Federal grant to generate 91 jobs, aid public computer centers

Philadelphia will receive a $6.4 million federal grant to create or enhance 77 public computer centers in some of the most needy parts of the city, including North, West and South Philadelphia, officials said Friday.

President Obama announced the grant Saturday as part of a $795 million investment in 66 new broadband projects nationwide under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The grant is expected to generate 91 full- and part-time jobs in the city, officials said.

"The expansion of our network of public computing centers is a vital linkage between Philadelphia's citizens and the Internet's vast connection into information and civic engagement," Mayor Nutter said in a statement.

"We are very excited about not just the project itself, but the job opportunities we are confident it will bring to our city," Nutter said.

The city's Division of Technology will guide the effort and partner with the Recreation Department, the Free Library, and several community groups, officials said.

The project aims to increase capacity at 25 existing public computing centers, and create 48 centers and four mobile computing units, officials said.

More than 800 computers will be added to serve about 14,000 more users weekly, officials said. They hope to increase availability at the centers by about 15 hours during the week and three hours on weekends, officials said.

"These centers will be in parts of the city, North, South and West Philadelphia, which have lower computer availability," said Maura Kennedy, a spokesman for the Mayor's Office. "We're hoping to reduce the obstacles that people have to joining the workforce, namely the lack of computer skills and lack of access to computers."

Kennedy said the city would provide $3.3 million in matching funds in the form of existing facilities, staff, and some cash.

She noted that many jobs are advertised online and that computer access is vital. "We're hoping these new computer sites will help decrease those barriers," Kennedy said.

By placing the computer centers in existing centers such as recreation centers, religious facilities, schools and churches, "you're not just educating people, you're also building neighborhoods," said Ira Harkavy, associate vice president and founding director of the University of Pennsylvania's Netter Center for Community Partnerships.

The Netter Center's focus is to bring the university's broad range of knowledge to solve complex problems of cities to benefit West Philadelphia and the university, Harkavy said.

He said the Netter Center had been working with several community computer centers schools in West Philadelphia.

By using existing facilities, "the money goes a longer way and it brings more resources together, which these communities desperately need," Harkavy said.