Nearly $8 million in state LSA grants awarded to local projects
Houston Borough gets $1.1M for new municipal building
The latest round of Local Share Account grant funding through the Commonwealth Financing Authority has distributed almost $8 million in funding to local projects, including marquee construction efforts in Washington County.
Under Pennsylvania law, tax revenue from gaming activity supports both a statewide grant funding pool and eight county-specific grant programs that are some of the most in-demand sources of capital for local municipalities every year.
Houston Borough in Washington County was among the most fortunate local recipients in this year’s distribution, having earned over $1.1 million to build an improved municipal building and acquire a new dumptruck.
According to borough council Chairman Larry Scears, local officials were “just tickled” to see Houston included twice on the list of grant recipients.
The borough will use $983,665 of funding to design and construct a new municipal building over the next two years, replacing the aging and flood-prone office located at 42 Western Ave.
Scears said the current building, which was built in the 1970s and is located less than a quarter-mile from Chartiers Run, has flooded several times in recent memory, which represents a substantial cost to local taxpayers in both annual flood insurance and water damage remediation expenses.
The new building will be located across town on a 0.4-acre parcel of land at 321 E. Pike St. in Houston that the borough acquired in fall 2025, a location Scears is confident will be far more flood-resilient.
According to Scears, although the borough still needs to finalize the design of the new building, it will likely occupy an approximately 4,000-square-foot-footprint roughly equivalent to the current municipal office and will feature modern, ADA-compliant design elements.
Scears and council Vice President Nick Galbraith both said the new building would be a “good deal for the borough and for our taxpayers,” due to the lower long-term insurance burden on Houston residents.
The remaining $120,691 will be used to purchase a Ford F-450 commercial truck and equip it for use by borough public works employees.
Scears and Galbraith thanked state Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Washington/Allegheny) for his efforts in securing the grant awards for the borough, saying that Ortitay and his team did an “amazing job.”
Canonsburg Borough will use over $104,000 in awarded funding to install three ADA-compliant concrete restroom facilities at Canonsburg Town Park, replacing temporary portable restrooms, and North Strabane Township will use $300,000 it received to finance the first phase of Alexander Park improvements, including ADA-accessible parking and walking surfaces, a renovated basketball court, three pickleball courts, new fencing and updated playground equipment, according to a release.
The city of Washington will use $254,875 for the Tyler Avenue Drainage Project, including new stormwater infrastructure to address recurring flooding and erosion affecting residential properties.
“I collaborated closely with local officials to move these projects over the finish line,” Ortitay said in a statement. “They tackle real needs in our communities – from infrastructure and public safety to redevelopment – and this funding will make a visible, meaningful impact. In addition, thank you to Sens. Devlin Robinson and Camera Bartolotta who partnered with me to secure some of the funding.”