Altoona, PA — The Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission (SAP&DC) is proud to announce the award of two major grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), totaling more than $3.7 million. These investments will bolster both industrial expansion in Huntingdon County and outdoor recreation development in Somerset County—advancing job creation, tourism, and long-term economic vitality throughout the Southern Alleghenies region.

Riverview Business Center Expansion Access Project – Huntingdon County

Total Investment: $3,006,209 | ARC Funding: $2,856,162

The ARC has approved $2.8 million in Local Access Road funds for the Riverview Business Center Expansion Access Project to the Huntingdon County Business and Industry, Inc. (HCBI). The funds will be used to make essential roadway and infrastructure improvements along Lenape Drive, including:

• Installation of a traffic signal
• Construction of two 250-foot turning lanes

These upgrades will enhance traffic safety, accommodate the expansion of businesses at the park, and support the creation of up to 250 new jobs.

“We are grateful to our partners, SAP&DC and the Huntingdon County Commissioners, for their support throughout the application process,” said Debra Clark, President of HCBI. “This project has been years in the making, and we deeply appreciate ARC for recognizing its impact. The improvements directly benefit current tenants and open the door for future development—HCBI is currently in talks with three business prospects, and we have four shovel-ready parcels and 45 additional acres available for growth.”

“This is great news for Huntingdon County. As business expands, the highway access improvements will support the safe and efficient flow of traffic to the business park, while also helping to reduce congestion along Route 522,” said Huntingdon County Commissioner Scott Walls. “It’s encouraging to see more businesses choosing to locate and grow here. We remain committed to finding new ways to make Huntingdon County an attractive place for economic development.”.

SAP&DC authored the successful grant proposal and helped coordinate key partnerships between HCBI, Huntingdon County, and local municipalities.

September 11 National Memorial Trail – Garrett Area Improvements Project – Somerset County

Total Investment: $1,860,638 | ARC Funding: $930,319

In Somerset County, ARC has awarded $930,319 for the development of 1,500 linear feet of new trail that will connect the 9/11 National Memorial Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail in the Garrett area. This long-anticipated project will:

• Attract 2,100 additional visitors annually
• Support three new local businesses
• Expand Garrett’s role in the regional trail economy

SAP&DC facilitated the grant application and played a critical role in advancing this priority from concept to reality, as outlined in the 2024 Alleghenies Outdoors report and a recent DCNR-funded trail alignment study.

“The September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance is excited to work in collaboration with Somerset County to develop the 911 Trail,” said Jeffrey McCauley, President of the September 11^th National Memorial Trail Alliance. “This ARC grant award is a great example of how the Alliance and the County can collaborate to achieve large goals.”.

“These two projects are significant,” said Lee Slusser, Director, Planning and Community Development Division. Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission. “A new signalized entrance will help Riverview Business Center businesses create up to 250 new jobs. Meanwhile, the 9/11 Trail project will draw new tourism spending across every community it touches. These awards were only possible thanks to the collaboration of County Commissioners, municipalities, applicants, and the SAP&DC staff. We can’t thank them enough.”

About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Region Commission is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments including Pennsylvania. PA’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) partners with ARC to identify and support projects that will build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in the Appalachian counties of Pennsylvania to reach socioeconomic parity with the nation.

About Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission (SAP&DC)
The Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission (SAP&DC) is a nonprofit regional economic and community development organization dedicated to fostering growth and improving the quality of life for residents across Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset Counties. Through technical expertise, strategic partnerships and forward-thinking investment, SAP&DC helps build a resilient and thriving Southern Alleghenies region.

For more information, visit www.sapdc.net.

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Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission (SAP&DC) is launching their 9th Round of the Mini-Grant Program. This program, which started in 2013, is funded through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) Community Conservation Partnership Program (C2P2). SAP&DC will continue accepting applications until Wednesday, May 31st at 4:00 PM. For full timeline please see the Mini-Grant Timeline.

Projects that support the SAP&DC Greenways and Open Space Network Plan AS WELL AS SAP&DC Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan will be prioritized. Click to see the goals and objectives of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Please read the full guidelines below before submitting your Mini-Grant application.

Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission is holding a Mini-Grants Workshop for interested applicants to attend. The Workshop will be held on April 12th from 9AM – 11AM at the SAP&DC Office 3 Sheraton Drive, Altoona, PA. A virtual option will be provided to those who request one.

For questions, or to submit your application, please contact Matthew Bjorkman by email at mbjorkman@sapdc.net or by phone at 814-949-6553

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The Southern Alleghenies RPO will act as a clearing house for bicycle and pedestrian projects of significant quality and value to the region. The projects chosen for the Candidate Project Listing will be based on how the project supports the goals and objectives of the Southern Alleghenies RPO Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Projects in this listing have been appropriately vetted by the RPO and their status will be determined to fall within one of the four categories: Initial, Early Developmental, Advanced Developmental, and Ongoing Maintenance.

