Southwest Allegheny News

Rep. Natalie Mihalek has announced a series of grants for local governments in the 40th Legislative District. The funding includes $500,000 allocated to Peters Township for continued renovations at Peterswood Park. "The project at Peterswood Park’s baseball fields has been in various phases of construction for a few years because of the dedicated work of local officials who have been planning, fundraising and advocating for quite a while," said Mihalek. She added that this grant would maintain the project's momentum.

The grant will focus on field one, addressing drainage issues and installing artificial turf. Improvements have already begun on field two with dugouts and press boxes being upgraded.

In Upper St. Clair Township, $641,300 is earmarked for enhancements at the Morton Field Complex. The second phase will include soccer goals, turf grooming equipment, trash receptacles, benches, and playground equipment.

These funds are part of Local Share Account grants which support community improvement projects through gaming funds collected under Act 71 of 2004.

The Bethel Park School District is also receiving $1.7 million through the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program to replace the roof at Independence Middle School. The project costs exceed $3.4 million.

"I know of no local government that doesn’t have a ‘wish list’ of projects but coming up with the finances is always a challenge," said Mihalek. "This grant system helps close those gaps and helps municipal leaders provide resources without passing the burden on to taxpayers."

Other grants in the district include $338,186 for an ADA-compliant restroom at Miner’s Park in Bethel Park and $52,407 for a new police vehicle in Bethel Park. Additionally, Peters Township Sanitary Authority will receive $300,000 to upgrade the Brush Run Water System and another $300,000 will go towards roof replacement at Bower Hill Elementary School.