State Senator David G. Argall (R-29) and Representative Neal Goodman (D-123) joined Mahanoy City Borough elected officials and volunteers to announce $1.02 million in funding for pedestrian safety and downtown revitalization projects.

"Almost two years ago, Jim Rhoades Jr. and numerous volunteers asked me to join them on a walk around the downtown to consider various improvements. I'm thankful, with the hard work of borough council along with various organizations, including Mahanoy Downtown, Inc., that we can work together to build a stronger community. At a time of high unemployment, I know this money will go a long way in helping to create a more appealing downtown for job creators, bringing jobs and more opportunity to Mahanoy City," stated Senator Argall."The cynics among us might say the best days of older communities like Mahanoy City are behind them," Rep. Goodman said, "But targeted investments like this grant help the efforts of our local elected officials, business people and residents to make Mahanoy City a better place to live and work. It will help the safety, aesthetics and ultimately, the economic vitality of our community."Borough Manager Dan Lynch continued, "It is virtually impossible to overstate how important this project is to the borough. It has helped and will continue to help breathe a new life into our downtown business district, which in turn will attract new businesses and create new jobs for Mahanoy City. The borough is very thankful to everyone involved."Jim Rhoades Jr., who serves as Borough Engineer and founding president of Mahanoy Downtown, Inc., concluded, "The first portion of the Central Business District Streetscape Revitalization Program, funded by the PennDOT Hometown Streets Program, won the 2008 PHIA (Pennsylvania Highway Information Association) 27th Annual Road and Bridge Safety Improvement Award.The proposed Phase III project will follow the same design philosophy with traffic calming and signage for safety as well as numerous upgrades to the downtown, which will make Mahanoy City more appealing for small business owners. Design is about 90% complete, so we're ready to move full steam ahead."PennDOT recently announced $24.7 million for Smart Transportation Projects in 41 communities throughout Pennsylvania.Mahanoy City received $1,020,000 for downtown pedestrian upgrades along with improving the downtown business district.This is the second round of funding for "Smart Transportation" projects in Pennsylvania. The federal funds are channeled through PennDOT, which examined various communities requesting funds. PennDOT has received 238 applications requesting funding for various projects.