Pittsburgh, Pa. – January 23, 2018 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa announced the award of $10 million to Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) Southwestern Pennsylvania Growth Fund to transform a former industrial mill in Hazelwood into a research facility for Carnegie Mellon University.
“What was once a successful, productive steel mill will soon see new life as a research center,” Costa said. “I am proud to support funding this project because it respects the industrial history of Pittsburgh and celebrates its new position as a leader in research and higher education.”
RIDC was awarded a $4 million ‘Business in Our Sites’ grant, and a $6 million loan from the same program. The loan portion of the award is financed at an interest rate of three percent, paid back to the state over a period of 20 years.
The project will aid the effort to redevelop the massive, abandoned mill. Mill 19B at Hazelwood Green, where the research facility will be, comprises 12.6 acres and is one of three remaining structures from its original use as a steel mill. The research center is part of phase one of this project; phase two will include the development of office space, garages, lab and workshop spaces that will meet LEED gold standards.
The funds will be used for sitework, excavation, utilities, landscaping, renovations, construction, updated HVAC and engineering. In total, the project will cost $24 million. RIDC will contribute more than $700,000 and secure nearly $9 million in private financing.
The redevelopment is expected to create 200 jobs.
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Pittsburgh, PA – January 3, 2018 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa today decried a move by the federal government to rescind state protections for medical marijuana programs.
“Pennsylvania went through a very thorough process backed by expert testimony, public support, and legal review to pass legislation enabling the use of medical marijuana here,” said Senator Costa. “The Trump Administration’s move to undermine our policy will prevent children and adults with serious medical conditions from getting the treatment they deserve – that they fought and waited for for far too long.”
Today, Attorney General Sessions rescinded a decade of Justice Department guidance on the treatment of medical marijuana by federal law enforcement. The rescission is likely to threaten the newly enacted Medical Marijuana Act that has received widespread acclaim.
The Obama Administration’s Justice Department provided several memos, including one known as the Cole Memo, that largely freed states to make their own regulations on medical marijuana. The Cole Memo, issued in 2013 by then-Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole and in light of the rise of state medical marijuana laws, clarified that the federal government would focus its limited prosecutorial resources only on the most serious priorities related to criminal marijuana activity including keeping marijuana out of states where it was not legal, away from gangs and cartels, and out of the hands of children.
States, citizens and businesses have been acting in good faith under that guidance for years, continuing to protect against diversion of state-authorized marijuana across state borders and illegal trafficking of marijuana.
Rescission of the Cole Memo, among others, further jeopardizes our financial institutions working with new medical marijuana businesses, institutions which have been operating lawfully under Treasury Department guidance based on the Cole Memo. Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C. have enacted some form of medical marijuana laws that are now potentially undermined by the guidance.
“Pennsylvania is on the precipice of operating one of the most successfully designed medical marijuana programs in the country,” Costa said. “We cannot turn back now; The Senate Democratic Caucus has been at the forefront of the campaign to create this program, and we will remain at the forefront to protect it.”
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Pittsburgh, PA – January 3, 2018 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and State Representative Ed Gainey announced $475,000 in state support today to rehabilitate the Ardmore Linear Park in Wilkinsburg.
“I’m pleased to have worked with the Borough of Wilkinsburg to secure this funding,” said Senator Costa. “The rehabilitation of this park is a worthy project that will bring together community organizations with local government.”
The Ardmore Wall Linear Park stretches along the existing 950 linear foot portion of land burdened with the deteriorating 8-foot-tall concrete wall along Ardmore Boulevard between Penn Avenue to Franklin Avenue in Wilkinsburg Borough. The proposed improvements will repair and replace the sidewalks and handrails; provide proper storm water drainage, to help manage storm water, and renovate the green space, landscaping, and streetscape accents. The improvements will also increase overall safety by upgrading aging infrastructure and increasing pedestrian and commuter safety on the roadways connected to the project area.
The Linear Park is one of 22 projects that were approved today through the Keystone Communities program, for a total of $5.4 million in state investment.
“A solid public-private partnership is crucial to any community revitalization effort, so this infusion of state funding for Ardmore Linear Park is a testament to the success of our team-building approach,” Representative Gainey said. “We’re jointly positioning Wilkinsburg for a brighter future, and that’s something we should all be proud of.”
Keystone Community projects encourage community-based organizations, public agencies, business leaders, private developers, financial institutions, and private citizens to work in partnership with local government to develop a comprehensive approach to address community development and housing needs.
The goal of these partnerships is to create more attractive places to live and will encourage business and job expansion and retention in Pennsylvania.
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Pittsburgh, PA – December 29, 2017 – Democratic Leader Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) announced more than $2.5 million in funding to local businesses in the Oakland-based Keystone Innovation Zone.
