“Parks are centers of community-spaces where people from all walks of life can enjoy nature and each other’s company,” Rep. Ullman said. “By supporting the development of the Broad Street Gateway Park, this grant money will help transform an unsightly brownfield – the former PennDOT maintenance yard — into a welcoming, green oasis for generations to come.”
For more information on the Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grants, visit the DCNR website.
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May 28, 2020
BUCKS COUNTY – May 28, 2020 – Senators Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and Maria Collett (D-12) were joined by State Representatives Perry Warren (D-31), Tina Davis (D-141), John Galloway (D-140) and Wendy Ullman (D-143) in asking Governor Wolf to issue an executive order permitting personal services businesses, such as barbers and salons, located in counties in the yellow or green phase to reopen with enhanced safety measures.
The letter references a plan for reopening of the personal service industry used in neighboring Ohio, developed by a personal services workgroup at the request of Ohio’s Governor. The Ohio plan includes a list of requirements and best practices for businesses to implement, such as maintaining six feet of social distancing (except between the client and employee when appropriate), requiring employees to wear facial coverings (with some exceptions), requiring businesses to clean high-touch items after each use, and requiring employees to wear gloves and dispose of gloves in between tasks.
“During a productive call with 45 barbers and hair stylists from across the Commonwealth, they shared the process for reopening their industry that is being implemented in Ohio,” said Sen. Santarsiero. “Based on the precautions they recommend, paired with the hundreds of hours of training that licensed professionals in the industry receive in sanitation, sterilization and hygiene, I believe it is time to safely reopen this sector of Pennsylvania’s economy.”
“I have heard from many hair, nail, and tanning salon owners in my district, the majority of these salons being women- and minority-owned, who are ready and able to implement these expanded safety guidelines and return to serving our communities,” said Sen. Collett. “It is important that we continue to generate and propose creative solutions and compromises so that businesses in yellow phase counties can begin to resume operations and rebuild while we continue to protect the public health.”
The full text of the letter to Governor Wolf can be found here.
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August 1, 2019
DOYLESTOWN − August 1, 2019 − State Senators Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and Robert Tomlinson (R-6), with state Representatives Wendy Ullman (D-143) and John Galloway (D-140), announced the award of a $2,000,000 state grant for the YMCA of Bucks County through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), a Commonwealth grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects. The project includes two capital renovations in Doylestown and Fairless Hills.
The Doylestown YMCA branch construction project is a 25,000 square foot expansion that will include a universal locker room with private showers and changing areas for adults with special needs, families with young children and others who require more privacy, and a wellness center expansion and program space that will accommodate donor-supported wellness programs for veterans, cancer patients, pre-diabetics, young people, and more.
The Fairless Hills YMCA branch construction project is a 48,000 square foot complete renovation that will redesign the existing facility including a swimming pool, gymnasium, welcome center, group exercise studios, classrooms, wellness center, and administrative offices.
“I supported the RACP grant request because the YMCA of Bucks County provides residents across our community the ability to grow as individuals and develop lasting connections with their neighbors. I’m especially proud to have the Doylestown YMCA within my district,” Sen. Santarsiero said. “This grant will allow the Doylestown and Fairless Hills facilities to expand upon the exceptional services our community has come to expect from Bucks YMCA staff and volunteers. The YMCA of Bucks truly benefits all residents of Bucks County. That is why I will continue to work closely with my Bucks County colleagues in the state House and Senate – who joined me in supporting the grant for this important project – in discovering other opportunities to support the YMCA of Bucks County.”
“Thank you, Governor Wolf, for releasing these funds to support the development of a beloved community center, the YMCA of Bucks County,” Rep. Wendy Ullman said. “The YMCA provides valuable services to our local community. Helping the YMCA expand its services will ensure the organization can continue its important work.”
“The Fairless Hills YMCA is one of the most respected institutions in Bucks County,” Rep. Galloway said. “This grant will be a tremendous boost to the critically important work being done on behalf of our community.”
“We are so grateful to Governor Tom Wolf, Senators Tomlinson and Santarsiero, and State Representatives from throughout Bucks County for their support,” said Zane Moore, President/CEO of YMCA of Bucks County. “This grant will enable our Y to complete significant capital renovations ensuring we can continue to positively impact the health and wellness of our community and provide programs that benefit special populations.”
RACP projects are authorized in the Redevelopment Assistance section of a Capital Budget Itemization Act, have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact, and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity. RACP projects are state-funded projects that cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.
To learn more about RACP projects and grants, visit the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget website.
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May 6, 2019
HARRISBURG − May 6, 2019 – Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10), announced that state funding for a new municipal complex in Doylestown Borough has been awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). The project has received strong support from Sen. Santarsiero and state Rep. Wendy Ullman (D-143).
The $1.5 million grant for the new municipal complex will be used to acquire and redevelop the existing PennDOT maintenance facility on the corner of North Broad and Doyle streets, and will include a new Doylestown Borough Hall, Central Bucks Regional Police Department headquarters (serving Doylestown, Chalfont, and New Britain), and a new municipal park.
“This state funding helps lift some of the financial cost off local taxpayers and provides Doylestown Borough with additional resources to deliver quality, reliable services to residents,” Sen. Santarsiero said. “I look forward to working with Mayor Strouse, Council President Jack O’Brien, and Chief Karl Knott in developing this and other projects on behalf of the borough.”
“This is an exciting and unique project worthy of participation from a host of stakeholders, including the Commonwealth,” Mayor Strouse said. “Its value to our community is undisputed and its value beyond the community is considerable as well. With this help we will turn a brownfield into parkland, for the enjoyment of all. Using the existing building, we will preserve and repurpose a classic facade while providing essential space for modern community based regional policing, leading to the accreditation of our department, and we will provide environmentally sensitive space for municipal services.”
“The plan for the adaptive reuse of the PennDOT building has been discussed for a very long time,” Doylestown Borough Council President O’Brien said. “As the relocation of PennDOT to the new facility gets closer we have been focusing on being ready to move quickly on the rehabilitation of the old facility. Planning included engineering work as well as the necessary financing for the project. This grant of $1.5 million is a big help in that financing.”
“We are pleased to receive the financial support to deliver a modern and safe police headquarters that will serve the municipalities for decades to come,” Central Bucks Regional Police Chief Knott said. “A new police facility has become vitally important to the operational needs and accreditation of this department.”
The three-year redevelopment project is scheduled to begin in December and will include matching funds from the local level.
RACP is a commonwealth grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects. RACP projects are authorized in the Redevelopment Assistance section of a Capital Budget Itemization Act, have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact, and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity. RACP projects are state-funded projects that cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.
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