Sharpsburg, Etna, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield among those to benefit from state tax credits

Workforce training, flood prevention programs and community gardening will be among the initiatives supported by newly awarded state tax credits to Sharpsburg, Etna and Millvale.

The Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization (SNO) will receive $160,000 in tax credits from the Department of Community and Economic Development. It’s among several groups to split $1 million through the Neighborhood Assistance Program, which supports nonprofits and other projects in low-income areas.

The funding will go a long way to help community wellness programs in Sharpsburg, Etna and Millvale, said Brittany Reno, SNO executive director.

Reno also is the newly elected mayor of Sharpsburg.

“This funding will support residents through local workforce development and civic leadership training, human service aid programming, the advancement of the Etna Center for Community project and more,” Reno said.

Other projects awarded DCED money include:

• Lawrenceville Lofts, Lawrenceville: $250,000 to develop a 40,000-square-foot residential building with units earmarked for low- to moderate-income people.

• Bloomfield Development Corp.: $15,000 to preserve and create affordable housing.

• Bloomfield Garfield Corp., Garfield: $160,000 to address blight, overhaul public infrastructure and develop parks.

• Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: $13,750 to renovate the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians with improvements to the main entrance.

• 412 Food Rescue, Pittsburgh: $22,000 to reduce food waste.

Christina Howell, of the Bloomfield Development Corp., said she is grateful for the program as it will help the community, still feeling the downward economic impact from the covid-19 pandemic.

Rick Schwartz, of the Bloomfield Garfield Corp., said the tax credits will pay for about one-third of the program operations budget.

“The funds will help sustain our affordable housing projects, keep our neighborhood employment center open and allow us to continue working with small business owners and other stakeholders in the Penn Avenue commercial district,” Schwartz said.

The tax credits also will help with efforts to create a dedicated green zone in Garfield, he said.

The Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization was founded in 2014 to develop programs and recruit volunteers for initiatives to improve the quality of life in the community.

The group has undertaken projects that include launching the Community Vision Plan, which is a guide to development for the next decade.

In 2019, the organization found a new home in a former upholstery shop along South Main Street that now serves as a meeting hub and lesson space for programs on stormwater management, first-time home-buying, bike/pedestrian trails, green space, community gardening and more.

The group is part of the Triboro Ecodistrict, which includes the Etna Community Organization and New Sun Rising in Millvale.

Reno said the anticipated funding stream is a testament to many years of collaboration between the three communities.

Reno’s group also received a grant last year.

“This funding will grow our shared Triboro Ecodistrict work and impact, giving us the resources to improve our flooding issues, provide workforce training opportunities for local folks interested in green careers, expand access to food and programming and expand community leadership opportunities across all three municipalities,” she said.