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For Immediate Release
June 24, 2009
Contact: Arnie Kriner
(570) 322-6457 or 1-800-443-5772

Local Organizations and Fire Companies Benefit from State Funding 

(WILLIAMSPORT)  Several area organizations and local fire companies have been awarded grants and low-interest loans from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) to undertake improvement projects and purchase new equipment, according to Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock. 

The following grants have been approved by DEP: 

The Bradford County Conservation District, $169,000 to be used to restore damaged flood channels throughout the county; 

N & T Transport and Excavating, $26,338 to be used in the preparation of the Sayre Levee Access Roads in Sayre Borough; 

Penn Township, Lycoming County, $500 for the reimbursement of eligible expenses for performing the sewage enforcement provisions of Act 537; 

Union County, $1,258 for the reimbursement of the costs of developing and operating a household hazardous waste collection event at the White Deer Township Recycling Center last October; and  

Brooklyn Township, Susquehanna County, $36 based on collecting 6.2 tons of recyclable materials in 2007.  

"Two district volunteer fire companies received word that they have qualified for low-interest loans from the PEMA," Yaw said.  "These organizations are crucial to keeping our communities safe, and I am pleased that they can use the funding to upgrade their equipment." 

The Wysox Township Volunteer Fire Company, Bradford County has been approved for a $54,596 loan to assist in the refinancing of debt incurred for a 1996 Southern Coach HME Chassis, and 

The Citizens Hose Company in Jersey Shore has been approved for a $38,555 loan for the refinancing of debt incurred through the purchase of a 2008 Ford E-450 MedTech Ambulance.  According to PEMA, these funds are contingent upon release of another grant that has been previously awarded to the department. 

"These grants and low-interest loans, even those that are small, provide important revenue sources to these organizations, so that they can help make needed improvements to our infrastructure and protect our communities," Yaw said.  "I’m pleased that state government is working with our local organizations to make these projects possible.  As always, my district office staff stands prepared to assist local organization in identifying and guiding them through the grant and low interest loan program."