Cameron County has been awarded a grant to rehabilitate its recreation center located in Emporium, Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter) and Sen. Cris Dush (R-25) announced today.

The $266,534 grant was awarded by the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority through its Multi-Purpose Facilities Grant Program. The money will be used to rehabilitate and renovate the recreation center into a modern, attractive, multi-use facility for area residents.

“One of the goals of this grant program is to help expand access to broadband services, and the work at the rec center can make it a hub for people who may not have the service at home,” Causer said. “This is certainly a worthwhile investment in the community.

“Without question, bridging the digital divide in rural areas such as Cameron County is an automatic game changer for families, schools, hospitals, local governments, main street small businesses, and homegrown industries, such as agriculture, forestry, and fossil fuel production,” said Dush. “Securing this critical funding is an absolute must for keeping affordable and reliable digital broadband expansion projects moving forward and making our entire region more appealing for future development and family-sustaining jobs creation.”

The Multi-Purpose Community Facilities Program is funded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. It offers $45 million in competitive grants to community anchor institutions and units of local government for community projects to construct, acquire, or improve facilities that are, or will be, open to the public, and will directly enable work, education, and health monitoring at the respective facility.