Sharpsville grant use is mulled

SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- The borough is wasting no time mapping out plans to use a $7,400 grant to combat underage drinking.
Announcement of the grant approval came April 18, and Mayor Kenneth Robertson said a committee of people representing the borough, the schools, businesses and the community at large has been formed to map out a program.
The committee is already in the planning stage and will hold a town meeting on the issue at 7 p.m. June 14 at the Sharpsville VFW Hall on Walnut Street, he said.
The money will be channeled through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and is designed primarily to enhance police activities, said Police Chief Bruce Rosa.
It can be used to pay for extra police patrols and surveillance of problem areas, he said.
There hasn't been a widespread problem of underage drinking in the borough, but officials want to take steps to prevent it from becoming a problem, he said.
Sharpsville applied for the funding a year ago and isn't required to put up any matching money. However, the grant is paid on a reimbursement basis, which means the borough must pay any costs first and then bill the grant program for the money.