Thursday, June 13, 2002
One official said it could be up to eight weeks before any funds are given to the borough.
By LAURI GALENTINE
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- State and borough officials are working to find out just how much money Greenville needs.
Borough council president Richard Houpt said council will submit a request to the state for emergency funds as soon as it knows what is needed to meet operating expenses through Dec. 31.
Greenville was declared a distressed community in May, five months after council discovered the town is $1.62 million in debt.
The designation makes the borough eligible for state funds in the form of grants and no-interest loans. Those funds, however, won't kick in until Jan. 1, according to Houpt.
"Then we'll have our regular budget, plus the supplemental money we need," he said.
Until then, officials need to find a way to pay the bills.
State officials' idea
Houpt said the idea of applying for the emergency funds came from Fred Reddick of the state Department of Community and Economic Development and Michael Foreman and Sam Wagner, both from the state's Center For Local Government.
The three have been going over the budget with borough manager Kenneth Weaver and treasurer Tracy Vale. All five will continue to calculate the amount needed, Houpt said.
Council will then have to approve the expenses as calculated and send a request form to DCED Secretary Samuel A. McCullough. It could take six to eight weeks before any money comes through, Houpt said.
Downtown project
In the meantime, plans for a downtown renovation project are moving forward.
Houpt said next year's Act 47 funds will replace the money borrowed from the state for that project.
That money was diverted to meet borough operating expenses last year.
"The design work is done and paid for," Houpt said, adding he expects council to approve advertisement to put Phase I of the project out for bids next month.
Early estimates put the price of the project at $1.5 million.
It includes new streetlights and traffic lights with underground cable to eliminate wiring running over Main Street, paving streets and sidewalks, rebuilding curbs, placing benches and planting flowers.
Phase I will take in Main Street between Mercer and Water streets. Houpt said Phase II will cover Main Street from Water Street to West Main Hill, Phase III will cover Main Street from Mercer Street to Penn Avenue and the final phase will restructure Canal and Clinton streets.
Another project, still in the planning stages, will assist business owners in fixing up their building fronts in keeping with the historic district.