Infrastructure

Significant investment is needed in America's infrastructure - our roads, rail, water and sewer and energy - to remain globally competitive and retain our quality of life. Public private partnerships at federal, state and local levels are essential.

News

Mar 10, 2010 Bankruptcy approved for Westfall in Pike County (The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.)) It was evident to the judge," Mr. Buchanan said. The township is located in a predominantly rural eastern corner of Pike County. The tax hike also required court approval since the township exceeded state millage limits.    more...  
Mar 8, 2010 Lebanon rated among top areas by business publication (Lebanon Daily News) Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton is second in the middle category, with Lancaster 10th.    more...  
Mar 7, 2010 The Next Page: Midsize cities, big ideas (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Streets, public transit, bikeways and connected green space weave the city together. Compared with other cities of its size, Pittsburgh has the highest percentage of daily transit use to its employment centers. Pittsburgh is a world leader in sustainable development.    more...  
Mar 7, 2010 Much of Valley off information highway (The Daily Item) They are essentially filling the waiting queues at the phone companies." Phone companies are required by law to provide service to up to 20 communities at any given time. Baker said each phone company has its own petition form -- one per person. It's unprofitable." Service Electric general...    more...  
Mar 7, 2010 Services, population vary municipal rates (Lebanon Daily News) Instead, it, like every other municipality in the northern reaches of the county, relies on the Pennsylvania State Police in Jonestown for their services. A mill is $1 generated for every $1,000 of assessed value. The rates vary among municipalities. It was the largest tax hike since 1994, when...    more...  
Mar 7, 2010 Hazleton Area budget deficit increases $2M (Standard-Speaker) Local revenue accounts for about $2.1 million of the estimated $5,421,559 special education budget. It would give Hazleton Area the ninth-largest increase in basic education funds in Pennsylvania. Credits can be increased if the business agrees to provide the same amount for two consecutive years.    more...  
Mar 7, 2010 School tax increases likely won't be severe (The Times Leader) But by law they had to either already promise not to exceed a state-set limit on tax increases or produce a preliminary budget. At Northwest, the preliminary budget includes a tax hike close to 13 percent, to 9.936 mills, costing our hypothetical average property owner $163. The Northwest...    more...  
Mar 7, 2010 Pa. casino hotels are A.C.'s new threat (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Rendell signed off on adding table games such as blackjack, craps, and poker at the state's casinos to help balance this year's budget. Last month, Resorts on the Boardwalk announced it was bringing back $2 blackjack tables; last summer, Showboat and Bally's added $10 blackjack tables.    more...  
Mar 6, 2010 Programs that help homeless finally starting to see funding (The Morning Call) ...spend months wading through regulations, waiting for the federal government to approve their plans and putting stimulus work contracts out for bids. Bethlehem, which received $687,480 in homelessness stimulus funding, is just beginning to spend its allocation, with about $39,000 spent so far....    more...  
Mar 6, 2010 Schools brace for loss of feds' cash (The Morning Call) The Easton Area School District is considering an 11.85 percent tax hike that has a citizen panel looking at cutting everything from middle school sports to study halls. And in the Catasauqua Area School District, board members are laboring to trim a 14.7 percent tax increase. That's just a...    more...  
Mar 6, 2010 In micropolitan area development, county ties for second (Republican and Herald) Pottsville's would include surrounding areas, Scarbinsky said. Mooresville, N.C., was rated on top with 20 projects in 2009.    more...  
Mar 6, 2010 Canadian company building in Franklin County (Public Opinion) ...15-year loan at 3.75 percent was approved for the Franklin County Area Development Corp., on behalf of DeeTag Ltd. The company, based in London, Ontario, manufactures hydraulic hoses, valves, cylinders and fittings for the global original equipment manufacturer market. DeeTag plans to...    more...  
Mar 5, 2010 Dawson Grange Community Fair Board works to keep event alive (The Daily Courier) The meal includes spaghetti, salad, beverage and dessert. Call Douglas Gardner at 724-736-2933 to order. On May 2, the grange will host a Longaberger basket bingo at the Brownfield Community Center. The state reimbursed the grange $5,700, and the Department of Community and Economic Development...    more...  
