Cambria County commissioners approve KOEZ for Franklin Borough

Katie Smolen, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Sep. 23—EBENSBURG, Pa. — The Cambria County commissioners approved the designation of a former brownfield site as a Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone (KOEZ) in Franklin Borough.

The approval will allow Green Diamond Services to occupy the space while maintaining the benefits of a KOEZ zone.

Lou Crocco, who helped work on the project, said that local legislators worked to create a program that will spur investment in the county.

"This new program is available for Cambria County," he said.

"Green Diamond has put a lot of money into that area, and to develop it further, the KOEZ would actually make a difference in development and attract more investment into economically distressed areas of the county."

He added that no one else was looking at that property, and that the addition would benefit economic development and job creation.

The KOEZ program aims to develop a community's abandoned, unused or underutilized land and buildings into business districts.

KOEZ parcels come with specific state and local tax benefits for qualified applicants who must reapply each year and meet a series of guidelines in order to maintain occupancy.

During the meeting, the commissioners also approved the extension of a contract between the Cambria County Drug & Alcohol Program and the Flood City Youth Fitness Academy through June 30 in the amount of $259,490.01.

Fred Oliveros, administrator of the program, said that the academy obtained other funding, which has the two parties restructuring the agreement.

According to Oliveros, 12 paid tutoring positions will be added using students from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown as the tutors.

The Cambria County Drug & Alcohol Program also amended a contract with Clinical Mental Health Inc., which has been approved through June 30, 2024, in the amount of $1.2 million. The amount will be funded through the county's opioid settlement funds.