Pugh, Baker Announce Funding for Area Projects

January 31, 2025

HARRISBURG – Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne/Pike/Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming) and Rep. Brenda Pugh (R-Luzerne) are jointly announcing more than $260,000 in grants have been awarded to two organizations through the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program (GTRP). Forty Fort Borough will receive $208,250, and the Rotary Club of Dallas Inc. is slated to receive $58,720.

“Key investments in our communities will provide lasting benefits to our residents and will have a tangible return on investment,” said the lawmakers. “The funding we are announcing today supports two specific improvement projects and will ensure all residents have the resources they need and access to outdoor spaces for all to enjoy.”

Forty Fort Borough will renovate the municipal swimming pool and park located near Shook Place. Renovations, planned for the community pool and bathhouse, will include plumbing and electrical upgrades, as well as updates to the changing area and concession stand.

“The Forty Fort pool has been an important recreational resource for decades to many families in our community. This grant will allow Forty Fort to make the necessary repairs to both the pool and the pool house in the ongoing efforts to restore this historic community resource,” said Forty Fort Borough Mayor Brian Thomas. “We are thrilled to have received this grant and the recreational opportunity it creates for everyone in the borough.”

Rotary Club of Dallas Inc. will upgrade the Dallas Intermediate School’s existing playground and create a “boundless playground” to include equipment that will address the sensory needs of students on the autism spectrum. 

“We have been working with Principal Tom Traver and the members of his staff at the Dallas Intermediate School to have this boundless playground project come to fruition. The project will provide our children in the Back Mountain with an outdoor place to play that will meet their specific needs,” said Rotary Club of Dallas Secretary Art Peoples. “The Dallas Rotary Club would also like to thank our many kind friends and neighbors in the Back Mountain who made this project possible through their generous donations.”

This grants are part of the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program (GTRP), which is funded by Act 13 of 2012 and aims to improve parks, trails and recreational spaces across Pennsylvania.