Dauphin County Commissioners Approve $8 Million in Gaming Grants for Infrastructure, Emergency and Human Services, Parks Projects

The Dauphin County Commissioners awarded gaming dollars from Hollywood Casino to provide for emergency services, food bank and shelter resources, park improvements, and infrastructure projects – among many other initiatives.

The Board of Commissioners approved on Feb. 23 awarding of 94 recipients/projects with funding available through the casino local share revenue program.

Just over $8 million will be awarded to projects and agencies across the county, saving local taxpayers financial burden and creating or preserving an estimated 13,5000 jobs.

“If not for the local share revenue, these projects would require taxpayer dollars,” Commissioner Chair Mike Pries said. “These funds are imperative to community growth and stability.”

The Dauphin County Gaming Advisory Board (GAB) presented recommendations to the commissioners for recipients of funding. Those recommendations were made following application and hearing processes.

“This process is open, fair, and diverse, and is duplicated by counties across the state,” Commissioner Chad Saylor said. “Casino revenue really is the gift that keeps on giving.”

The local share funds, by law, cannot be used for property taxes.

“Local share funds go a long way in keeping property taxes from being increased,” Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III said.

Among the projects highlighted at the Feb. 23 commissioners’ meeting were:

- The purchase of a mobile command center for Dauphin County’s Crisis Response Team.

- A transport van to be used by H.I.S. Ministry, which offers services and training to men being released from prison.

- Improvements to Pennbrook’s Little Valley Park and pickleball courts construction in Conewago Township and Swatara Township.

- A Hamilton Health Center primary care satellite office in Steelton.

- Bullfrog Valley Stream restoration in Hummelstown Borough and Derry Township.

Projects that were applied and did not receive funding will be given prioritized reconsideration next year.

The Dauphin County Gaming Advisory Board was created by the commissioners when local share money first became available. In addition to reviewing projects in a fair and open process, the GAB is responsible for tracking ongoing work to ensure the money is used as intended.

Here is a complete list of projects awarded funding:

Host & Contiguous Municipalities

1. East Hanover Twp. (Fire hose and nozzles, park improvements and remainder to

annual road maintenance and repair) - $700,000

2. Derry Twp. ($157,070 Police and Public Works radios; $100,000 Hershey Vol.

Fire Co. radio replacements; $75,000 Derry Township School District safe school

renovation project; $50,000 Cocoa Packs food and supplies; $75,000 Linlo

Governor Crossing, LLC construction of mixed-use commercial business park) -

$457,070

3. Middle Paxton Twp. ($124,000 Debt service for DCIB loan; $70,000 Elevator

installation at municipal bldg. condition that CDBG must be used, if available, for 7

elevator installation; $55,000 Dauphin Middle Paxton Fire debt service on

emergency response vehicle) - $249,000

4. West Hanover Twp. (Debt reduction for new fire station) - $300,000
5. South Hanover Twp. (Municipal Complex debt reduction) - $300,000

Other Awards

1. Berrysburg Municipal Authority (Debt Service for Sewage Treatment Plant

System project) - $34,000

2. Conewago Township (Construct two pickleball courts) - $90,000
3. Court Administration for Magisterial District Judges (Debt reduction on

construction of new MDJ facilities) - $175,000

4. Dauphin County Court Appointed Special Advocates (Operations – equipment,

recruiting and training) - $50,000

5. Dauphin Co. Crisis Response Team (Acquire mobile command center

conditioned upon exhausting all standard funding sources first) - $153,000

6. Dauphin County General Authority (Golf course irrigation system debt payment) -

$141,200

7. Dauphin County Library System (Integration of historic property at 27 N. Front St.

to main library space) - $100,000

8. Dauphin Co. Parks & Recreation Department (Fort Hunter Park – design and

construct inclusive playground conditioned on full funding) - $150,000

9. Dauphin County Sheriff’s Office (Debt reduction of new portable and mobile

police radios) - $50,000

10. Elizabethville Borough/ Reliance Hose Co. No. 1 (Replace self-contained

breathing apparatus) - $72,000

11. Gratz Area Fire Co. No. 1/Lykens Twp. (Replace airpacks on engine and rescue

engine) - $72,000

12. Halifax Borough (Upgrade to Deppen Park restrooms) - $100,000
13. Halifax Swim Club (Construct pavilion) - $42,200
14. Halifax Township (Fort Halifax Park entry road improvements at railroad