Mar 5, 2010 Nutter presents 2011 budget with sugar tax, trash fee (The Philadelphia Inquirer) He mentioned each member by name, and he praised specific accomplishments of each Council person. Last year, only 46 pools were open. Wage- and business-tax cuts, which had been tabled when the economic crisis struck, are slated to be restored in 2014.    more...  
Mar 5, 2010 KU FACING BUDGET TEST (Reading Eagle) The state provided $7,000 per student a decade ago, but now gives only about $5,000 per student. An absence of federal stimulus money in years to come. The university is receiving $3.4 million in stimulus funds this year and next year.    more...  
Mar 5, 2010 UPJ names Distinguished Alumni Award winner (The Tribune-Democrat) In the early 1979, he returned to Honduras, where he currently resides. In 1983, he started Proyecto Aldea Global, which employs more than 165 people distributed among seven regional offices. Our work over these past 39 years has been fun, challenging, and very rewarding, as is this...    more...  
Mar 4, 2010 Ground broken for Edgewater housing development in Oakmont (The Valley News-Dispatch) He said Oakmont is well-respected in the region. And, Corna said, Edgewater won't be a separate enclave but an extension of the community.    more...  
Mar 2, 2010 Pa., N.J. fare poorly in public-health spending (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Since then, many states have slashed budgets in response to lower tax revenues in the recession. Gov. Rendell's health department budget was down 12 percent for the current fiscal year, with a smaller cut proposed for the year that begins July 1, according to numbers from Harrisburg. New...    more...  
Mar 2, 2010 Airport, business airpark for sale in West Deer to satisfy debts (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Airport and its adjacent 263-acre RockPointe Business Airpark in West Deer are up in the air, as the properties are for sale, the owner said yesterday. Rock Airport of Pittsburgh LLC sought protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Pittsburgh in April 2009. The properties could be...    more...  
Mar 2, 2010 Marriage of transit, real estate development pressed (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Transit from Oakland to Downtown could be an extension of the light rail system, or an extension of a people-mover from Oakland through Uptown, the Hill District or the Second Avenue corridor. The county is seeking comments from developers through April, and will use those comments when asking...    more...  
Mar 1, 2010 Pa. and N.J. among lowest in federal health spending (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Pennsylvania got $14.86 per capita, ranking it 47th of the 50 states. Delaware got $27.26, No. 8. State treasuries nationwide budgeted a median of $28.92 per capita for health in fiscal year 2009, the report said. New Jersey's budget for the Department of Health and Senior Services was slashed...    more...  
Mar 1, 2010 Planner wants delay on Exeter Wal-Mart (The Times Leader) ...community development objectives to be included in a borough zoning ordinance on which a planning consultant with the borough engineer has been working. Jack Varaly, a planning consultant with Pasonick Engineering, recommended in a memo that council vote against the proposed amendments...    more...  
Mar 1, 2010 Nutter preparing a 'challenging' budget (Philadelphia Daily News) Citizens responded with outrage in late 2008 when Nutter announced a plan to close 11 libraries and shutter some fire equipment to help close a budget gap. Nutter spoke last week about preserving services that citizens value. Council bristled and also took umbrage with Nutter's plan to balance...    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 Textbooks, tuition up in schools budget (Standard-Speaker) Ryba said district employees work to repair as many damaged desks as possible, but that schools generally budget for about 10 new desks per year.    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 Carbon seeking another grant for Packerton Yards (Standard-Speaker) Ed Rendell, and received several other grants, including $631,958 in gaming revenue, with the assistance of state Rep. The county also has applied for an additional $599,543 in gaming money, and expects to receive it, O'Gurek said. In addition, U.S. Rep.    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 Will layoffs heal Hanover Hospital? (The Evening Sun) They also are more likely to be hospitalized for preventable conditions, are less likely to manage chronic care and are less likely to seek preventative care, the report states. It also cut hours and salaries -- Kyriacou's alone was cut by 10 percent, he said.    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 CEOs offer insight on nation's financial health (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Some believe the economic recovery may take some time. Government spending cannot pull an economy out of a recession. While the global economic recovery remains gradual, PPG is well-positioned.    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Mark Guydish column (The Times Leader) Ultimately, this is arbitrary. Since Recovery.org does not give recipient data readily sorted by municipality, I sorted by ZIP code. For starters, I couldn't find populations for five zip codes on the U.S. Census Bureau Web site. I tallied population for 46 munis that would fit in the arbitrary...    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 Crumbling: The bumpy bottom line (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Ravenstahl mounted a paver to proclaim that the city would resurface 50 miles that year. Costa said the 2nd Division got less city asphalt because the state tended to do more paving in that area. Since then, the city has been buying asphalt from New Castle-based Lindy Paving Inc. Mr.    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 A push for better workforce training (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Last month, it opened the STEM Center, 105,000 square feet of science, engineering, and math laboratories and classrooms.    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 Landmarks foundation sees potential in hard-hit communities (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Homeowners did, too. That was decades ago, yet many storefronts and homes in the borough remain empty. In 1966, it established the Revolving Fund for Preservation with a $100,000 grant from the Sarah Scaife Foundation. Dick Scaife, representing the Sarah Scaife and Allegheny foundations, gave...    more...  
