Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

MAYVILLE, NY -- County Executive Gregory J. Edwards has announced that CARTS has received seventeen (17) replacement buses through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) grant. In addition, this grant provides funds for twenty-two (22) new mobile two-way radios and a new ventilation system for the maintenance shop at CARTS in Jamestown. According to Senior Project Coordinator Cheryl Gustafson, this project totaling $1,252,500 will be 100% reimbursed through the ARRA grant. Ms Gustafson also states that 65% of the routes will be replaced with the new buses over the next month and all are wheelchair accessible. "Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System has been our county-operated transit system for over 30 years", stated George Spanos, Director of the County Department of Public Facilities. The service is utilized for many purposes from visiting a friend to getting to college, a medical appointment or to work. Call CARTS at 665-6466, 366-4500 or 800-388-65...

Harrisburg – Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that Pennsylvania is more than halfway toward its goal to help nearly 30,000 low-income homeowners improve their energy efficiency and reduce costs. Training will help prepare 1,000 more weatherization installers, crew chiefs and auditors across the state in the coming year. “We are making great progress weatherizing low-income homes, work that creates jobs, conserves energy and reduces costs for homeowners,” Governor Rendell said. “Over the past 11 months, 15,027 homes across the state — just over 50 percent of our 29,700 goal — were weatherized as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded initiative in Pennsylvania.” Approximately 1,800 people have jobs and skills that can carry well into the future economy because of the weatherization work on these homes. “Those homeowners are now saving an average of $600 each year on their energy costs. But this effort is about more than simply saving energy and money; this R...

The city of Niagara Falls is receiving $16.5 million in federal funding to complete the conversion of a Civil War-era building into a new Amtrak station. The funding comes from a DOT grant program that was part of the federal stimulus bill. http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/102910HighSpeedRailPlanningBoard.html

Penn State has received a federal grant to work on a project that will produce an air conditioning unit that recycles sound for cooling. The Thermoacoustic Air Conditioner was one of 43 projects selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive money through the Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The $2.9 million comes from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The Penn State team plans to produce a 1-ton air conditioning unit that uses high amplitude sound and helium gas to recycle acoustical power for cooling. The project will scale up an ice cream chiller built for Ben & Jerry’s that combined the acoustic power produced by high efficiency moving magnet linear motor with recycled power to produce useful cooling in a “bellows bounce” thermoacoustic chiller. To read the technical descriptions of all the projects, go here . Info provided by US Department of Energy, Office of Public Affairs

Harrisburg – The addition of 19,500 jobs in May marked the third consecutive month that Pennsylvania employers added workers boosting the nonfarm jobs1 count, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate2 at – 9.1 percent in May – has been at or below the national rate for 86 of the past 89 months. “All told, over the past three months we have added 76,200 jobs – the most of any state besides Texas,” Governor Rendell said. “Our estimates are that a maximum of 20,000 of these workers were hired for temporary jobs with the Census. This means that we’ve added more than 56,000 jobs in the past three months in addition to these temporary Census jobs. “There is more good news that 900 new manufacturing jobs were added in May. This is the fourth time in the past five months that we’ve seen an upward bump in manufacturing jobs. “I strongly believe that our positive job numbers are due in large measure to the strategic ways in which we put the federal Recovery Act t...

PennDOT District 2 announced today that the new Janders Run Bridge is complete. The bridge is located on Route 44 in Ceres Township, McKean County near the McKean/Potter counties line. The project was financed with federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and finished on schedule. Work included removal of the existing, single-span bridge and placement of a new pre-cast concrete box culvert. L.C. Whitford Company of Wellsville, New York, was the contractor on this $728,000 job. Some miscellaneous work remains but traffic will not be affected. This project was part of PennDOT’s more than $66 million investment of federal economic recovery funds for 17 transportation projects across the nine counties of District 2. To learn more about how the federal economic stimulus will benefit Pennsylvania, visit www.recovery.pa.gov

MAYVILLE, NY -- Taking advantage of an early spring, construction work is in full swing across Chautauqua County, and should be finished by the end of the construction season in late November. Chautauqua County Executive Gregory J. Edwards said completing the long list of projects being undertaken will help to improve all aspects of the County's highway system. "The volume of the work on our roads and bridges is an impressive contribution to our economy and underscores our determination to deliver results for Chautauqua County taxpayers," Edwards said. Millions of dollars in funds from the County, along with Federal and State government funds are being invested this year to repair and improve highways and bridges. Department of Public Facilities Director George Spanos said the continuation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funded projects combined with this year's local funding represent a record investment in the County's transportation system....

