×

County talks grant funds for 911 upgrades

LOCK HAVEN — The Clinton County Board of Commissioners will have a laundry list of grant related items on its agenda Thursday.

Grants Administrator Kari Kepler presented the board with information about each during its work session early this week.

Various forms of Community Development Block Grant funding will be discussed further on Thursday.

According to Kepler, the county is looking into applying for the third face of CDBG-CD funding.

“We talked about this awhile ago. Our first CD was our small business grant; our second was for 911 tower improvements,” she said. “We had announced awhile ago that there was going to be a phase 3 for $52 million.”

That phase opens on Friday, Kepler said, and the county has until Aug. 1 to submit an application. The funding would also be put towards the 911 improvement project.

“I’m going to need more signatures for applying. We already did the resolution and fair housing,” Kepler said. “But inside it is some more forms that I’ll have ready on Thursday.”

Kepler said the funding would help cut down on the cost of the 911 communication improvements in Western Clinton County.

“It’s just more improvements to our systems and equipment. We’re hoping to go bigger this time. But it would be no match for the county,” she said.

Another form of potential funding for the nearly $8 million project was recommended by Senator Bob Casey’s office.

Kepler said Casey’s office recommended the county looking into the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

According to the state’s budget office, RACP is “Commonwealth grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects. RACP projects are authorized in the Redevelopment Assistance section of a Capital Budget Itemization Act, have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact, and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity. RACP projects are state-funded projects that cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.”

Kepler said she would like to get more information about this funding option.

“We can get $1 million. I would like to put it towards our 911 stuff we’re working on,” she said. “Because the more money we can get towards that, the less you’ll have to pay out in the end.”

Kepler said the county has until January to work on an application.

Board Chair Miles Kessinger spoke a litte more on the 911 project, noting the increase in cost since the county first looked into it.

“It’s in the neighborhood of an $8 million project,” Kessinger said. “In 2020 it was about $6 million… I’m guessing we’re in excess of $8 million to upgrade the 911 center to what it should be at this point.”

Kessinger noted these upgrades are requirements from the state.

“Anything we can do to offset this $8 million cost is greatly appreciated by everyone,” he said.

Kepler said her office would dive into the RACP in a month or two and learn where the county stands.

The commissioners will hold its voting session at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 30 in the Piper Building’s second floor meeting room. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the county’s Facebook page.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $3.69/week.

Subscribe Today