Nelson announces $265K in help for stormwater management in Cheltenham

CHELTENHAM, Jan. 8 – State Rep. Napoleon Nelson, D-Montgomery, announced that Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel received $265,000 in a state Growing Greener grant to help replace impervious parking pavement with bioretention features and two rain gardens.

The congregation said the project also will include planting trees and building plant beds.

“Our community knows well the role that proper stormwater management plays in community planning over time, and I’m happy that the state recognized a wise investment in Keneseth Israel and our community,” Nelson said. “Congratulations to them. Their award reflects highly on its dedicated congregants, caretakers and neighbors.”

Growing Greener remains the largest single investment of state funds in Pennsylvania's history to address Pennsylvania's critical environmental concerns of the 21st century. It has helped to slash the backlog of farmland-preservation projects statewide; protect open space; eliminate the maintenance backlog in state parks; clean up abandoned mines and restore watersheds; provide funds for recreational trails and local parks; help communities address land use; and provide new and upgraded water and sewer systems.

“Keneseth Israel takes very seriously our role in contributing to the health and well-being of our community and our local ecosystem,” said Brian D. Rissinger, executive director of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel. “This grant, plus generous contributions from our congregants, will help us have a positive impact on our local watershed. We are grateful for the commitment to our environment that state and local leaders have demonstrated.”

More information on this grant program is available at https://www.dep.pa.gov/Citizens/GrantsLoansRebates/Growing-Greener/Pages/default.aspx.