Feb 28, 2010 Local start-up thriving in spite of slowed economy (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Today, Vigano's company, Circuits LLC, employs 12 people. "Starting a new manufacturing business in Western Pennsylvania during a recession may sound far fetched to a lot of people. It sure got me a few raised eyebrows and polite smiles," said Vigano.    more...  
Feb 27, 2010 Councilman (The Times Leader) The city received the property values late from the county because of the county's own budget problems. The exact figures were not available. "We don't expect any service cuts," Lombardo said. "We don't expect any tax increases. We are going to do everything in our power to keep the city...    more...  
Feb 27, 2010 North Side group gets $4.6M to redevelop several buildings (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) The fund has seven years to repay the federal money. The remaining $600,000 will help the conference purchase the Vinial Street building housing the Penn Brewery. Tom Pastorius, who founded the brewery, never owned the building.    more...  
Feb 27, 2010 $550K grant will connect roads via bridge in Washington Township (Public Opinion) Terry Punt, Gladhill said: "This is a grant that Sen. Alloway kept it on the front burner for the township. Business and government leaders from across the county and state attended the event, along with a representative from the office of Congressman Bill Shuster, according to Gladhill.    more...  
Feb 27, 2010 Erie school, county, business leaders hear community college update (Erie Times-News) ...said Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership President Jim Dible. "There are jobs that go unfilled in Erie County because employers are not able to find the skilled work force that they need," Dible said. The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership launched Rethink Erie after...    more...  
Feb 27, 2010 Erie's casino: Three years and a countdown toward table games (Erie Times-News) Steavens grabbed a seat at a $3 virtual blackjack machine at Presque Isle Downs and Casino. Steavens was lucky to get one of the five spots Tuesday morning. He has waited as long as two hours on weekends. But soon Steavens, 33, and other gamblers will be able to take their seats not at a slot...    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 York moving forward on new zoning rules (The York Dispatch) It's going to be what guides the development of their neighborhoods for the next 20 years.    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 Indiana County broadband impact uncertain (The Blairsville Dispatch) PennREN project. "Should it not be their intent to deliver service, I would be very disappointed then that Indiana County and Armstrong County's proposal was rejected," Ruddock said, "because we feel we had a way to deliver that service." Ruddock said the counties have the option of submitting...    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 Christie proposes cut in unemployment benefits (The Philadelphia Inquirer) ...[unemployment insurance] fund." New Jersey AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech said businesses had received four unemployment tax cuts since 1998, worth billions of dollars. Recently, he said, the state, under Gov. Jon S. Corzine, diverted $300 million from the general fund to the...    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 Christie proposes cuts to N.J. unemployment benefits (The Philadelphia Inquirer) ...fund." But New Jersey AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech said businesses have received four unemployment tax cuts since 1998, worth billions of dollars. Recently, he said, the state, under Gov. Corzine, diverted $300 million from the general fund to the unemployment insurance fund to...    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 Eachus (Standard-Speaker) I've never seen trouble like that in my time in office." Eachus said the state was faced with a $3.2 billion budget shortfall.    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 Erie School District looks at sponsoring community college (Erie Times-News) That idea and the idea of a community college might meet," Horton said. There is room for the proposed community college at Central Career and Technical School, Barker said.    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 County money move is 'irregular,' but legal (Republican and Herald) Tingley. County solicitor Eric M. Mika and the commissioners said they acted only after extensive legal review, internal and external. Mika said he asked for a legal opinion from Pottsville attorney Martin J. Cerullo and also consulted with state officials. He said Cerullo's written opinion...    more...  
