Cook Announces More than $650,000 in Grants to Washington County Communities

March 16, 2023

HARRISBURG – Four communities in the Washington County portion of the 50th Legislative District have been awarded $661,633 in state grants, Rep. Bud Cook (R-Greene/Washington) announced today.

“I was pleased to advocate for this funding to meet the needs of our communities and residents,” Cook said. “These grants will support necessary equipment purchases and building renovations that will help these local governments better serve the people who reside there.”

The grants were awarded as follows:
• $85,064 for Beallsville Borough for the purchase of a new dump truck.
• $76,875 for Bentleyville Borough for a bathroom renovation project at Richardson Park. The borough is looking to renovate its old social hall into a historical society. Both restrooms are in dire need of updating as they are not ADA compliant, closed in and cluttered with outdated, broken fixtures. Both restrooms are in the same building where one is accessible from the outside for park visitors, and the other is accessible from the inside for historical society visitors.
• $418,690 for Cokeburg Borough for renovation of its borough administration building. The two-story structure was built in 1920, requiring significant interior and exterior renovations and upgrades to meet ADA requirements. 
• $81,004 for Deemston Borough for the purchase of municipal equipment, including a tar buggy and woodchipper to assist with maintenance of almost 13 miles of borough-owned roadways.

Cook noted the grant project listing was assembled last year prior to his district being redrawn to include Greene County. 

“I look forward to the opportunity to advocate for funding for our Greene County communities just as I have done for Washington County over the last several years,” Cook said. “I encourage local officials to contact our office with any questions about grant opportunities.”

The grants were awarded Thursday by the Commonwealth Financing Authority through the statewide Local Share Account (LSA) program, which is funded through gaming proceeds. It is separate from the county based LSA programs.