crossing) - $100,000

15. Hummelstown Borough ($56,960 Municipal and Public Safety Building debt

reduction; $40,000 Construction of Bullfrog Valley Stream Restoration; $50,000

Ladder truck replacement project) - $146,960

16. Jackson Township/Fisherville Vol. Fire Co. (Fire Station addition construction

debt) - $37,000

17. Londonderry Township (Final component of water/sewer infrastructure extension

project) - $150,000

18. Lower Paxton Township/Parks & Rec Department (Parks & Recreation Master

Plan and renovations for Brightbill Park) - $150,000

19. Lower Swatara Township ($122,000 Annual DCIB loan payments and PennVest

loan repayment; $75,000 Lower Swatara Twp. Vol. Fire Dept. debt reduction on

2018 Pierce Pumper/Tanker; $25,000 Lower Swatara Lions Club Refurbish

kitchen, bathrooms and roof/window repair) - $222,000

20. Lykens Borough/Lykens Borough Authority ($100,000 Water System

Improvements – Phase II; $30,000 Liberty Hose Co. No. 2 /Lykens Borough

replacement of 15 sets of turnout gear and new gear rack) - $130,000

21. Middletown Swim Club (Repairs and upgrades to pool facility) - $ 10,000
22. Middletown Volunteer Fire Dept. (Pumper Truck debt reduction) - $75,000
23. Millersburg Area School District (Security and accessibility upgrades at schools) -

$25,000

24. Penbrook Borough ($100,000 Asylum Run sewer project debt reduction; $40,000

Little Valley Park Revitalization access for handicapped; $25,000 Citizen’s Fire

Co. No. 1 of Penbrook debt relief on 2021 Pierce Fire Engine) - $165,000

25. Reed Township/Duncannon Vol. Fire Co. #1(Debt reduction for aerial unit and

radio replacement for Fire Co.) - $46,000

26. Royalton Borough (Debt service on 2020 roadway and drainage project) -

$150,000

27. Steelton Borough ($75,000 Brickyard Community Park construction; $17,585

Steelton Volunteer Fire Dept. purchase radio equipment and saw; $75,000

Steelton-Highspire School District revitalize War Memorial Field for community

use) - $167,585

28. Susquehanna Township ($150,000 Playground rehab project and public safety

radio replacement project; $7,500 Susquehanna High School Baseball Team

field safety improvements) - $ 157,500

29. Swatara Township (Bishop Park pickleball court project and pavilion) - $ 179,800
30. Washington Township (Municipal building improvements) - $75,000
31. Wiconisco Fire Engine Co. No. 1 (Debt reduction on new fire rescue) - $33,000
32. Williamstown Borough ($83,875 Truck replacement; $26,000 Williamstown

American Legion Post 239 renovations to restrooms and install air conditioning) -

$109,875

33. 3Actrical Productions (Marketing initiative “Film Dauphin County” conditioned on

full funding) - $75,000

34. Affordable Housing Assoc. of Dauphin Co. (Purchase and install back-up

generator for Cherry Orchard Place) - $60,000

35. Breaking the Chainz (Repairs to apartment building for displaced families

working with Dauphin Co. CYS and other agencies) - $50,000

36. Bethel Village Assoc. LLC (Construct a 49-unit affordable rental community

conditioned on full funding) - $75,000

37. Camp Curtin YMCA (Cornerstone Uptown Project Phase II - Rehab of 6th Street

homes conditioned on PHARE grant) - $50,000

38. Campbell Associates (Develop and construct 4 to 8 Lykens Cottages conditioned

on full funding) - $75,000

39. Catholic Charities (Saint Samuel Center upgrades – door replacements) -

$13,000

40. Civic Club of Harrisburg (Restoration of Overlook mansion) - $14,500
41. Colonial Park Fire Co. No. 1 (New electronic signage for public safety

messaging) - $36,000

42. Community Aid (Debt relief) - $45,000
43. D&H Distributing (Reimbursement for Flex-Forward program) - $25,000
44. Driven from Within / Next level Preparation LLC (Support for after-school

programs, youth tutoring, college tours and classes *No salaries) - $8,700

45. Downtown Daily Bread (Funds for emergency shelter, meals and human

services) - $20,000

46. Ecumenical Community of Harrisburg (Install door security system) - $35,000
47. Fox’s Wash & Go (Purchase new washer/dryer equipment) - $75,000
48. Friends of Midland Cemetery (Restoration and preservation of Midland

