December 15, 2021
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Senator Marty Flynn announced $1,210,000 in state funding awarded to Lackawanna and Luzerne counties by the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee. The grants were approved for two projects that will enhance freight mobility while creating and sustaining jobs across northeast Pennsylvania.
“These investments in our rail system will bring jobs to the people of our district while making it easier to transport freight into and out of northeast Pennsylvania, which of course is great for businesses,” said Senator Flynn, who serves on the Transportation Committee. “Our community has a rich industrial history, and this will help us carry that tradition well into the future.”
The two grants that received funding in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties are:
Lackawanna County:
- Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad: $699,000 to replace six turnouts on Bridge 60 on the Strawberry Hill rail line.
Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties:
- Redevelopment Authority of Luzerne County: $511,000 to replace approximately 4,000 ties and one switch.
The grants are awarded through the Transportation Committee’s Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP). For more information on PennDOT rail grant programs visit the department’s Rail Freight and Ports page.
December 8, 2021
Scranton, PA – December 7, 2021– Senator Marty Flynn’s inaugural Student Ambassador Program begins tomorrow, bringing together 27 of the brightest, most driven students from each high school in the 22nd Senatorial District. The session starts at 9:30am at Lackawanna College’s People’s Security Theatre in Scranton.
The Student Ambassadors will convene once a month from December through May, with each session focusing on a specific aspect of the legislative process and the students “introducing” their own pieces of legislation at program’s end. Local elected officials – including Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, Rep. Kyle Mullins, and Rep. Thom Welby – will speak with the Student Ambassadors, and the informational sessions will be supplemented with visits to local government buildings. In the spring, they will also take a field trip to Harrisburg to tour the state Capitol building and meet with Senate staff.
Of the program, Senator Flynn said:
“It’s amazing seeing how driven and accomplished these Student Ambassadors are, even as high schoolers. They’re an incredible group, and I’m proud that I’m able to organize this program and allow them to meet, learn from, and inspire each other. There’s a student from every school in my district, so there’s a great amount of diversity when it comes to their backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking. It’s going to be a great experience for them, of course, but I’m just as excited.”
The students selected for the program this year are:
– Ava Aulisio, Old Forge
– Madison Chickey, Old Forge
– Alyssa Cosklo, Carbondale
– Starasia Davis, West Scranton
– Fernando De La Rosa, Scranton
– Dawson Errigo, Holy Cross
– Jack Foley, Mid Valley
– Nevaeh Hammond, West Scranton
– Ava Hazzouri, Wyoming Seminary
– Madeline Hopkins, Old Forge
– Kaylee Horne, North Pocono
– Nicole Iriza, Scranton Prep
– Alejandro Jacome-Parra, Lakeland
– Sidney Jeffries, East Stroudsburg
– Eliana King, Dunmore
– Kathryn Koss, Pittston Area
– Gabriella Manuli, Dunmore
– Avery Meredick, Riverside
– Maurice Nicholas, Commonwealth Charter Academy
– Andrew O’Keefe, Pocono Mountain
– Makenna Ratchford, Lackawanna Trail
– Salvatore Schiavone, Abington Heights
– Leo Sirianni, Valley View
– Hannah Slivkavich, Forest City
– Maria Wetzel, Lackawanna Trail
– Savanna Willauer, Scranton Prep
– Nicholas Zamerowski, Old Forge
Student Ambassadors were selected after submitting an application packet that included a résumé, personal essay, and letters of recommendation from their high school teachers and guidance counselors.
December 6, 2021
Lackawanna County – December 7, 2021– Today, State Senator Marty Flynn announced eight Lackawanna County projects and organizations will receive $12,000,000 through grants from Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).
“These projects are very worthy of investment,” said Senator Marty Flynn. “They perfectly embody the spirit of the RACP program – taking an already strong community and making it even stronger and more sustainable going forward. I’m excited to see these projects get underway.”
Organizations and projects that received funding include:
- Scranton City Hall, Scranton – $1,500,000 – This project seeks to repair the roof and facade of the Scranton Municipal Building (City Hall), a 3-story, Victorian Gothic Revival Style structure, located at 340 N. Washington Avenue. The goal is ultimately to ensure that the building remains the center of the city government and continues to be accessible to the public.
- 326 Adams Ave. – Allentown Redevelopment, Scranton, $500,000 – The project will renovate the former Scranton Counseling Center to construct apartments with ground floor retail. The project will specifically address the façade and building envelop. It will remove the 1980’s stucco façade and return the building to its original appearance complete with new open storefront and expansive façade windows.
- Glenmontage Commercial Development, Moosic, $1,000,000 – As part of the Lackawanna County community revitalization effort, the Glenmontage Commercial Development Project involves the property acquisition of an existing improved commercial property and new construction of a 30,000 square foot two-story office building. The site will include new parking of approximately 240 parking spots, associated landscaping, and underground stormwater retainage. The existing and new buildings will house many tenants.
