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Contact:
Micah Gursky, Blueprint Team Leader; 570-668-6899, micah@tacp.info
Neil Cotiaux, FHLBank Pittsburgh: 412-335-9488, Neil.cotiaux@fhlb-pgh.com

Tamaqua Awarded Mini-Grant for Blueprint Communities Project

Pittsburgh, PA, January 11, 2012 – The Blueprint Communities initiative of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) of Pittsburgh has awarded Tamaqua a $10,000 mini-grant. The grant will be used to help design and engineer pre-development work for the Upper Floors project in the historic downtown area.  

Tamaqua will continue its work to redevelop the upper floors of its historic downtown “Main Street District.” The Tamaqua Blueprint Community Team spearheaded an effort to identify and inventory potential properties for upper floor redevelopment, completing the Tamaqua Upper Floor Study in 2007. In 2010, the Tamaqua Blueprint Team completed the Upper Floor Redevelopment Plan that identified 112 West Broad Street as a “catalyst” project to demonstrate the potential of upper floor development. These studies are available at the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership web site, www.tacp.info. Also available is a video emphasizing the potential for upper floor redevelopment.

The Blueprint Team expressed their enthusiasm for the catalyst project moving forward.

“This funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh’s Blueprint Communities initiative will allow Tamaqua to design the redevelopment of 112 West Broad Street using local architect Mark Conville,” said Micah Gursky, Tamaqua Blueprint Team Leader. “The Blueprint Communities program encouraged us to lay out a plan and our plan includes the productive redevelopment of our upper floors downtown,” he continued. “Now the Blueprint initiative is helping us take the first steps in implementing that plan.”

Grant was competitive
Last year, FHLBank invited active Blueprint Communities in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to submit project applications as part of a competitive mini-grant funding process. Projects were evaluated for their ability to expand the capacity of Blueprint teams, leverage dollars, and positively impact the community. Of 16 applications received, six projects were awarded a total of $63,000.

The Blueprint Communities effort in Tamaqua is spearheaded by a committee made up of business and civic leaders. The group was formed in 2005 as one of 22 original Blueprint Communities across Pennsylvania. The initiative was created to help civic leaders in older, smaller communities develop enhanced leadership skills, create greater capacity to enact positive change, and formulate a fresh vision and strategy to meet pressing community needs.

FHLBank Pittsburgh is a wholesale bank that serves the housing finance and community and economic development needs of its owner-members. FHLBank Pittsburgh provides reliable access to low-cost funds, competitive pricing in the purchase of mortgage loans, correspondent banking, technical assistance, affordable housing grants and other programs so members can better serve their own communities. FHLBank Pittsburgh is privately capitalized and funded and does not use taxpayer dollars. As of September 30, 2011, the Bank had 300 members in its district of Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and held approximately $47 billion in assets. FHLBank Pittsburgh is one of twelve Banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, established by Congress in 1932 to support the residential mortgage activities of local financial institutions.