Apr. 22, 2022
HARRISBURG – With the Beaver Valley Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BHIVE) set to open this fall, Rep. Aaron Bernstine (Beaver/Lawrence/Butler) has secured a $734,025 state grant to renovate the building located on Seventh Avenue in Beaver Falls.
Bernstine advocated for the funding through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).
“The BIHIVE is a very important addition to our community,” said Bernstine. “We need to put an emphasis on educating our students, revitalizing our communities, promoting sustainability, attracting investments, building wealth, encouraging entrepreneurships, and creating jobs. The facility will have working stations, offices for small businesses and businesses starting out and conference rooms.”
The project involves construction costs, construction contingency, architectural and building engineering fees, variable costs including hazardous material removal design and special inspections, project printing, permitting and legal fees.
The two-floor building is a planned innovation hub that is being coordinated by Geneva College, Penn State Beaver, Community College of Beaver County and Robert Morris University. These institutions for higher education have formed a quality of education partnership and the innovation hub will be used for students, businesses and entrepreneurs.
RACP is a Commonwealth grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects. These projects have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues or other measures of economic activity. RACP projects are funded by the state and cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.