Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. has made a major investment in two Scranton community improvement projects through its Community Partnership Program. On Thursday (5/2), Frank A. Long, PP&L's executive vice president and chief operating officer, visited both projects to see the effect PP&L grant money is having on the city.

PP&L presented $200,000 to the Hill Neighborhood Association for housing rehabilitation and public facility improvements, including sidewalks and curbs. The company also awarded $50,000 to the Mulberry Central Neighborhood Development Corp. for a homesteading program for low-income families.

"The Community Partnership Program makes investments in communities, which we see as investments in PP&L's future," Long said. "Our success as a business is linked to the success of the communities we serve."

Long toured Scranton's Hill Section, with officials from the Hill Neighborhood Association and the city of Scranton. A preliminary design for neighborhood improvements has been completed. Construction work will begin this summer.

PP&L's executive vice president then visited the site of a multifamily building that the Mulberry Central group is renovating for its homesteading program. The building will be turned into a residential cooperative for low-income families.

The Mulberry Central project also includes a landlord training program to encourage low-income families to homestead other multifamily buildings in the neighborhood. The intent of the project is to help stabilize and increase home ownership in the neighborhood, where fewer than one-third of the residents are home owners. PP&L provided $2.4 million in Community Partnership Program grants to 39 communities and nonprofit agencies across eastern and central Pennsylvania in 1995. PP&L created the program to support urban revitalization, affordable housing and small business development projects.

"The partnership grant program allows us to work with communities to address their most pressing needs and improve the quality of life," said Florence M. McNelis, PP&L's customer relations representative for the Northeast region.

"We already have met with representatives of eligible agencies to invite applications for 1996 grants," she added. "We have up to $600,000 available to support worthwhile community programs in northeastern Pennsylvania this year."