Jul. 23, 2024
HARRISBURG - State Rep. Jill Cooper (R-Westmoreland) today announced more than $6 million in funding is awarded for improvements at the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park in New Kensington.
“New Kensington and the surrounding communities have been continuing on a path of economic development, and the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park is a big reason why,” said Cooper. “Businesses there are offering family-sustaining wages, and you are seeing spin-off economic growth because of it.”
The award, a $2.4 million grant and $3.6 million loan, will be used to defray demolition costs at the park. Funding is offered through the Commonwealth Finance Authority’s (CFA) Business in Our Sites program, which focuses on site development and making project areas shovel ready, ultimately attracting new and expanding businesses. The CFA operates through the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
The New Kensington Manufacturing Park, once home to Alcoa Corporation’s research and production operations, was acquired by the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. and the Regional Industrial Development Corp. in 2023. It consists of almost 70 acres and 18 buildings. Several manufacturing companies operate at the park, including steel fabricator Affival, which staffs roughly 70 employees, and Filterbuy, an air filter manufacturer that staffs 120 employees. Last year, the park welcomed Re:Build Manufacturing, which will be opening its first factory and creating 300 new jobs.
Through a nomination made by Cooper, in April, government leaders in New Kensington received a 2024 DCED Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence for the ongoing economic revitalization.
“Mayor Tom Guzzo and the rest of New Ken’s council clearly understand that community revitalization begins with economic development,” said Cooper. “Seeing this renaissance occur in New Kensington is a blueprint of how local and state leaders help neighborhoods reinvent themselves.”
Representative Jill Cooper
55th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jordan Frei
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