Crafton wins $1.3M earmark for Crafton Boulevard bus lane; parks and pool grants also advance
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Summary
A congressional community project funding award of $1.3 million will fund a divided bus lane and streetscaping for Crafton Boulevard. Additional grants — $500K for park rehabilitation (award) and $250K DCNR plus $155K GEDTF for pool upgrades — were announced and will require local matching and design work.
Manager Price told council on Feb. 12 that the borough has been awarded $1.3 million in community project funding from Congressman Chris DeLuzio's office to complete Crafton Boulevard streetscaping, including a divided bus lane designed to allow school buses to load without stopping traffic in front of Crafton Elementary.
"We were awarded $1,300,000 to complete the Crafton Boulevard streetscaping project," Price said, describing a design that includes a bus lane to keep traffic flowing when buses stop. The project is an earmark/community project funding award and still requires the borough to complete the formal grant application steps; the borough expects to plan construction in 2027 and cautioned that federal grant processes and environmental reviews could affect the schedule.
Price also reported a separate Local Share Account (LSA) grant of $120,000 that the borough will use this year for smaller Crafton Boulevard improvements — four street lights, seven street trees and an EV charging installation at the school parking lot (two charging stalls). Price said the LSA work must be advertised and bid quickly because those funds must be expended by June.
In parks and recreation news, councilmembers announced an award for a combined Noble and Linwood Parks rehabilitation project (roughly $500,000 in total project funding for construction, with design work moving forward and an open house scheduled for March 4 to gather public input). Council also heard that the borough received a $250,000 DCNR grant toward a larger $500,000 pool upgrade (including a water slide, pavilion, ADA lift and bathhouse improvements) and a $155,000 gaming‑economic development grant; the borough will need an approximately $120,000 local match to complete the pool project.
Council members emphasized the need to coordinate with the school district and community volunteers on streetscape landscaping and called for transparency on plans; staff said project drawings from grant applications will be posted and public meetings scheduled as design work proceeds.