BETHEL TOWNSHIP – The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) approved a $2 million Business in Our Sites (BOS) loan today for the Berks County Industrial Development Authority (BCIDA) project at Berks Park 78 in Bethel Township.
The BOS loan will be used for infrastructure enhancements totaling $6.4 million by leveraging already secured funds of $4.4 million by Berks County. BCIDA will now be able to complete a three-million-square-foot industrial/commercial complex along Interstate 78 in Berks County with the potential of creating hundreds of jobs.
Senators Folmer and Argall applauded the CFA’s approval of the loan to aid job creation for Berks County.
“Pennsylvania’s geographic location puts us within 100 million people in a day’s drive time, and the I-78 corridor is a main artery in the heart of the Commonwealth,” said Senator Folmer. “I commend the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s decision to help make the Berks Park 78 project a reality, which in turn will attract quality employers, who will bring hundreds of family sustaining job to Schuylkill, Dauphin, Berks and Lebanon Counties.”
“This loan signifies the pressing need for jobs in our area,” said Senator Argall. “Many individuals, including Jon Scott and Tom McKeon, put a lot of time and effort into securing this much needed loan to assist with infrastructure improvements for Berks Park 78. With more than a dozen plant closings over the last several years in Berks County, this commercial development will assist our region.”
Berks County officials have indicated that a national prospect has expressed interest in one million square feet with the potential of 500 new jobs.
The CFA, an independent state agency, administers and finances projects included in the Business in Our Sites program.
Contact: Jon Hopcraft
(717) 787-2637
(570) 773-0891