New regional ‘hub’ wants to utilize federal funds for area needs | News

Organizers said the hub will roll out gradually over the next month, providing direct, hands-on support and technical assistance to municipalities, school districts, and nonprofits in a 10-county region including Indiana, Armstrong and Westmoreland, to utilize funding under the federal Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“The SWPA Municipal Project Hub will harness the power of this once-in-a-generation investment of funding from the federal government,” Hess said, “that is designed to meet communities like those in Indiana County where we are in the journey to meet workforce, economic development and community revitalization needs.”

Sharpsburg, Allegheny County, Mayor Brittany Reno is CEO of the hub, who grew up exploring the cornfields and creeks of her father’s family’s multi-generational dairy farm in Butler County after spending her early childhood living in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Organizers of Tuesday’s Brackenridge event said Reno understands the daily challenges small towns across Pennsylvania face and the transformative impact these federal investments can have to rebuild our main streets, create good-paying jobs in clean industries and reduce energy bills for residents.

Hess drew on her experiences as first vice president of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania and chair of the Indiana County Sustainable Economic Development Task Force, started in 2017 and planning a seventh annual Sustainability Summit this fall.

She said the task force has sought to identify assets and gaps, and asking these questions:

• What can we do to attract economic development to our rural counties and towns?

• Can we guarantee good jobs and healthy communities in the new sustainable economy?

• How can we use existing assets to ensure that our communities can once again thrive?

Those gathered in Brackenridge Tuesday said they are working to collaboratively draw down record amounts of historic federal infrastructure and sustainable economic development funding to reinvest in area communities and create family-sustaining jobs, by partnering with local leaders who want assistance creating impactful projects in their communities.

“The Shapiro administration is working to leverage as many federal dollars as possible to invest in clean energy and cement Pennsylvania’s place as an energy leader,” said Brian Regli, director of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Office of Critical Investments.

The Heinz Endowments provided start-up funding for the hub as part of a broader commitment to foster equitable economic development and lasting positive change in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“We know that many towns, school districts and nonprofit organizations across southwestern Pennsylvania don’t have the time, the staff capacity or the resources to go after these opportunities alone,” said Matt Barron, program director for sustainability at The Heinz Endowments.

“The Heinz Endowments investment in the hub will help to build the infrastructure the Commonwealth needs to take full advantage of the tax credits available under the Inflation Reduction Act,” Regli said. “This forward-looking program will help local governments find and apply for clean energy investments, and we look forward to partnering with them to potentially bring hundreds of millions more in federal resources to Pennsylvania.”

Project Hub services will include project conceptualization, visioning, technical research, capacity, and relationship-building support, in a bid to position southwestern Pennsylvania communities to efficiently, strategically, and competitively apply for transformative federal grant opportunities.

More details about the SWPA Municipal Project Hub are available at the www.swpahub.org website.