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Local governments, private businesses, and colleges in Berks County are among those seeking more than $92 million collectively from the state to help fund projects they say will benefit the community.
Hundreds of projects across the commonwealth are vying for Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grants. While the legislature authorizes how much will be spent annually through the program, the governor has final approval over who gets a grant.
Over the years, the program has been criticized for its lack of openness and transparency, disproportionate funding to certain communities, and minimal job creation. State audits have called for increased oversight of the process and the hundreds of millions of dollars doled out through the program.
The money is supposed to be used for projects that have a cultural, regional, or multi-jurisdictional impact and generate increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other economic measures.
Applicants must be able to match 50% of the total project costs, and the project cannot be completed when the application is submitted. Project proposals also cannot be located in a City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ), like in the city of Reading.
The Office of the Budget is taking comments until Oct. 30 on the projects proposed for grant funding. Comments can be sent to RA-OB-PublicComment@pa.gov.
Learn more about the 18 proposals in Berks County:
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- ByHeart expansion
- Kutztown Elementary School expansion
- Muhlenberg High School expansion
- F.M. Brown’s Sons’ distribution hub
- Titus Clean Industries’ energy hub
- Broadcast District development
- Exeter Township emergency services building
- Boyertown rail improvements
- Rose Corporation expansion
- Reading public safety training site
- RACC Kratz Hall renovation
- Alvernia University American House renovation
- Cumru Township commercial centers
- Olivet Blue Mountain Camp expansion
- Wyomissing Borough facilities
- Reading Housing Authority family services complex
- Reading airport hangars
- South Heidelberg Township municipal complex
ByHeart expansion
Ask: $15 million
Total project cost: $30 million
Location: Exeter Township
The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Berks is requesting a $15 million grant for ByHeart, Inc., so the company can expand production of baby formula at its facility on Vanguard Drive in Exeter. The request is the largest among the county’s applications.
The project estimates creating 50 jobs, but the grant application doesn’t specify how many will be temporary construction jobs versus full-time employment at the plant.
ByHeart has received $18 million in RACP grants since 2021 for “end use packaging,” with $5 million awarded last year.
Kutztown Elementary School expansion
Ask: $10 million
Total project cost: $23.7 million
Location: Kutztown
The Kutztown Area School District is requesting a $10 million grant to help expand and modernize its elementary school. The $23.7 million project will streamline programs, reduce class sizes, and create a “more collaborative learning environment for both students and staff,” administrators wrote in the grant application. The construction includes upgrading the school’s HVAC system with something more energy efficient.
The northern Berks County school district previously floated closing Greenwich Elementary to combine kindergarten through 5th grades into one elementary school, but parents and students earlier this year expressed concern about Greenwich’s possible closure.
The project estimates creating 20 jobs, but the grant application doesn’t say whether they are temporary or permanent. Kutztown schools did not report receiving RACP grants in previous years.
Muhlenberg High School expansion
Ask: $10 million
Total project cost: $39.4 million
Location: Muhlenberg Township
The Muhlenberg School District is seeking a $10 million grant for the expansion of its high school, adding a new wing with 14 classrooms and renovating the hallways and auditorium.
Over the past decade, the district has seen enrollment explode, necessitating the $39.4 million high school expansion. The construction will help with class sizes and course offerings, while adding extra space. Muhlenberg has a 5-year action plan for upgrades to many of its facilities, including the turf fields and the junior high school. Earlier this year, the district broke ground on the new middle school.
The project is estimated to create 20 jobs, but it’s unclear if those are temporary or permanent. The school district did not report receiving RACP grants in prior years.
F.M. Brown’s Sons’ distribution hub
Ask: $10 million
Total project cost: $20,561,786
Location: South Heidelberg Township
The Berks County Industrial Development Authority is asking for a $10 million grant on behalf of F.M. Brown’s Sons Inc., so the flour and animal feed milling company can build a distribution warehouse in South Heidelberg Township.
The money would be used to prepare the site and construct the 120,000-square-foot warehouse.
The private, family-owned business says the project will create 30 full-time jobs as well as 100 temporary construction jobs while “safeguarding” an existing 168 full-time employees, according to the grant application. It has not received RACP grants in previous years.