This selective process will be a resource for federal, state, and local agencies (i.e., PennDOT, DCNR, DCED) looking to fund well developed and quality projects. In the RPO’s role as a clearing house for bicycle and pedestrian projects, the agencies and partners can be assured a project has been vetted and listed in any of the three categories for development based on demonstrated level of planning, readiness, and need.

Proposals can be submitted via the webform here:
https://bike-ped-plan-candidate-project-listing-sapdcgis.hub.arcgis.com/
.
The RPO’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is here:
https://www.sapdc.net/bicycle-and-pedestrian-plan/

Contact: Zack Lee, Regional Planner, Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, 814-949-6532, zlee@sapdc.net

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For Immediate Release, December 16, 2022

Contact: Dustin Bishop, Disaster Recovery Coordinator, Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, 814-949-6532, dbishop@sapdc.net

ALLEGHENIES, Pa. — Broadband internet is essential to the economic vitality of our region.

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) is preparing to make investments in broadband infrastructure that will serve communities across the state. These projects will require a commitment of significant federal funds, which will be distributed via a formula that largely considers how many of the state’s residents are underserved or unserved.

For this purpose, the FCC, with the help of telecom companies, created a map with address points and details the broadband internet coverage of any given area. The map can be accessed here: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home. Past versions of this map grossly overstated the actual coverage. With that in mind, the FCC created a process to challenge what the telecom companies claim is covered. The telecom companies will have a few weeks to respond to each challenge on an individual basis.

The FCC, the PBDA, and SAP&DC are asking you to review the map for accuracy, and if you identify inaccuracies, to challenge them. You can start by entering your address and verifying the location and service availability.

If either are inaccurate, you should use the “location challenge” or “availability challenge” features. If you have any difficulties with the FCC map or the challenge process, you are encouraged to reach out to Kalie Snyder kalsnyder@pa.gov with the PBDA.

Also, please feel free to reach out to our office for assistance by emailing Dustin Bishop at dbishop@allegheniesbroadband.com for further information.

FCC map: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home

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An online open house and survey for the project, known as Alleghenies Ahead on Housing, is available at www.AllegheniesHousing.org and will be open through November 18. The open house describes the project’s background and presents key findings, while the survey seeks input on levels of housing satisfaction and housing priorities in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties.

Alleghenies Ahead on Housing was launched in August and is coordinated by the Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission (SAP&DC). An 8-member advisory committee is helping to guide the project along with consultants from czbLLC. When completed this December, the strategy will provide recommendations to improve housing opportunities and guide action at the regional, county, and municipal levels.

“This online open house and survey shares important information learned during the project so far and is designed to collect feedback that can be used to identify priority housing issues in different parts of the region,” said Brandon Peters, SAP&DC’s Director of Planning & Community Development. “Housing is a priority across the region, but we recognize that strategies will need to be customized to reflect local conditions and needs.”

The regional housing strategy comes in the wake of housing being identified as a priority in the Recovery and Resilience Plan commissioned by SAP&DC in response to COVID-19.

The issue was also prioritized across the region in Alleghenies Ahead, the comprehensive plan shared by all six of the region’s counties and adopted in 2018.

Contact:

Dustin Bishop
Disaster Recovery Coordinator |Planning & Community Development
dbishop@sapdc.net | 814-949-6511

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Grant Guidelines
Grant requests shall be a minimum of $3,000 and a maximum of $30,000. All grantees must be able to provide a cash/eligible non-cash (in-kind) contribution of at least 50 percent of the total project cost. Any applicant that currently has a project open with the SAP&DC Regional Greenways Mini-Grant Program is not eligible to apply for Round 8 funding.

Eligible Applicants include:

• Counties and Municipalities
• Council of Governments (COGs)
• Conservation Districts
• Land Trusts
• Non-profit Organizations
• Housing/Redevelopment Authorities
• Designated Heritage Areas

Eligible Projects include, but are not limited to:

• Development – Protection or improvement of natural areas, development of new or existing trail development, signage, equipment
• Planning – Feasibility studies or trail/site master plans
• Technical Assistance – Educational workshops, walking and biking maps for trail users, and community walking/biking programs

The application period will be announced in March 2022 and applications will be due by May 27, 2022. SAP&DC will also be holding a Greenways Mini-Grant
Workshop for potential applicants where SAP&DC staff will go over the guidelines of the program and answer any questions on applications and the grant process.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
SAP&DC Office (3 Sheraton Drive, Altoona, PA 16602)
*A Zoom link will be provided if requested

If you are interested in registering for the Mini-Grants Workshop or have any questions about Round 8 of the Mini-Grant Program, please contact Matthew Bjorkman at mbjorkman@sapdc.net or (814) 949-6553.

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