BELLEFONTE — The county commissioners took steps this week to bring more state funding into Centre County, targeting projects spanning the arts, health care and literacy.

At their regular meeting, the commissioners approved three grant-seeking resolutions: two applications to the Department of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED) Statewide Local Share Account (LSA) program to help close the funding gap for the Talleyrand Park stage and to purchase equipment and complete renovations at Centre Care, and a Keystone Library grant request to expand the Centre Hall Library.

The Statewide LSA Grant uses Pennsylvania gambling revenue to support county projects in the public interest, particularly those aimed at improving residents’ quality of life.

The program is highly competitive because it does not require a local match.

This is the county’s third year applying for the grant. It last received an award in 2023, when the Stage at Talleyrand Park project was funded.

“I believe the 2024 applications are finally being reviewed and decided this week,” said Centre County Deputy Administrator Natalie Corman, who presented the resolutions before the board. “So we will find out whether we received any of the 2024 funding, hopefully, very soon.”

This year, the county is seeking another $250,000 in LSA funds for construction costs tied to the Stage at Talleyrand, in Bellefonte. The project currently has about 80 percent of its required funding, and the LSA grant would help close the remaining financial gap.

“Their hope is to build the stage down at the park to allow for arts, cultural and performing arts opportunities,” explained Corman, speaking about the stage project.

With the money, construction could begin in mid to late 2026, she said.

“The second one is with our partners at Centre Care,” said Corman, introducing the second resolution. “The Stage at Talleyrand is very much in the tourism and arts space. This is very much about supporting our community.”

Together, the county and Centre Care are seeking $217,210 to fund three projects. Centre Care plans to use the money to purchase an ADA van to safely transport residents to medical appointments, buy equipment for enhanced snow removal and make minor flooring renovations to reduce fall risk and improve durability.

In recent years, State College-based nonprofit Strawberry Fields, Inc., received LSA grant funding for a project similar to part of Centre Care’s proposed work.

“Obviously, Centre Care is a great group that does wonderful work,” said Commissioner Mark Higgins. “It’s super important for Centre County, and nowadays even a bit for our surrounding counties.”

Centre Care in Bellefonte is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the county and operates the most Medicaid beds in this part of Central Pennsylvania.

“Hopefully they will be successful,” said Commissioner Amber Concepcion. “This is a really crucial organization for caring for the aging in our community.”

The third resolution allows the county to apply for funding from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Library Grant program on behalf of its library system. The county is seeking $750,000 to expand the Centre Hall Library from 2,915 square feet to 5,365 square feet.

The expansion will include new multipurpose rooms and added quiet areas, which account for the bulk of the added square footage.

Other enhancements would also be made to the library using the grant money. Most notably, the HVAC system will be upgraded and the technology offerings of the library will be updated.

“This has really been a several-year project that the library has undertaken,” Corman said. “It came out in a needs assessment in 2021 that this was necessary for Centre Hall, and the library has really done the work.”

The grant requires a funding match, so the county will be required to provide at least $750,000 to the project.

“We are hopeful and confident with the work that the library has done for the application,” Corman said, noting that “it hits the needs of one of the rural parts of Centre County.”

Higgins and Concepcion recently attended a kickoff meeting for the project, where they observed how “well used” and “much loved” the library is.

“We are very much in support of the project because it serves youth, adults and seniors, and obviously they’re a bit cramped in the space at this point,” Higgins said.

Representatives from Centre Care and the Centre County Federation of Public Libraries thanked the commissioners for their support. Friends of Talleyrand were not in attendance to offer similar remarks.