Titus Clean Industries’ energy hub
Ask: $5,378,610
Total project cost: $10,757,220
Location: Cumru Township
Titus Clean Industries, LLC, is asking for a roughly $5.4 million grant to help fund its station repower project, including site preparation, installation of reinforced foundations, and on-site sewer and water extensions. The project proposal estimates creating more than 170 permanent jobs and 1,000 temporary construction jobs.
Titus purchased the once 243-megawatt coal-fired power plant in 2021 with intentions to turn the site into a clean energy hub. Initial plans will transform the site into a waste-to-steam facility, but Titus is working with other potential tenants on uses like anaerobic digestion and solar.
The company has not previously received RACP grants and hopes to begin design and permitting work in early 2026.
Broadcast District development
Ask: $5 million
Total project cost: $28,922,875
Location: Spring Township
The county’s Redevelopment Authority is seeking a $5 million grant to help CG Broadcasting, LLC, redevelop land at Broadcasting and Paper Mill Roads into a mixed-use development. Officials broke ground on the project, located across from Broadcasting Square Shopping Plaza, on Oct. 16.
The work will include site preparation, storm and sanitary sewers, water infrastructure, lighting, and landscaping, like a dog park and nature trail.
The project estimates 500 temporary construction jobs as well as 400 new, full-time jobs once work is completed. The developer began seeking project approvals late last year, and in September, it announced Whole Foods would serve as an anchor tenant.
CG Broadcasting is a limited liability company with offices in Wayne. It received a roughly $1.5 million transportation grant for traffic improvements in the area that the company is now seeking to develop, but no RACP grants.
Exeter Township emergency services building
Ask: $4.5 million
Total project cost: $21,966,580
Location: Exeter Township
Exeter Township is seeking a $4.5 million grant to help fund the construction of a new station for its Volunteer Fire Department. The municipality expects to spend nearly $22 million to build a one- to two-story, 22,000-square-foot fire station to better accommodate the department. The station will also be the headquarters for Life Lion EMS.
The project is not estimated to create any jobs, according to the grant application.
Exeter was awarded a $500,000 grant in 2023 for the township’s emergency services building in September. The township’s Board of Supervisors approved borrowing up to $12 million to fund the new station’s construction.
Boyertown rail improvements
Ask: $4,015,899
Total project cost: $20,079,495
Location: Boyertown
The Redevelopment Authority is requesting about $4 million to eliminate and improve crossings and replace three bridges along train tracks in Boyertown. The work also includes adding a visitor center.
The project is not expected to create any jobs, according to the grant application.
The authority has received a variety of RACP grants over the years, most recently receiving $7 million for incubator businesses and restaurants at Goggleworks in Reading, according to the grant application.
Rose Corporation expansion
Ask: $4 million
Total project cost: $9,916,472
Location: Reading
The Rose Corporation, a Reading-based industrial fabrication plant, is asking for a $4 million grant to help expand capacity. The Berks County Industrial Development Authority is requesting the grant for the private business to help it with construction costs, upgrade phone systems and electrical power, and add new equipment.
An estimated 20 jobs will be created from the project, but the application doesn’t say whether those are temporary or permanent positions.
The Rose Corporation received a $1 million RACP grant last year, which the company plans to combine with the latest request to help fund the nearly $10 million expansion.
Reading public safety training site
Ask: $3.9 million
Total project cost: $7.8 million
Location: Cumru Township
Reading city officials are asking for a $3.9 million grant to redevelop property at 951 Morgantown Road into a public safety training facility and emergency response center.
The property in Cumru Township was purchased by Reading in 2023 in anticipation of turning it into a public safety training site.
Reading’s current emergency response facilities are outdated and inadequate, which “hinders the ability of police, fire, and EMS to train effectively and respond rapidly to emergencies,” according to the application. The facilities are fragmented, and redevelopment of the 39,000-square-foot building will provide a modern, consolidated space for training and operations.
The city has not received RACP grants previously, and the project won’t create any new jobs, according to the application.
RACC Kratz Hall renovation
Ask: $3 million
Total project cost: $6 million
Location: Reading
Reading Area Community College is asking for $3 million to help fund the renovation of campus office space for academic use and student support. College administrators said in the grant application that enrollment has increased, necessitating the need to expand student support space. The project is estimated to create over 100 jobs, but it’s unclear whether they’re permanent or temporary, according to the grant application.
