West Chester, Pa (November 1, 2024) – Five projects that improve municipal services, support outdoor recreation, expand access to healthcare, and invest in educational opportunities were awarded $3.8 million in total state funding, state Senator Carolyn Comitta announced today.
“Strong municipal services and public works, access to world-class healthcare, top-notch educational facilities and programs, and extensive opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of the outdoors – these are all part of our excellent quality of life in Chester County. As state Senator, I continue to support investments in these community assets, so they can be enjoyed by all people now and for generations to come” Comitta said.
The funds, which were awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), are as follows:
- $1 million to East Fallowfield Township for a new municipal complex. The township has already conducted a feasibility study on the complex, which will combine the police department and administrative offices. The funds will support construction and related activities, including land development, site work, highway occupancy permitting, and an extension for the public water and sewer. Funding will also help purchase equipment for the new municipal complex, like access control, security, and furniture.
- $1 million for Paoli Hospital to add more patient rooms by renovating an existing medical building into a patient care unit. The project, which will result in additional patient rooms, is part of is a short-term strategy to accommodate increased inpatient volume. Longer-term campus master planning is underway with a focus on further increasing inpatient bed capacity at Paoli Hospital to meet the current (and growing) demand.
- $800,000 for West Whiteland Township to support the construction of the township’s new public works facility.
- $500,000 for the Chester County Intermediate Unit for the construction of the Child and Career Development Center’s new Great Valley campus. The new campus, situated on 22 acres in East Whiteland Township, accommodate 190 students from across the county. It is being designed to accommodate students with multiple disabilities, including physical and emotional challenges. It will include specialized gymnasiums, therapy centers, classrooms, emotional support, and physical support areas, including outdoor all-abilities playgrounds and recreation areas. Construction on the campus broke ground earlier this past summer and is expected to be completed in September 2026.
- $500,000 for Natural Lands to make improvements at the Stroud Preserve in East Bradford. Funds will be used to demolish and reconstruct an aging bridge, construction of a new bathroom facility, repaving, and stormwater management and flood mitigation improvements.
The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program is a state grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.
To receive funding, projects must have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity.
Through her leadership in the legislature, Comitta has brought back tens of millions of dollars in RACP funding to support various community revitalization and economic development projects benefitting the people of Chester County.