Gov. Tom Ridge recently announced the release of $8.5 million of Pennsylvania Capital Budget Redevelopment Assistance funds for the Knowledge Park at Penn State Erie.
In a symbolic gesture on Aug. 31, Ridge helped construction workers in Erie raise a steel I-beam to support the first of an eventual 18 buildings to be constructed in the 200-acre park. Knowledge Park, a joint project of Penn State Erie and the Greater Erie Industrial Development Corp., will be home to high-technology, research and development and prototype manufacturing firms.
Aaloborg Keystone, a company that designs and markets steam boilers and generators, will be the first of three firms to locate in the two-story, 70,000-square-foot facility now under construction. The building is expected to be finished in December.
The funds released by the governor last week will be used for phase two of the park's development, which includes an 8,000-square-foot, shared-use meeting center; a 36,000-square-foot training facility; site work; storm water management; and numerous paved public pathways.
Knowledge Park is located on the southern edge of the Penn State Erie campus, along I-90.