State grants received in Bethel Park
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Add Zamboni driver to the résumé of state Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville.
He piloted an ice-cleaning machine around the rink at the Spencer Family YMCA in Bethel Park as part of a Nov. 6 celebration of a $250,000 grant that Robinson supported.
The grant, applied for by the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, provides for numerous improvements at the Bethel Park location, including an electric edger, locker room tile upgrades, ice rink netting installation, and a variety of fitness equipment and building upgrades on the membership side of the 28-year-old building at 305 Church Road.
A preowned Zamboni was part of the package, as well.
Members of the Bethel Park High School ice hockey team joined YMCA leaders — including Amy Kienle, Greater Pittsburgh president and CEO; Richard Jewell, chairman of the board of trustees; and Jim Lybarger, Spencer Family executive director — as Robinson presented a ceremonial check on the ice.
The money comes from the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Keystone Communities Program, which supports economic growth, community development and municipal assistance.
Further state money is going to the municipality of Bethel Park, which received a WalkWorks Active Transportation Planning Grant for $25,000, the maximum awarded. Nine communities in Pennsylvania are recipients.
The grant offers funds to develop active transportation plans, with the intention of promoting physical activity by connecting local destinations with improved pedestrian, bicycle and transit networks.
The WalkWorks program benefits from its partnership with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.