Claysburg, Blair County, PA — The Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation (ABCD Corp.) officially broke ground at the Martin J. Marasco Business Park in Claysburg. This is ABCD Corp.’s eighth business/industrial park in Blair County and represents 95 acres of developable land situated off I-99 and adjacent to Walter Business Park, home to the Sheetz Distribution Center, Sheetz Brothers Kitchen and the Sheetz Schwellness Center.
The groundbreaking ceremony included remarks from Congressman Bill Shuster, Senator John Eichelberger, Representative Judy Ward, Commissioner Terry Tomassetti, former Representative Jerry Stern, Thomas Williams from the USDA, Scott Dunkelberger from PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development, and ABCD Corp. representatives. Over 60 business and community leaders attended the groundbreaking to celebrate this event and hear from all the speakers.
This business park is a $7.5 million project that includes; acquisition, on and off-site access improvements, road construction, extension of water, sewer, electricity and natural gas services onsite, stormwater management, wetland mitigation and site preparation. Funding partners include: • PA Governor’s Office of the Budget - Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program • US Department of Commerce - Economic Development Administration • PA Department of Community and Economic Development • US Department of Agriculture • Equity Funding from ABCD Corp. • Bridge and Construction Funding through S&T Bank
“This new business park is a testament to the dedication and persistence of our staff, executive committee, BOD and all of our economic development partners, who have worked on this project for a number of years,” said Marty Marasco, president/CEO of ABCD Corp. “The ability for a community to have shovel-ready sites available for new investments and job creation is a critical factor in the site selection process. ”