BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Seven projects in Bucks County have been awarded a combined $3.11 million in state funding through the Commonwealth Financing Authority's Local Share Account program.
The grants will support projects that address critical needs across Bucks County, including strengthening the emergency services residents rely on every day, improving the safety and resilience of communities, and assisting local organizations and municipalities with important investments that will have a lasting impact on residents.
"These investments are going to make a tangible difference for the people in my district and across the county," State Rep. Brian Munroe said. "Whether it's securing our first responders the equipment they need to do their jobs, making improvements to our local infrastructure, or expanding affordable housing, these grants are putting state dollars to work where they are needed most. I'm proud to have played a part in bringing these investments home."
The projects receiving state funding are:
- Public Utility Service Vehicles -- $126,400: This funding will be directed toward the purchase of two public service utility vehicles equipped for water quality monitoring and system maintenance to be used in Warrington Township. These vehicles will directly support compliance with new regulations and other water quality mandates.
- Bariatric Ambulance Acquisition -- $387,126: These funds will be used to purchase a specialized bariatric ambulance to safely and respectfully transport morbidly obese patients in Bucks County. Current EMS units lack appropriate equipment, forcing providers to rely on unsafe, improvised methods that jeopardize patient dignity and increase injury risk for both patients and EMS personnel.
- Ambulance Replacement and Equipment Procurement -- $200,000: This grant will be used for the purchase of a new, fully equipped ambulance for Warrington Township, to replace an aging unit that has exceeded its service life. The purchase will help address the growing demand for emergency services driven by population growth in the area.
- Central Bucks County Special Response Team HazMat Equipment -- $254,364: These funds will be used for the purchase of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive equipment for use throughout Bucks County, including 20 Tactical Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses, 20 Combined Systems Powered Air-Purifying Respirators, 20 cylinders with carrying bags, and 20 batteries to power the equipment. This equipment is used to respond to high-risk events within the service area and is universally stored in Central Bucks County Special Response Team vehicles.
- Warminster Township Police Department Vehicles -- $152,848: This funding will be used to replace two police vehicles that will be operated in Warminster Township. The vehicles they will be replacing are outdated and require costly, routine maintenance.
- Greenley Avenue Storm Sewer (Phase III) -- $994,271: These funds will be directed towards Phase III of the Greeley Avenue storm sewer extension project in Ivyland Borough. This phase will extend the southwest truck storm sewer along Greeley Avenue to eliminate remaining flood hotspots and ensure adequate boroughwide capacity and install a new HDPE trunk sewer pipe, adding storm inlets and lateral connections, replacing undersized drainage structures, restoring roadways and rights-of-way, and integrating the system hydraulically with Phases I and II.
- Bucks County Blight Abatement Program -- $1 million: This grant funding will be used by the Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County to acquire, remediate and redevelop 7-12 vacant or blighted properties to create permanently affordable homes through the Habitat Bucks Land Trust model. Grant funds will be used exclusively for property acquisition guided by certified appraisals and strategic selection to grow the Land Trust pipeline. Habitat Bucks will rehabilitate or build homes that meet safety and affordability standards, ensuring long-term, equity-building ownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income families.
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"As a former first responder, I know as well as anyone how strongly our communities depend on reliable emergency services and safe infrastructure," Munroe said. "These projects address those needs, and I'm excited to watch the impact of these funds uplift our community for years to come."
All the projects have been funded through the statewide Local Share Account Program, which was established as an amendment to the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. The program allows for the distribution of gaming revenues through the Commonwealth Financing Authority to support projects in the public interest throughout Pennsylvania.