“We need to retain the bright, young college students who are educated in Pennsylvania – and one way to do this is by boosting the businesses that will hire them,” said Senator Costa. “Keystone Innovation Zones support burgeoning businesses on the cutting edges of their fields. The tax credits they get from the state allow them to hire our local college graduates and cover their business expenses.”
In the Greater Oakland KIZ, 18 startups were awarded more than $1 million in credits, including companies like Gecko Robotics Inc. in Point Breeze, Mine Vision Systems Inc. in East Liberty, NoWait in Oakland and others. Nearly $1.5 million went to 25 businesses in the Pittsburgh Central zone, including: Birdbrain Technologies, LLC in Uptown, Downtown-based Showclix, Inc., RoadRunner Recycling, Inc. and others.
The Keystone Innovation Zone Program is designed to support and encourage entrepreneurship in and around Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities, several of which are in the Pittsburgh-area, by providing young companies with the capital they need to meet their growing needs. The program provides tax credits for companies in information technology or advanced manufacturing that have been in operation for less than eight years, with gross revenues that have increased over the prior year, and are located within the specified zone.
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Hazelwood Green, Susquehanna Street Phase II among local projects funded
Harrisburg – Dec. 22, 2017 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said the $7 million in state grants released today for a variety of local projects will generate jobs, improve the local economy, rehabilitate property and add quality units to important housing initiatives.
“The grants released today will add to our region’s quality-of-life,” Costa said. “The economic development aspects of the projects will not only add jobs, but will help leverage additional investment.”
The approved grants go to projects in Pittsburgh, Munhall and Homestead. The funding is being made available through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). The program funds economic initiatives, cultural and historical projects and local development initiatives.
The projects include:
- $1 million for Hazelwood Green project that includes site work, excavation and other site development work leading to the construction of a new research and development facility;
- $2 million to aid the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s acquisition of the Homewood Coliseum site and preparation of the facility for future development;
- $1 million for Best of Batch Foundation to build a state-of-the-art educational complex in Munhall which will be adjacent to the Clubhouse. Features of the project include a basketball court, walking track, cyber café, classrooms, multi-purpose rooms and meeting spaces;
- $500,000 for the Penn Film Group’s multi-media studio interior renovations, including a green screen studio, editing and computer animation;
- $1 million for the redevelopment and conversion of the first floor of the former Homestead Bakery into five commercial spaces;
- $500,000 to help fund the Susquehanna Street Phase II project in Homewood. Funds will be used for land acquisition, blight remediation, utility work, streetscape improvements, pedestrian and bike paths will be integrated into bioretention area to connect Braddock Ave. to the East Busway;
- $500,000 Center for Victims to move to a larger space on the Pittsburgh’s South Side. The new building will have a state-of-the art security system, voice infrastructure and furnishing and equipment for special services, training and therapeutic modalities;
- $500,000 to the Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged for upgrades to the courtyard in the Charles Morris Nursing Home, plus the creation of new resident-centered kitchen and dining areas to promote independence and socialization, as well as for renovations to memory care space at Weinberg Village.
Costa said that he was pleased Gov. Tom Wolf worked with the members of the General Assembly to fund important local projects. He said it was critical that state dollars are available to help complete critical community development projects and economic initiatives.
“To grow our economy and create jobs, we need to make sure we invest in projects that contribute over the long haul,” Costa said. “The projects approved today will not only help build our communities today but will result in sustained growth.”
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Harrisburg – Dec. 22, 2017 – The state Department of Education has approved $2 million in grant funding to help the Penn Hills School District tackle severe fiscal issues, state Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said today.
Costa, who has been meeting with officials from the district, the state Department of Education, state Rep. Tony DeLuca (D-Penn Hills), parents and others to move special financial help forward, said he was thrilled that the funds have been made available.
“Since the district started experiencing fiscal distress, we have been searching for resources to help them regain strong financial footing,” Costa said. “The funding that was approved for the district will assist at a time of real need.
“I am thrilled that the department took this step, but I realize that our work is not done and that this is simply a step to help protect taxpayers, students, teachers, administrators and all who care about the district’s future.”
The Forest Hills lawmaker said that Penn Hills was eligible for this funding because it was experiencing an exceptional financial situation. He said that he and other policymakers realize that funding streams are only temporary lifelines and that permanent solutions must be pursued.
Costa said he was especially pleased to work with DeLuca, Penn Hills School Board President Erin Vecchio, other members of the board, Superintendent Dr. Nancy J. Hines and interested parents and taxpayers to try and chart a responsible financial course that will help the district.
“We must do more to help Penn Hills address its financial situation and move it toward solid financial footing,” DeLuca said. “Senator Costa and I are committed to examining all state revenue streams to help the district and its taxpayers deal with the extreme financial situation.”
Costa said that he was planning to meet with state education officials again in January to explore other funding options and resources.
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