The Western Wayne School District applied for and was granted a $250,000 RACP State grant in 2009 to do construction at the High School/Middle School site. Then Governor Rendell, approved the funding and ear marked the monies for Western Wayne School District, through the Wayne County Redevelopment Authority, to complete the project. The project was completed and documents were submitted to have the State Funding released. The funding did not arrive, modifications were made, yet the funding never came through.
Fast forward to 2016, Mike Peifer, PA House State Representative of the 139th district, called Superintendent Joseph Adams to let him know that the RACP $250,000 Grant was still on the books at the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to be funded, but the window to submit was closing in 2019. Mr. Adams retired, but agreed to continue, with the help of Western Wayne Superintendent Matt Barrett, Western Wayne Business Manager Rose Emmett, the Wayne County Redevelopment Authority Director Robbin Morgan and DCED, to pursue this approved grant to provide $250,000 of State money for capital projects and savings to the Western Wayne local taxpayers.
Since 2017, this team of professionals submitted and re-submitted plans, drawings and documents and worked with the consultants from the State DCED office, until the Fall of 2021. Finally, after 13 years, Western Wayne’s grant was funded and received in January 2022.
Superintendent Matt Barrett said, “It paid off to keep grinding for this pre-approved grant funded project and I would like to thank Mike Peifer, Joe Adams, Rose Emmett, Robbin Morgan and Paul Macknosky of DCED for working so diligently for the past five years in delivering this $250,000 RACP Grant. It is a $250,000 savings to our Western Wayne taxpayers and reimburses the District for capital projects completed.”
