School districts in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania will share more than $6 million in environmental repair grants to fix crumbling walls, remove asbestos and remediate mold.
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday announced $75 million in grants to 109 Pennsylvania districts and schools.
Grants include $959,340 for the Lake-Lehman School District, which will help pay for removal of old underground fuel tanks and for a new sewage treatment plant.
“We're small. We're rural,” Superintendent James McGovern said. “We're always trying to find innovative ways to increase our revenue stream.”
Scranton will receive $826,636, which will cover a portion of asbestos abatement projects done during the 2023-24 school year and future abatements scheduled for next summer.
Since 2020, the district has spent about $2.7 million on abatement after discovering asbestos that had not been disclosed previously or was in disrepair.
In Pocono Mountain, the $754,886 grant will help cover a critical capital repair project needed to restore the crumbling brick façade at Clear Run Intermediate School. The repairs were needed after more than 25 years of water damage to the brick veneer and mortar, according to the district.
Districts or schools and their grants include:
Columbia County
Columbia-Montour AVTS, $36,259
Lackawanna County
Lakeland SD, $80,671
Mid Valley SD, $116,149
Old Forge SD, $14,684
Scranton SD, $826,636
Luzerne County
Lake-Lehman SD, $959,340
Monroe County
East Stroudsburg Area SD, $37,150
Pleasant Valley SD, $264,987
Pocono Mountain SD, $754,886
Stroudsburg Area SD, $262,992
Pike County
Delaware Valley SD, $58,735
Wallenpaupack Area SD, $165,633
Schuylkill County
Gillingham CS, $95,934
Pine Grove Area SD, $696,666
Pottsvillle Area SD, $526,739
Schuylkill County CTC, $38,212
Schuylkill Haven Area SD, $189,910
Tamaqua Area SD, $19,578
Susquehanna County
Forest City Regional SD, $195,248
Tioga County
Wellsboro Area SD, $629,343
Wyoming County
Tunkhannock Area SD, $15,663
