Grants awarded: $800,000 to Harmar and O'Hara firm
Share with others:
Two North Hills towns will receive an infusion of more than $800,000 in state economic development grants.
On behalf of Harmar, the Allegheny Valley North Council of Governments was awarded $500,000 toward the cost of realigning the Rich Hill Road intersection with Route 910.
And, Converteam Naval Systems Inc. -- recently purchased by GE Energy Power Conversion -- in the RIDC park in O'Hara was given $301,129 to help purchase equipment associated with a solar inverter research and development project at its company headquarters.
The Commonwealth Financing Authority board approved the funding in late January. The authority is an independent state agency that administers the state's economic stimulus packages.
Harmar engineer Larry Seiler said the intersection realignment will accommodate an economic development project in the township.
The $1.5 million road project involves relocating the junction of Rich Hill Road with Route 910 so that it will be opposite of Locust Road.
"It will be a plus[-shaped] intersection with a traffic signal,'' said Mr. Seiler of Senate Engineering in Harmar. "It's a better alignment with better access and site distance."
The improvements are needed because of the increased traffic anticipated with the relocation of the Pitt-Ohio Trucking facility, which is moving to a 50-acre site along Rich Hill Road. The terminal will have 100 bays. The company has several locations, including the Strip District and Greensburg. Ground is to be broken this year with completion expected in 2013.
The company is covering the majority of the expenses although the township has agreed to defer $130,000 in property taxes over five years, Mr. Seiler said.
Officials associated with the O'Hara project declined to be interviewed. However, Daniel Russell, president of Naval Systems, sent an email:
"At GE Energy, we are pleased to see that the state of Pennsylvania is investing in [its] local workforce as well as future technologies. The receipt of this additional development money further emphasizes the importance of advancing to the next development stage in solar power generation technologies."
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
