PITTSTON TWP. — A unanimous vote to enter into a grant administration partnership will result in a business expansion for a Pittston Township factory.
Interstate Window and Door, located on Laurel Street in Pittston Township, was deemed to be worthy of $350,000 in state grant funding. The state however cannot provide the funding directly to Interstate so the municipality will accept it and pass it onto Interstate.
The company has an agreement with Ashburn Advisors, LLC, which will handle all administrative tasks associated with the grant in return for $10,500 of the funding.
Paul Colarossi of Ashburn was on hand for the vote at the July 13 regular board of supervisors meeting. He explained that Interstate was identified by the state as a company in need of the funding that could be trusted to properly utilize it to the benefit of the community as a whole.
The $350,000 will allow Interstate to expand all facets of its manufacturing capabilities from the creation of products to an increased labor force which will lead to a higher tax base for the township, county and state.
In other matters, Pittston Township Zoning and Code Enforcement officer Terry Best reported being joined by supervisor Stephen Rinaldi in responding to complaints of illegal dumping within the municipality.
Best stated previous ongoing issues will now cease, but a property off Commerce Road where debris remains is still inaccessible. Township officials cannot go onto the private property owned by the Chicago-based commercial real estate company, The Opus group.
Attempts by township officials to contact Opus representatives have been unsuccessful.
Also, Frank Sciabacucci of the Pittston Township Crime Watch announced his efforts to register township residents with Luzerne County 911. The registry will label users with personal identification numbers so a level of anonymity can be guaranteed when suspicious activity is being reported.
The registration has been taking place at recent crime watch meetings, but Sciabacucci also plans to attend seniors events in the future to make registration for township senior citizens as easy as possible.
The next regular Pittston Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17.
