Baker, Kaufer Announce $1.3 Million in Grants for Luzerne County Trail, Transportation Projects
LUZERNE COUNTY – Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne/Pike/Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming) and Rep. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne) announced today that Kingston and Forty Fort Borough will received a combined $1.3 million in state grants to assist with local trail and transportation development projects.
“We take great pride in the preservation and enhancement of the natural beauty of our region,” said Kaufer. “These projects do just that, highlighting and making more accessible our natural environment, and are welcomed improvements to the quality of life and safety of our community.”
“One of our primary responsibilities is working toward strengthening communities, in terms of making them safe and attractive and providing opportunities for residents,” said Baker. “State funding for projects that improve motorist and pedestrian safety and provide healthy recreational opportunities has important impacts. This money enables projects to be completed more quickly and reduces the cost for local taxpayers.”
Kingston Borough received $800,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for roadway and pedestrian improvements to help revitalize the
Church Street and Third Avenue area located in Kingston Borough, Luzerne County.
The Municipality of Kingston intends to install a new micro-surface on the roadway between Pierce Street and Rutter Avenue; refinish and paint traffic light standards; replace streetlights with new; decorative poles containing fixtures; install three illuminated crosswalk systems; and construct a new pedestrian pathway for safely connecting all of the recreational venues and facilities in the project area, which will contain decorative safety lighting with hardware for flower baskets along with neatly spaced benches. The total project cost is $1.01 million.
Forty Fort Borough received $500,000 from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for the development of the Forty Fort Bike Trail in Kingston and Forty Fort boroughs. Work will include construction of approximately 0.8 miles of trail from Church Street in Kingston Borough to East Turner Street in Forty Fort Borough, as well as ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements.
Forty Fort Borough Manager Bonnie Arnone said, “This grant will be coupled with a $600,000 multi-modal grant received previously to fill a gap in the bicycling/walking trail between Forty Fort and neighboring Kingston. By creating a new trail that goes under the expressway and brings trail users to the area of River and Turner streets it alleviates safety concerns and gets the current trail closer to be connected to the one that currently ends at Fort Street. The borough hopes that connector will be part of the next phase of the project and give users an uninterrupted trail.”
The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) was established in 2004 as an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to administer Pennsylvania's economic stimulus packages. The CFA holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania's economic growth.
DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation builds connections between citizens and the outdoors by providing funding and technical assistance support for local recreation and park improvement projects through its Community Conservation Partnerships Program grants.
For more information about this outreach, or any other state-related issue, contact Kaufer’s district office in Luzerne located at 161 Main St., by calling 570-283-1001. Information can also be found online at
RepKaufer.com or
Facebook.com/RepKaufer.
Representative Aaron Kaufer
120th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abby Krueger
717.260.6617
akrueger@pahousegop.com
RepKaufer.com /
Facebook.com/RepKaufer