The college has been working with Reading officials on floodplain zoning requirements for the property.
It previously received a $500,000 RACP grant for renovations to its science labs and $5 million for renovations to the Weitz Health Pavilion.
Alvernia University American House renovation
Ask: $3 million
Total project cost: $12,293,058
Location: Reading
Alvernia University is asking for a $3 million grant to help pay for the exterior and interior renovations of the first two floors of American House in downtown Reading into a community health clinic. The nearly $12.3 million renovation of the historic building is ongoing, and Alvernia received a $2 million RACP grant in 2023 for American House.
The project expects to create 200 temporary construction jobs and 20 permanent positions, according to the grant application.
The university received a $7.5 million RACP grant in 2022 for the institution’s CollegeTowne renovation on Penn Street in Reading.
Cumru Township commercial centers
Ask: $2 million
Total project cost: $4.2 million
Location: Cumru Township
Cumru Township is asking for $2 million to help turn “aging commercial centers” into “vibrant community assets” by upgrading parking lots, incorporating green spaces, and installing public amenities like benches and lighting. The municipality doesn’t specifically identify the commercial center locations.
The project doesn’t anticipate creating any jobs, according to the grant application.
The township has not received RACP grants in the past.
Olivet Blue Mountain Camp expansion
Ask: $1,986,177
Total project cost: $3,936,354
Location: Hamburg Borough
The Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading & Berks County, a nonprofit charter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is asking for a nearly $2 million grant to help update the camp’s recreational amenities. The roughly $4 million project will include demolition of an old pool and construction of a new junior Olympic-sized one, and includes permitting and design costs.
An estimated 20 new jobs and 100 temporary construction jobs will be created by the project, according to the grant application.
The nonprofit is requesting the grant through the county Industrial Development Authority. It received a $1 million RACP grant in 2022 to upgrade safety and infrastructure at four of the club’s sites in Reading.
Wyomissing Borough facilities
Ask: $3 million
Total project cost: $6,380,850
Location: Wyomissing Borough
The county’s most populous borough is asking for a $3 million grant to help demolish and reconstruct a standalone police department and improve Wyomissing’s existing administrative offices on Reading Boulevard. The standalone police department will be built on existing property, and a covered parking lot will be built adjacent to the police station. Township offices will get a 1,000-square-foot addition for receptions, offices, and council chambers.
The project application estimates that one job will be created.
The borough was most recently awarded $1 million in 2021 to renovate Wyomissing’s public works and safety facility. It received $1 million in 2006 for Wyomissing Square, an abandoned textile mill turned into a mixed-use development, according to the community’s grant application.
Reading Housing Authority family services complex
Ask: $1,812,757
Total project cost: $3,625,514
Location: Reading
The Reading Housing Authority, through the county Industrial Development Authority, is asking for a roughly $1.8 million grant to turn its Glenside property on Schuylkill Avenue into a family services complex. The first phase of construction will provide a neighborhood resource center offering adult education, workforce development, and on-site child care.
The project is estimated to create 10 jobs, but it’s unclear whether they’re temporary or permanent.
The housing authority received a $1 million RACP grant in 2022 for a similar project called the Oakbrook Homes Center for Community Services. The authority in August broke ground on baseball field upgrades at Oakbrook Homes.
Reading airport hangars
Ask: $1,812,757
Total project cost: $3,625,514
Location: Bern Township
The Reading Regional Airport Authority is asking for a roughly $1.8 million grant to add three new hangars to the airport in Bern Township. The state grant would help pay for constructing two of the three hangars that will be able to accommodate some of the largest business jets flying into the airport. The expansion will also include more office space.
The expansion was announced in early October ahead of the airport’s annual aviation expo. The project is expected to create 10 jobs, but the grant application doesn’t say whether they’re temporary or permanent.
The airport authority has not received RACP grants before.
South Heidelberg Township municipal complex
Ask: $1 million
Total project cost: $2,060,350
Location: South Heidelberg Township
South Heidelberg Township is asking for $1 million to help pay for renovations to township offices and reconfigure its public safety offices for better accessibility. The work will include the construction of a new, less visible parking lot for police patrol vehicles, as well as new entrances for township offices and the police department. It’s not expected to create any jobs.
The township indicated in its grant application that it has not received RACP grants in prior years.
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