Mercer officials plan to discuss CDBG projects

The planning commission turned down three other funding requests.

By MARY GRZEBIENIAK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

MERCER, Pa. — A public hearing has been set for 9:30 a.m. Feb. 14 in the Commissioners’ Assembly Room at the courthouse on the project recommendations for the county’s 2008 Community Development Block Grant funds.

The county is expected to receive $306,048 in CDBG funds in 2008. A total of $56,888 will be deducted as administrative costs by the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission which administers the grants.

This leaves $259,160 to be distributed to nonentitlement areas of the county, or areas which do not receive their own CDBG funds.

More densely populated areas which receive their own CDBG allotments are Farrell, Sharon, Hermitage, Sharpsville, Greenville, Grove City and Pine Township.

Senior Planner Chris Conti said the planning commission has made its recommendations of the amounts to be awarded.

He added that the commissioners, however, are not obligated to follow the planning commission’s recommendations.

The amount recommended for funding is listed first, followed by the requested amount in parentheses:

USouth Pymatuning Township: $140,550 ($140,550) for construction of a new water main on Hunter Street and to provide water laterals and tap-in fees for low- and moderate-income households. The project would bring public water to 15 homes in the area which is 73 percent low and moderate income.

UWilmington Township: $114,610 ($138,800) for a storm sewer system along Bend Road to benefit 17 homes which are 52 percent low and moderate income.

UCommunity Food Warehouse: $4,000 ($6,000) for continued support of operational costs to benefit services in nonentitlement areas of the county. Those served are 100 percent low and moderate income.

The planning commission recommended three of the requests not receive any funding. They are Jamestown Borough’s request for $34,640 to construct a new borough street to serve a proposed 27-unit senior housing project in an area which is 52 percent low and moderate income; a Mercer Borough request for $55,000 for housing rehabilitation, which would include replacing sanitary sewer laterals on an as-needed basis for 12 homes, all of which would be low or moderate income; and a $28,724 request from The Literacy Council of Mercer County to continue a “living room learning” program in rural areas of the county for participants who would all be low and moderate income.

Conti said public services, as opposed to construction projects, are limited to 15 percent of the grant funds, which means that requests from services such as The Literacy Council and Community Food Warehouse should not, under CDBG rules, amount to more than $4,741.

Final adoption of the list is set for 10:30 a.m. Feb. 28 in the commissioners’ assembly room.