Cemetery) - $25,000

49. Gamut Theatre (Debt reduction on building renovation) - $30,000
50. Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania (Camp Small Valley construction of 2

new yurt platforms) - $65,000

51. GreenWorks Development (Mixed-use redevelopment project in Midtown

Harrisburg conditioned upon matching funds obtained after March 1, 2022 and

no grant application submissions for soft costs but only for construction) -

$50,000

52. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Harrisburg Area (Home construction in Steelton

Borough) - $75,000

53. Hamilton Health Center (Create a satellite primary care medical office in Steelton

Borough) - $130,000

54. Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society (Repair and refurbish the Pride of the

Susquehanna conditioned on full funding) - $75,000

55. Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HUE Festival for esports) -

$50,000

56. Hawthorne SPE (Susquehanna Union Green – new town center/development) -

$75,000

57. Heroes Fund, Inc. (Construct a Welcome Building, accessible restrooms and

concession conditioned on 10-year stay-out period and providing reasonable

accommodation of County use) - $75,000

58. Hidden Still (Construction of restaurant, distillery and tasting and tour areas) -

$75,000

59. H.I.S. Ministry (Provide behavioral health services to men/fathers in one

permanent location and transportation) - $43,000

60. Historic Harrisburg Association (Install new HVAC system) - $75,000
61. Homeland Center (Install interior security equipment) - $35,000
62. Hospice of Central PA (Family bereavement room and training room renovations)

- $20,000

63. Keystone Human Services (Capital Area Head Start outdoor education space) -

$75,000

64. Koons Memorial Park Swim Club (Relocate and replace diving board) - $30,000
65. Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (Renovation, repair and restoration of

Church facility conditioned on match) - $32,500

66. The National Civil War Museum (Reduction of long-term debt) - $15,000
67. National Coalition of 100 Black Women (Funding for “Together, We Rise! –

Empowering and Educating Women and Girls for Success” Project) - $15,000

68. The Nativity School (Completion of Phase III renovation project) - $40,000
69. Panther Ram Foundation (CDSD Nutripacks) - $50,000
70. Partnership for Hope (Purchase two vans conditioned on full funding) - $15,000
71. Penn Colonial Swim Club (Repair/replace wastewater disposal system) - $10,000
72. Penn State University – Harrisburg (Phase III of Harrisburg Innovation Park

planning project) - $50,000

73. Phase 4 Learning (Van acquisition and equipment upgrade) - $42,000
74. Pop’s House (Debt reduction on acquisition of home for veterans at 316-318

Carlisle St.) - $15,000

75. The Program, It’s About Change (Reduction of debt on Phase II renovations to

16-bed transitional house facility) - $75,000

76. RB Development (Cornish Heights 30-unit mixed income housing in Allison Hill

conditioned on full funding/City funding) - $150,000

77. The Salvation Army (Resilience and Transformation facilities renovations project)

- $60,000

78. SCOPE (Free mobile clinic operated by Penn State medical students) - $26,000
79. Shalom House (Two-phase church conversion project with elevator installation) -

$25,000

80. St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Phase III of security upgrades – install intercom

system) - $35,000

81. Summit Terrace Neighborhood Association (Upgrade and revitalize community

building and fund technology upgrades) - $10,000

82. Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (Fire Department equipment

(radios, air cylinders) and turnout gear purchases) - $22,000

83. Community Action Commission d/b/a Tri- County Community Action (Cyber

school learning academy sprinkler project) - $75,000

84. Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania (Construction of tiny homes community for

veterans conditioned upon obtaining matching funds within one year) - $50,000

85. Vision Resources (Purchase a used forklift) - $15,000
86. Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts (Debt reduction for laser projector) -

$50,000

87. WITF, Inc. (Upgrade primary broadcasting tower) - $100,000
88. PA STEAM Academy Charter School (Comprehensive literacy program) -

$12,850

89. Dauphin County Industrial Development Authority (Administration) - $650,000

MEDIA CONTACT: Brett Hambright, Press Secretary, 717-780-6311; bhambright@dauphinc.org.