Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published January 16, 2026 2:04 P.M.

(Ambridge, Pa) Congressman Chris Deluzio held a press conference along with State Representative Rob Matzie and members of Ambridge Borough Council Friday morning.

Congressman Deluzio initiated the conference by presenting a check for $1,015,000 to Ambridge for a community and recreation center. Representative Rob Matzie followed up the Congressman’s check by announcing an additional $42,000 has been secured to help with finalizing plans and conceptual designs for the project.

Deluzio said “This project will bring new opportunities to Ambridge and the surrounding area—for our kids and families, for the whole community, and for the area economy. Congratulations to Ambridge Borough on this well-earned federal funding, and thank you to State Rep. Rob Matzie for going to bat for the project in Harrisburg, too. I’ll always fight down in Washington to bring home federal money to make life better for all of us in Western PA.”

Regarding the center, Ambridge Mayor Tina Iorfido-Schmidt said “Ambridge is such a strong community, and having a place where neighbors can come together, where our kids can play sports, and where we can host neighborhood programming will only make our community even stronger.”

Borough Manager Mario Leone says the center will be located on the former Brownfield steel site along New Economy Drive and 14th Street. A lot that has been cleaned up and vacant since the 1990’s.

Leone says the multipurpose facility with include a turf field, and numerous courts for basketball, pickleball, volleyball and more. It will also serve as a venue for sports and cheerleading tournaments along with other services like educational and job training programs.

Additionally, the site will house a food incubator with efforts by Crop and Kettle and Riverwise.

Tom Cephas of Cephas Elite, a locally based youth development and sports organization, was in attendance of the meeting along with local youth. Cephas says that having a local indoor facility will be beneficial for youth sports, stating that it is “hard to compete for indoor space”, especially for programs that aren’t offered directly by schools.

Conceptual designs of the project are expected to be revealed in the near future.

Construction is estimated to begin in 2027 and a ribbon cutting will be held when the project is complete.