By Jacob Michael
Centre Daily Times
CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. 鈥� A long-planned Centre County emergency services training facility is on hold after tens of millions of federal dollars for community projects were halted with Congress鈥� passage of a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down in mid-March.
Three Centre County projects were among the $264 million of federal community project funds designated toward Pennsylvania projects affected, according to a database published by the Philadelphia Inquirer. The projects 鈥� which also include funding for the Bellefonte Waterfront project and a State College Borough sewer and storm line replacement project 鈥� had been negotiated in the House and Senate appropriation committees.
In Centre County, Moshannon Valley Emergency Medical Service鈥檚 $2.7 million training facility project was hit the hardest by the omissions, with $2.1 million in federal funding being missed out on.
Typically, the traditional budget process would have included earmarks for community project funds to be distributed, but because a government shutdown was pending, the traditional process was bypassed and the funds weren鈥檛 distributed.
鈥淲e are extremely disappointed to hear of the decision to not assist us with funding our project 鈥� emergency medical services and emergency services like police and fire are a backbone to the safety our communities,鈥� MVEMS Executive Director Frederick Ferguson wrote in an email to the CDT late last month.
Ferguson plans to re-file the $2.1 million grant application again next year with updated letters of support. Until then though, the project that he hoped would break ground in fall 2024 remains on hold until spring 2026, at the earliest.
The EMS鈥� training facility project has been in the works for about five years, with the organization having purchased a plot of land in 2020 at 210 Loch Lomond Road in Rush Township, where the former Philipsburg Area Hospital was located.
Currently the MVEMS holds its trainings in the Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership鈥檚 Enterprise Center, but the organization has outgrown the space.
Wes Cartwright, the MVEMS鈥� former chief and current paramedic, told the CDT in 2023 that the 9,350-square-foot building would help meet a 鈥渃ritical need鈥� in the Moshannon Valley area, with an estimated 60 EMS personnel being trained there per year.
The new facility will have room to hold up to eight ambulances, with about 10 new jobs created and 35 jobs retained. According to Ferguson, local fire departments will have the option to take training courses there as well.
Ferguson said he spoke with U.S. Rep. Glenn 鈥淕T鈥� Thompson, R- Howard, who voted in favor of the continuing resolution, at the Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership鈥檚 annual dinner on April 24 and has hope that the federal grant will come through next year.
鈥淎t the dinner I was actually able to sit down with Congressman Thompson and speak with him about the project and its funding, which was actually very enlightening,鈥� Ferguson said. 鈥淚 feel confident about getting funding next year; it鈥檚 just a waiting game now.鈥�
Kelsey Holt , Thompson鈥檚 communications director, wrote in an email to the CDT that the project鈥檚 funding was initially approved by Congress before the continuing resolution was passed.
鈥淐ongressman Thompson continues to support the effort and looks forward to getting the project funded this year,鈥� she added.
Ferguson must also apply for an extension for the usage of two Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development grants totaling to $500,000, as they expire in on June 30, 2026. Other funding sources for the project include community donations.
Alternate plans are also in the works in the event the funding isn鈥檛 awarded next year. Existing buildings in the area have been looked at that could possibly be renovated into a training building, although Ferguson鈥檚 hope is that the facility will be built from the ground up. Finding a building able to be renovated from the parcels currently available has proven to be 鈥渁 bit of a challenge鈥� for he and his staff, he said.
鈥淚 think the biggest thing for people to understand with the project right now is to maintain patience. People have been asking us about it, and we know that a lot of people have donated too, but they haven鈥檛 seen any movement on the ground 鈥� they haven鈥檛 seen any groundbreaking,鈥� Ferguson said. 鈥淲e understand your frustration, and we鈥檙e just as frustrated about the delays as you are.鈥�
He thanked the Moshannon Valley community for its 鈥渆xtraordinary support鈥� and shared that updates would be provided on the project when available.
The MVEMS鈥� training facility isn鈥檛 the only new development slated for the Philipsburg Area Hospital鈥檚 former home 鈥� according to a MVEDP press release sent Monday morning, a new housing development is also being built there for people over the age of 55.
The Greystone Philipsburg project will be a five-story building that feature 66 apartments and will offer one- and two-bedroom options. The project鈥檚 groundbreaking is set for Friday.
Other Centre County projects impacted
In addition to the MVEMS鈥� training facility, two other local projects were impacted by the funding omissions 鈥� the Bellefonte Waterfront project and a State College Borough sewer and storm line replacement project, with each missing out on $1.6 million and $1.5 million, respectively.
Tom Songer , a co-manager of the waterfront project, wrote in an email to the CDT that the omitted $1.6 million was designated specifically for the construction of Dunlop Street and some on-site infrastructure. An application for the funding was resubmitted late last month with additional letters of support.
The construction of the project鈥檚 buildings will be financed separately through a local, unnamed lending institution, but will be constructed at the same time as Dunlop Street.
Once completed, the project will have two buildings. The first would be a 93-room, nationally-branded boutique hotel, complete with a farm-to-table restaurant and a rooftop lounge. The second building will house a 268-space parking garage, 48 condominium units and around 33,000 square feet of commercial space.
After years of delays, Songer expects to break ground on the project in the fall, with no specific date being provided.
In State College, Kayla Lafferty, the borough鈥檚 communications specialist, said that despite losing out on $1.5 million in funding, the borough鈥檚 sewer and storm line replacement project is still moving forward.
鈥淚t means there are fewer grant funds for the project at the moment, but the project is still moving ahead. The Borough is preparing applications to seek other grant funding,鈥� Lafferty wrote in an email.
The funding would have been used to replace sanitary sewer and stormwater lines in downtown State College from Hetzel Street to High Street, according to the borough鈥檚 appropriations request. The lines are more than 100 years old.
鈥淭his project is part of an overall initiative to replace water, sewer and stormwater lines, along with transportation improvements throughout downtown State College in order to promote further economic growth,鈥� the borough鈥檚 request states.
漏 2025 the Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.).
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