The Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County announced Friday the awarding of 52 grants totaling $3.9 million dollars in grants from funds generated at the Parx Casino. 

The Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors approved the grants to eligible municipalities at a public meeting held on Friday at the Redevelopment Authority’s office in Bristol Borough. The grants will be used for a variety of municipal projects that include infrastructure improvements, municipal upgrades, human services, emergency services and equipment for law enforcement and fire fighters. 

“The Redevelopment Authority is proud to support these types of projects that address gaming’s impact on our region. I would like to commend Senator Tomlinson for his leadership when drafting the gaming legislation and for introducing language that made key changes to the law in 2017. His vision has resulted in tens of millions of dollars being used locally to address gaming’s impact on our region,” said Sean Schafer, Chairman of the Redevelopment Authority. 

Schafer served as Tomlinson’s chief of staff  for a number of years and has intimate knowledge about the gaming laws enacted in Pennsylvania. 

Jeff Darwak, Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority, noted over $6 million in application requests were received. He said, “This year we saw, and were able to support, a lot of projects that involved collaboration amongst multiple jurisdictions. It is great to see municipalities building partnerships through this program. These projects will address gaming impacts and alleviate some of the financial burden from the taxpayers in the impacted communities.

Schafer added, “Applications presented by the municipalities represented a wide range of projects. Each year the Redevelopment Authority board and staff spend many hours reviewing the applications before the final decision is made. I am pleased that we can help these communities to address infrastructure needs, improve the quality of life for families, and make our Lower Bucks County community safe”,said Schafer.

Since the inception of the Municipal Grant Program in 2008, the Redevelopment Authority has awarded over $45 million for eligible projects. The municipal grant application process is administered by the Redevelopment Authority and offered along with application guidance to each of the eligible municipalities.