The hard work and forward thinking of the Coal Township Board of Commissioners is paying off.
In 2014, $84,000 in demolition money has been increased by $125,000 thanks to a Keystone Program grant secured by the Housing Authority of Northumberland County. One property's demolition is underway and numerous others are in the planning stages.
In addition, St. Anthony's Parochial School in Ranshaw has been acquired by the township, historically cleared and is scheduled for demolition in the summer of 2015. On top of that, a nice surprise was found in the school with plenty of construction and maintenance items leading to an auction and sale of scrap metal that produced more than $13,000 that will go toward the demolition of the school building.
In the past two weeks, $500,000 in grant funding was secured for renovations to the Quaker Run channel in Ranshaw to alleviate flooding that has ravaged numerous abutting homes, and to top it off, just a few days ago, $188,000 was secured to begin an indoor recreation facility at the rear of the Arch Street Playground to be used in conjunction with another grant already in hand to revitalize the entire playground area with new and safer play equipment.
Lots of construction design will be occurring in the next few months and projects should begin in the spring.
After hours event
Join the Brush Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce and its newest member, Cigar Box, of Coal Township, in a business after hours event from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Please e-mail Whitney Fetterman at wfetterman@censop.com if you will be attending.
(Robert Slaby is Coal Township manager and a member of the chamber's board of directors. Your Chamber is published on the first Sunday of each month.)