Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization awarded tax credits to help with employment programs, flood insurance costs

Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization is among several groups selected by the state to receive tax credits to assist with employment programs and training for residents, officials announced on Dec. 8.

The nonprofit along South Main Street will receive $75,000, a portion of which will be used to reduce costs for flood insurance for businesses.

Money was made available through the Neighborhood Assistance Program of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

“This award will support the efforts of multiple Sharpsburg community groups working to improve our residents’ health and resiliency in the face of a changing economy and changing climate patterns,” Executive Director Brittany Reno said.

Other local groups to receive the aid include the Lawrenceville Corporation, which will receive $400,000; the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, which will get $33,750; and the Bloomfield Development Corporation, slated to get $15,000.

Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization was founded in 2014 to develop programs and recruit volunteers in initiatives to improve the quality of life in the borough. The group has undertaken countless projects to that end, including launching the Community Vision Plan, 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. Drop-in hours are typically available from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and noon to 3:30 p.m. on Fridays but are suspended during the covid-19 pandemic.

State Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Allegheny, said the investment from the state’s Neighborhood Assistance Program comes at a critical time for groups like the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Association.

“This state funding will allow these organizations to build on their existing programs and to continue to address the long-term needs of our communities,” she said.

Lauren Bryne Connelly, executive director of the Lawrenceville Corporation, agreed that the support is crucial and said, “I am not sure the words are there to really describe what this investment means to the people touched by the programs and projects it supports.”

The money will help with struggles compounded by the covid-19 pandemic, such as affordable housing, small business success and access to fresh food.

“Without this support, we would see the gap widening between those benefiting from the growth in our neighborhood and those left out,” Connelly said.