In the run-up to Election Day, state lawmakers sent out press releases highlighting some of the legislation they had championed and some of the funding that they had worked to secure for local projects in the district they represent.

It’s the kind of thing that happens during every election cycle.

Recently, State Rep. John Lawrence, a Republican, and State Sen. Carolyn Comitta, a Democrat, were able announce more than $2 million in state grant funding to support infrastructure projects throughout southern Chester County.

This included $500,000 for Penn Township for the final phase of the Penn Township Sports Park north of Jennersville. The project will include construction of three youth baseball/softball fields with batting cages, portable pitching mounds, LED lighting, dugouts, benches, backstops and baseline fences and field accessories, and two multi-purpose flat fields for soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. The plan also includes a paved parking lot, ADA-compliant walkways and restrooms, gazebos, a pavilion, and picnic tables.

The funding also included $136,000 for London Britain Township to support two projects – engineering work for a municipal wastewater plant along Chambers Rock Road, and the installation of flashing warning devices along Route 896 in the vicinity of Strickersville Road and South Bank Road. The flashing lights aim to slow traffic and increase safety for Amish horse-drawn farm equipment that frequently crosses the road.

Avon Grove School District will receive $1 million to help pay for planned renovations at Penn London Elementary School and Avon Grove Intermediate School. The district is replacing outdated HVAC equipment with modern equipment to improve reliability and efficiency.

The Oxford Area Recreation Authority will receive significant funding—more than $650,000— to upgrade community park facilities in East Nottingham Township. Improvements will include paving parking lots and driveways, the installation of new lighting and fencing, renovations to the main shed, and new restrooms.

Funding for these core infrastructure improvements came through two competitive state grant funds, the statewide Local Share Account and the Public School Facility Improvement Grant program. Both are administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

Since he was first elected to office in 2011, State Rep. Lawrence has been particularly vocal about securing a fair share of state funding for the southern Chester County area. As a lifelong resident of southern Chester County, he saw how, for many years, the area—and Oxford in particular—didn’t receive its fair share. 

The funding for the Oxford Area Recreation Authority park, in particular, is badly needed—and a good sign that the work of our state lawmakers is making a difference and that a fair amount of funding is finally flowing to southern Chester County.