As part of a $2 million dollar state funding program announced yesterday by Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker, Centre County will be awarded $500,000 toward the creation and maintenance of more than 750 area jobs.

The money, allocated to the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, will create 20 new jobs and retain 750, said Dave Tyler, vice president of economic development for the chamber.

The money will fund improvements to the Penn Eagle Industrial Park, located between State College and Bellefonte. The 130-acre park is currently home to 13 companies and employs about 600 people, Tyler said.

The allocations will provide half of the needed money to fund the construction of an internal access road as well as water, sewer, gas and electric lines for the park, he said.

This, in turn, will allow one company in the park to expand its facilities to create a total of 10 new jobs. In addition, a second company, not yet announced, will relocate to the park, to create an additional 10 jobs, Tyler said.

In a statement released by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Schweiker said the goal of these programs is to create jobs and strengthen business.

"We're building stronger communities and a better quality of life for workers and their families throughout the Central Region and the Commonwealth," Schweiker said.

The fund application process is open to any business; however, organizations such as a chamber of commerce usually apply for the money on behalf of a specific company, DCED spokeswoman Mary Marshall said.

Companies across Central Pennsylvania apply for the funds through a single application system, she said.

Funds are then allocated through department programs such as the Industrial Sites Reuse Program and the Infrastructure Development Program (IDP), Marshall said.

"Companies continually apply based on their need," she said. "It's an open process."

Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County was the recipient of the half-million dollar allocation for the Centre region and received the money through the Infrastructure Development Program (IDP), Tyler said.

"The money comes to us for the purpose of carrying out processes (like the Penn Eagle Industrial Park)," he said.

The IDP provides grants and low-interest loans for infrastructure improvements that complement capital investments made by employers and developers, Marshall said.