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s economy expanded by adding 34,000 jobs in April, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today. “This is the largest monthly increase in jobs since February 1996,” Governor Rendell said. “Over the past two months, Pennsylvania employers added 54,000 new jobs.” The majority of the job growth was in the service-providing industries, which include education, health care and financial services. The strongest sign that the recovery is finally taking hold is the job growth in the manufacturing sector. “President Obama’s Economic Stimulus program is working and it’s a key reason that the recession is finally behind us. In the month of April, our factories added 4,400 jobs,” noted the Governor. “April marked the third straight monthly increase in factory jobs – something that hasn’t happened in four years. “We know that on top of the approximately 6,000 Pennsylvanians hired to perform stimulus road, bridge and transit construction projects during our construction season, an...

Bridge rehabilitation work on a Route 6 bridge west of Galeton will require a temporary traffic signal, starting Tuesday, May 25. The signal will enforce an alternating traffic pattern as crews work to repair the deck one side at a time. The bridge is located on Route 6 between the villages of West Pike and Walton, about five miles west of Galeton in Potter County. This work is financed with federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Rehab work will also include installation of a new, latex concrete deck surface. PennDOT expects the temporary signal and one-lane pattern to be in place until late June. All work is weather and schedule dependent. Swank Associated Companies of New Kensington is the contractor on this job. This bridgework is part of a $2.2 million contract to rehabilitate seven bridges in Clearfield and Potter counties. This project is part of PennDOT’s more than $66 million investment of federal economic recovery funds for 17 transportation proj...

Crews resumed repair work on the Toles Hollow Road Bridge in Potter County yesterday, May 12. The repair work requires closure of the bridge and a detour around the work. The detour makes use of Route 6, Route 3015, Dutch Hill Road (T-328), and Vader Hill Road (T-327). The Toles Hollow Bridge spans the Allegheny River on Toles Hollow Road (T-325) near the intersection with Route 6 in Coudersport. Work includes repairs to the bridge deck and floor beams. PennDOT expects repair work to be finished sometime in June. The bridge will be re-opened once repairs are complete. All work is weather dependent. The repair work will help extend the useful life of the bridge, until a replacement project can take place. PennDOT currently plans to replace the bridge in 2013. L.C. Whitford of Wellsville, New York is the contractor on this bridge job, which is part of a $4.8 million contract for preservation work on six bridges in four counties. This 6-bridge project is financed with federal funds fr...

Penn State University has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive a $1.5 million grant for a research project that could fundamentally change the way the country uses and produces energy. In an announcement made today by Vice President Joe Biden, the DOE is awarding a total of $106 million, through the Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), for 37 projects that could produce advanced biofuels more efficiently from renewable electricity instead of sunlight; design completely new types of batteries to make electric vehicles more affordable; and remove the carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants in a more cost-effective way. Penn State's project is Electron Source – Solar Hydrogen: An oil-producing algae that usually derives its energy from residual light and organic waste at the bottom of ponds will be “rewired” to use electricity. The organism will be able to convert hydrogen and carbon dioxide into a bio-oil that can be refined int...

Clearfield –Lane restrictions will begin next week on an Elk County resurfacing project that is financed with federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The project stretches along U.S. Route 219 from Johnsonburg to the village of Wilcox. Starting Tuesday, May 4, roadway milling activity will begin and an alternating traffic pattern will be in place. Drivers will experience short delays as traffic takes turns moving through the work zone. Traffic will be controlled by flaggers and there may be multiple daylight set-ups through the entire work zone. Drivers will encounter milled and rough road surfaces. Work zone speed limit is 40 miles per hour. This work phase is expected to last four to five weeks and will include base repair, patching work and paving. IA Construction Corporation of Zelionople is the prime contractor on the $3.8 million project. Overall project work will include roadway repair and resurfacing, new inlets, structure repairs, guide rail and p...

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior has awarded $1.68 million to make infrastructure improvements at the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery in Warren. The work will be completed by Wm. T. Spaeder, Co., Inc., of Erie. The funding is being awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). “These funds going towards the reopening of the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery are yet another example of the way the Recovery Act is positively impacting Pennsylvania,” said Senator Casey. “Prior to its closure in 2005, Allegheny was the only fish hatchery working to restore the lake trout population in the Lower Great Lakes. By investing in Allegheny’s reopening, we can help them continue their conservation efforts while at the same time creating jobs.” “I am pleased to see stimulus funds being used to repair and reopen the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery,...

