Centre commissioners select ‘Community Grant’ Projects

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Over $200,000 in funding for low-moderate income areas in Centre County is being awarded through the Community Development Block Grant Program.

At their meeting on July 11, the Centre County Commissioners approved two projects to move forward in the application process for the federal grant program.

“Every person that’s benefiting from the project that has to come in, totality of everyone being helped, at least 51% low-moderate income,” SEDA-COG Representative Mitzi Gallagher-Long said.

The 2023 grant total comes in at $285,171. Gallagher-Long said the projects can not be started for the 2023 season until the funding for previous projects’ is in the hands of those organizers.

“If you would, we’ll just assume, give each project $60,000, none of the projects can move forward,” Gallagher-Long said. “So you’re waiting until at least your second year of funding to be able to move a project.”

The commissioners chose to push a fully funded Mountain Avenue water line replacement project forward. The project was submitted by the Haines-Woodward Water Authority and is estimated to cost $215,700.

The remaining $69,471 was given to the second phase of the Gregg Township Community Center project.

“We’re going back to the Gregg Township Community Center in Spring Mills and saying, “Hey, do you want to dwindle it down or do you want to try to go for a two year funding which means you can’t start it until the second year,’” Commissioner Mark Higgins said.

Two projects that were not chosen to receive funding this year could reapply for funding in the future. Gallagher-Long said the final hearing for the grants will be held on August 3.