Feb 26, 2010 Lame duck Rendell stumps for Pennsylvania tax increase (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Ed Rendell decry a business tax structure that lets 71 percent of companies in Pennsylvania skip out on the tax. The next year, a sharp increase in state pension obligations will push the deficit to $5.6 billion, Rendell said. Discretionary spending accounts for just $5.5 billion of the state's...    more...  
Feb 25, 2010 Signed Harrisburg, Pa., budget awaits decision by mayor (The Patriot-News) He is being paid $44 an hour, according to information obtained through a Right to Know request.    more...  
Feb 25, 2010 NEPA infrastructure projects await fed money (The Times Leader) The department has been devoting much of its funding to repair and rehabilitation projects with little left for new construction. The Cross-Valley bridge project would cost $15.5 million and stimulus funds would pay for most of it. John said. He, too, stressed transportation funds would be...    more...  
Feb 24, 2010 AHEAD drops out of York Business Academy (The York Dispatch) ...students seeking their MBAs, members of the college's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization and local businesspeople. The coursework is meant to serve as "Business 101" for budding entrepreneurs, said Kevin Schreiber, the city's director of economic development and acting director...    more...  
Feb 24, 2010 Oakland transit line explored (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) This is going to happen, one way or another," he predicted Tuesday. The county Transportation Action Partnership, an outgrowth of a panel created by Mr. Onorato four years ago, has established a website, www.pittsburgh-oaklandconnector.com, with project background and demographic information for...    more...  
Feb 24, 2010 Planners question shared zoning (The Tribune-Democrat) There was some horse-trading going on, because neither municipality has it all.    more...  
Feb 24, 2010 State writes off $84,000 loss on grant (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Chappel closed out the grant, he had spent about $243,000. Chappel said part of the $84,000 comprised reimbursements requested by Gravity Web Media for payments to three consultants. Mr. Rossell said he did not draft those documents. Mr.    more...  
Feb 23, 2010 AHEAD drops out of York Business Academy (The York Dispatch) ...students seeking their MBAs, members of the college's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization and local businesspeople. The coursework is meant to serve as "Business 101" for budding entrepreneurs, said Kevin Schreiber, the city's director of economic development and acting director...    more...  
Feb 23, 2010 Franklin County's townships hope to qualify snow emergency funds (Public Opinion) In addition, the borough also just ordered 100 tons of anti-skid materials. "It's going to put a dent into us, that's for sure. Stonehill said the final numbers on the most recent two storms are not completed and will be finished by Wednesday, with the numbers being submitted to the county and...    more...  
Feb 23, 2010 Nutter scales back public input on budget (The Philadelphia Inquirer) But if those assumptions were chancy last year, they are even more uncertain this year. I think his administration did that well last year.    more...  
Feb 23, 2010 Stimulus highway projects to begin in spring (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The interchange of City Avenue, Lincoln Drive, Kelly Drive, and Ridge Avenue carries about 100,000 vehicles daily. The project will replace two bridges on ramps over Kelly Drive, the bridge carrying Lincoln Drive over Ridge Avenue, and a bridge on the Lincoln Drive ramp to southbound City Avenue....    more...  
Feb 23, 2010 Siemens to refund $468,750 to state (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Tartibi said the decision last spring to restructure the remaining fuel cell business came as a last resort, following an unsuccessful nine-month effort to sell the business. Siemens plans to continue to evaluate the fuel cell business, he said. In the bigger picture, Mr. Tartibi noted in his...    more...  
Feb 23, 2010 Budget input's on Nutter's menu in kitchen-table sessions (Philadelphia Daily News) The visit to Divers' home was the first of several "kitchen table" sessions. In response, city officials participated in four community budget workshops around the city before Nutter gave his budget address.    more...