PennDOT District 2 announced that work will start Monday, March 29, on a project to replace the Janders Run Bridge on Route 44 in Ceres Township, McKean County. This project is financed with federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Work includes removal of the existing, single-span bridge and placement of a new pre-cast concrete box culvert. A temporary road will be in place to maintain traffic through the area. PennDOT expects the new bridge to be open to traffic by mid June. L.C. Whitford Company of Wellsville, New York, is the contractor on this $$728,000 job. This project is part of PennDOT’s more than $66 million investment of federal economic recovery funds for 17 transportation projects across the nine counties of District 2. To learn more about how the federal economic stimulus will benefit Pennsylvania, visit www.recovery.pa.gov

PennDOT District 2 announced that work will start Monday, March 29, on a project to make improvements on Route 6 in Potter County. This project is financed with federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). On Monday, March 29, crews will begin to resurface the roadway in Sweden Township, Eulalia Township and Coudersport Borough. The work zone stretches from the Franklin Bridge in Coudersport to the Route 6/Route 872 intersection. Work includes roadway resurfacing, drainage improvements, guiderail updates, new curbing and sidewalks, waterline installation and pavement markings. During daylight hours, motorists can expect short delays through the work zone. PennDOT expects work to be complete by the end of September. I.A. Construction of Zelionople, Butler County, is the contractor on this $2.1 million job. This project is part of PennDOT’s more than $66 million investment of federal economic recovery funds being spent on 17 transportation projects across the nin...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Engineers are currently trying to figure how to pay for the $800,000 sewer line project from Laffery Hollow to Corwins Corners. Foster Township Engineer Roy Pedersen said they are looking into a loan from PENNVEST, and will also be updating their H2O grant application. He said they are going to "see if we can figure out a way to do it without raising rates." He added that he doesn't know when the H2O grant money will be awarded "but at least they're taking applications." When asked about the possibility that the township will actually get the grant, Pedersen said, "I don't want to give you false hope. We applied for it last year to pay for that section of sewer line ... which would have been beautiful. ... We're hoping to get 100 percent funding so there would be no local borrowing." He said they are "shovel ready," which is one of the criteria for federal stimulus money. Supervisor Chris W...

The Erie Shriners Hospital will receive a $250,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection, as part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The money will go toward a number of energy -saving measures at the hospital. The hospital's lighting, air handling and boiler systems will all be made more energy efficient. Officials expect to see an annual savings in utility costs of $64,000.

Harrisburg – The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has significantly benefitted Pennsylvania and its residents by putting people to work and stimulating economic growth, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today during two events marking the first anniversary of the Recovery Act. "It’s bad enough that 4,300 Pennsylvanians lost their jobs last fall, but there is absolutely no dispute that without Recovery funds, three times the number of families would have suffered a loss of income," Governor Rendell said during a town hall meeting at Shippensburg University that was linked by live videoconference to hundreds of students, faculty and community leaders at the University of Pittsburgh and state universities at East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, West Chester, and Edinboro. He noted that Pennsylvania lost 77,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2009, before Recovery Act funding was available. "The stimulus bill included a critical infusion of federal funds that helped nearly every sta...

HARRISBURG – Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law one year ago today, tens of thousands of jobs have been saved across Pennsylvania, slowing the downward spiral of the worst recession in decades. “Our elected leaders took decisive steps one year ago today to shore up an economy in free fall like no other time since the Great Depression,” said Stephen Herzenberg, Ph.D., an Economist and Executive Director of the Keystone Research Center. “Absent that action, unemployment today could easily be 15% on its way to 20%, and we’d find ourselves in the grips of another Depression.” In Pennsylvania, the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is clear. It has preserved 84,000 Pennsylvania jobs, according to a report from the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Extended unemployment and food stamp benefits have kept Pennsylvanians who lost their jobs from losing everything. Those benefits, coupled with the Making Work Pay tax cut, put money b...

New York State will be receiving $151 million in federal stimulus money for railroad projects, and some of it is going to Buffalo. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says. “Building high-speed rail here will connect more commuters and businesses, create jobs immediately and help rebuild our economy for the long term. We’ve worked hard for a long time to bring high-speed rail to New York. This round of funding is just the first step in our efforts to secure what New York needs to achieve true high-speed rail connectivity. I will keep fighting to make sure New York gets more high speed rail funding in future rounds.” Part of the money will go toward rehabilitation of the Buffalo-Depew station facilities to a state of good repair and accessibility upgrades to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.