Aliquippa, PA – Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin joined Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker, borough managers from Monaca and Ambridge, and other community leaders to discuss Beaver County’s challenges in its fight against blight and how the bipartisan Restore Pennsylvania proposal could help municipalities eradicate blight.

“Aliquippa, Monaca, Ambridge, and other Beaver County communities are yet more examples of the need for Restore Pennsylvania,” Secretary Davin said. “Local officials and community leaders have done their due diligence by adopting ordinances and creating working groups to address blight, but they still need significant funding support. And the only way to do this is through a bold and innovative plan that can provide funding for the costly process of blight elimination. That’s what Restore Pennsylvania is all about.”

Restore Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf’s bipartisan proposal funded through a commonsense severance tax, would invest $4.5 billion over the next four-years in significant, high-impact projects to rebuild Pennsylvania’s infrastructure. It would provide financial resources at the local level to establish land banks and acquire and demolish blighted buildings to create new development opportunities or provide new green space. The funding will be administered by entities established by the legislature as land banks or demolition funds.

Currently, local governments like Aliquippa and Beaver County are unable to fund the demolition or redevelopment of most of their blighted properties by themselves. If passed into law, Restore Pennsylvania would fund blight remediation efforts at a level far beyond any existing funding mechanisms at the local and state levels.

“Every day, we’re working to grow Aliquippa’s economy and make it a better place to live, but the issue of blight is holding us back from our full potential,” said Mayor Walker. “Restore Pennsylvania would provide Aliquippa – and other municipalities in Beaver County that are struggling with blight – with the resources we need to really attack this issue.”

Restore Pennsylvania is a statewide plan to aggressively address the commonwealth’s vital infrastructure needs. Funded through a commonsense severance tax, Restore Pennsylvania is the only plan that will help make Pennsylvania a leader in the 21st century.

View the full Restore Pennsylvania plan here.

For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Michael Gerber, DCED, 717.783.1132

http://Wolf Administration and Beaver County Leaders Discuss How Restore PA Could Help Region Battle Blight