Colleges receive state grants
Albright and Alvernia will receive a combined $5 million
Albright College and Alvernia University will receive a combined $5 million in state grant funding.
Alvernia will get $4 million to assist with its Reading CollegeTowne initiative, which will see the school open a downtown Reading Campus.
Albright will receive $1 million to renovate its Gingrich Library.
The money is being provided through the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
The program is administered through the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects.
The local grant recipients were announced Wednesday by state Sen. Judy Schwank, an advocate for both projects.
“These are two great projects that will bring immediate jobs to Berks in terms of construction, and, long-term, these projects will have a tremendously positive impact on Reading and the greater Reading area,” she said.
Reading CollegeTowne promises to be a boon to downtown Reading, she said.
“These funds are an incredible boost for downtown Reading and our efforts to revitalize Penn Street,” Schwank said. “I am beyond pleased to see Alvernia making such a bold move to locate part of their campus in downtown Reading.
“I’m equally grateful to Gov. Tom Wolf who has been so supportive of the economic development projects in the city.”
The Albright project will bolster another section of the city.
“These state funds will help Albright remain an anchor in Northeast Reading and allow the institution to transform Gingrich Library into a state-of-the-art learning facility that will benefit both college students and the community at-large,” Schwank said.