The Pittsburgh Foundation

$150,000 awarded for revitalization projects

$150,000 awarded for revitalization projects
in seven Westmoreland County cities

GREENSBURG, PA, Dec. 3, 2014.  The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (CFWC) awarded $150,000 in grants to nine projects in the first cycle of a three-year initiative intended to revitalize seven communities in Westmoreland County.

The Revitalizing Westmoreland community initiative is designed to encourage new ways to improve the lives for residents of Arnold, Jeanette, Greensburg, Latrobe Lower Burrell, Monessen and New Kensington.  These communities were selected because they have experienced significant losses in their manufacturing base and subsequent out migration.

Community groups and organizations of all types were invited to submit projects that encouraged safety, education, cleanup, and beautification in the target areas.  34 submissions were received for consideration by the Oct. 31 deadline. A panel of community leaders chose nine projects to kick off the Revitalizing Westmoreland program:

The City of Lower Burrell was awarded $8,900 to jumpstart a recreation program for residents of Lower Burrell.

The Latrobe Community Revitalization Program was awarded $25,000 to build a parklet in downtown Latrobe on Route 30.

The City of Monessen was awarded $30,000 to assist with labor costs to demolish blighted houses, assist with purchasing trees and shrubs, benches and lamp posts and lighting to create a new park in the Westgate North Area of Monessen.

The City of New Kensington was awarded $20,000 for renovations to Memorial Park, including the building of a dek/ice hockey rink.

New Kensington Community Garden was awarded $4,500 to buy plants, seeds, soil and garden equipment for the Community Garden.  Also, a painter will be commissioned to paint a mural for the garden.

New Kensington/Arnold Social in the Park Committee was awarded $20,000 to repair and renovate the Pavilions at Memorial Park.

Boy Scouts of America was awarded $1,600 to build an Armed Forces Memorial Wall at Memorial Park in New Kensington as part of an Eagle Scout project. 

Westmoreland Human Opportunities Inc. was awarded $30,000 beautify Clay Avenue in Jeanette with a mural and new awnings for local businesses.

Westmoreland Museum of American Art was awarded $10,000 for a public art project to rejuvenate two bridges adjacent to the museum’s location in Greensburg.

 “We are proud of the wonderful ideas that our communities envisioned to begin to transform their public places and improve the lives of their residents,” said James Bendel, executive director of CFWC.  “We are excited to begin the work of the ambitious Revitalizing Westmoreland initiative with these 2015 projects, and look forward to the inspiration they will provide for future ideas.”

Additional awards will be made annually and the application deadline for projects that will take place in 2016 will be announced later next year.  Information is also available at cfwestmoreland.org/revitalization.

The mission of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is to encourage local residents to become philanthropists, provide grants that support a wide variety of charitable organizations and serve as a community leader. Since its inception in 1995, CFWC has grown to include over 190 funds valued at $20 million. CFWC has also granted over $12 million to local non-profit organizations.  In 2010, CFWC became an affiliate of The Pittsburgh Foundation, the 14th largest community foundation in the United States.

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