- Lackawanna College Center for Technology Innovation, Scranton – $2,000,000 – The project will feature remediation, construction, and renovation to transform the 891 Providence Road property into the Lackawanna College Center for Technology Innovation (LCCTI). The project includes abatement and remediation of environmental conditions and construction (interior and exterior demolition, construction, and renovations) to restore the property for educational and commercial use.
- Abington Redevelopment, Clarks Summit – $3,000,000 – The project aims to repurpose existing real estate for medical and neighborhood commercial venues. It will also expand small business enterprise and small business employment growth with the construction of approximately 35,000 additional square feet of usable commercial space.
- Larch Street Redevelopment, Scranton – $1,000,000 – The Larch Street Redevelopment Project will redevelop the 1.4-acre Larch Street property, construct two new stair towers, and install a new elevator, to provide 10,000 SF of clinical and office space, and 21,000 SF of space to be used for their pre-Kindergarten/daycare program. The project site will be regraded to develop approximately 80 new parking spaces.
- Fellowship House, Scranton – $1,000,000 – The project seeks to establish a transitional living facility in Lackawanna County for individuals who have already successfully completed a course of in-patient drug/alcohol treatment and medically supervised detoxification. The project involves the purchase of an improved parcel of land and various renovations to the building on site and its grounds. Building renovations are expected to convert the existing facility into a 25-bed facility consisting of single/double/triple bedrooms, associated bathrooms, a full-service kitchen, a recreational room, and meeting rooms. Additional improvements include updates to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
- Fidelity Bank Headquarters, Scranton – $2,000,000 – This project will renovate a nationally recognized, historic commercial building and repurpose it as the bank’s new headquarters. The project will also renovate a vintage building located in Dunmore, updating the vintage location to showcase the bank’s growing digital capabilities.
The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) is a Commonwealth grant program for the acquisition and construction of economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects. Administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget, RACP grants focus on projects that have a wide regional impact and generate substantial increases of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity.
The full statewide list of projects and awards can be found at: Office of the Budget.
November 22, 2021
I’m hosting a town hall at the Throop Community Civic Center on December 5th at 6pm where we’ll be joined by representatives from Pennie, the state’s official destination for quality health insurance.
Experts from Pennie will be on hand to discuss all things healthcare and answer questions from our audience. We’ll also have healthcare navigators available for one-on-one conversations about what options are available to you and your family.
Open enrollment ends January 15th, so now is a good time to get covered before the holiday season! Register to attend the town hall at www.senatorflynn.com/aca.
For more information on Pennie and how to sign up for health insurance, visit their website here: Welcome To Pennie & Open Enrollment 2021.
November 19, 2021
November 19, 2021 – Senator Marty Flynn secured a total of $2,547,418 in grants that were awarded to eleven projects across the 22nd District of Pennsylvania through the Multimodal Transportation Fund and the Act 13 Program. Both programs are administered through Pennsylvania’s Department of Community & Economic Development; Senator Flynn serves on the Senate Community, Economic, & Recreational Development Committee.
“This grant money will be used to improve the day-to-day lives of the people of Northeast Pennsylvania,” Senator Flynn said. “Better roads, better flood control, better parks for our children – I’m proud that these funds will go towards projects that set out to make NEPA a better place to live.”
The Multimodal Transportation Fund provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to residents of Pennsylvania. The five district projects that received grants through this fund are:
- West Scranton Streetscape Project (Scranton) – $779,483
- Dickson City Main Avenue Streetscape Phase 2 – Jackson St. to Dundaff St. (Dickson City) – $700,000
- Lackawanna River Heritage Trail – Hull Creek Bridge (Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority) – $71,998
- Chapel Road & Ridge Road Roadway Infrastructure Enhancement Project (Pittston Township) – $150,000
- Aston Mt. Road Paving Project Phase 3 (Spring Brook Township) – $500,000
The total amount awarded to District 22 through the Multimodal Transportation Fund is $2,201,481.
The Act 13 Program assists statewide initiatives that seek to improve abandoned mine drainage abatement, abandoned well plugging, sewage treatment, greenways, trails and recreation, baseline water quality data, watershed restoration, and flood control. The six projects that were awarded funding through this program are:
- Blakely Borough Watershed Flood Control & Protection Project (Blakely) – $75,500
- Archbald Borough Flood Mitigation Project (Archbald) – $62,500
- S. Webster Avenue Flood Mitigation Project (Scranton) – $71,825
- Hillside Park – AAJRB Pole Building Construction (Abington Area Joint Recreation Board) – $55,000
- Jefferson Street Park – Park Enhancement (Fell Township) – $40,890
- Urban Greenpeace Development (The Garden of Cedar, Scranton) – $40,222
The total amount granted to District 22 through the Act 13 Program is $345,937. Both the Multimodal Transportation Fund and the Act 13 grants are a product of the Commonwealth Financing Authority, an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development established in 2004.
