Two South Philly improvement projects will be included on the House Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Year 2022 funding bill.
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon announced that all 10 of the projects she nominated as part of the Community Project Funding process, totaling $8,456,562, were approved and will soon come to fruition.
It includes the F. Amedee Bregy Schoolyard Improvement Project and the Philadelphia Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives Program.
“It is my honor to fight for the residents of PA-05 in Congress, and I am incredibly proud to have secured this much-needed funding for 10 projects that I know will be game changers for the communities where they are located,” Scanlon said.
Scanlon’s congressional district covers a southern portion of South Philly as well as all of Delaware County and parts of Chester and Montgomery counties. Two of the approved projects to receive funding relate directly to South Philadelphia, while others span several areas across many areas of need.
“The projects our office supported address some of the most pressing needs in our region — economic development, climate resilience, accessing treatment for opioid use disorder and improving mental health resources during emergency situations,” Scanlon said. “I will continue to fight for our district to ensure that we get the federal funding we need to make our communities stronger.”
Scanlon’s plan for the F. Amedee Bregy Schoolyard Improvement Project resulted in $425,000 of funding to transform a paved, asphalt schoolyard that increases urban heat, flooding and safety concerns into a climate-resilient, community space. The project included community research and input and will include play equipment, basketball courts, seating, shading, an outdoor classroom and new greenery. The school, located at 1700 Bigler St., has a population that is 100-percent economically disadvantaged, according to Scanlon. About 85 percent of the student population are minorities.
The Philadelphia Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives Program will receive $525,000 to work with the University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to identify, train and connect unemployed and underemployed adults to quality wage employment in an effort to increase stability and economic opportunity for working Philadelphians.
A program will be created at the Philadelphia Navy Yard to connect residents to jobs in stable industries that are “future proof” and won’t be eliminated by the rapid acceleration of workforce automation. PIDC will manage four training cohorts with a total of 65 participants, while also connecting additional job seekers with the robust network of employers at the Navy Yard.
