Bloomsburg, Berwick and Danville are some of the areas that will benefit from nearly $3 million in grants awarded by Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. for community improvement and revitalization projects.

PP&L announced Tuesday (7/23) that four projects in Columbia and Montour counties will receive grants totaling $166,785 through the company's Community Partnership Program for 1996. (Projects are listed at the end of this news release.)

Across the 29 counties it serves, PP&L is awarding grants to 75 nonprofit agencies and organizations. Funding for the program comes from company earnings. PP&L does not collect any of the cost from its electricity customers.

PP&L created the Community Partnership Program to help local efforts to revitalize urban neighborhoods, promote home ownership, assist small businesses and improve the quality of life in central eastern Pennsylvania.

"We are making an investment in the communities we serve. It's an investment with a real payback for PP&L and the people of the area," said Tushanna Hamilton, PP&L's regional customer relations representative.

The payback, she added, comes in several ways. Small businesses, particularly in the downtown area of cities, can get the backing they need to take root, grow and create jobs. Low-income families have more opportunities for home ownership, which gives them a greater stake in the community. Blighted urban neighborhoods have access to funds for improving their appearance, safety and stability, to attract new residents and new investments.

In establishing the Community Partnership Program last year, PP&L used input from community leaders and social service organizations to identify the region's most pressing needs.

"We believe this effort is important enough to the future of the region that we have contributed more than $5.4 million over the past two years," Hamilton said. "And, funding will continue through at least 1997."

Projects receiving 1996 Community Partnership Program grants in Columbia and Montour counties are as follows:

• Columbia County Housing Authority — $73,000
  To continue the authority's first-time homebuyers program, providing housing opportunities for county residents.
• Borough of Danville — $40,000
  To install two pedestrian connections from the Mill Street shopping area to a nearby parking area and the Canal District. The grant supports downtown revitalization efforts in the borough.
• Danville Chamber of Commerce — $3,785
  To purchase logo banners for nonprofit agencies.
• Greater Berwick Corporation — $50,000
  To support a revolving loan program that helps businesses in downtown Berwick start up or expand.