SMETHPORT — The McKean County Planning Commission on Tuesday evaluated eight projects that are eligible for funding under Act 13, which established the Marcellus Legacy Fund.
The Act 13 Impact Fee is imposed on each of the state’s unconventional gas wells, and the law spells out how this money is distributed to state agencies and local governments, counties and municipalities. At the local level, for example, Act 13 funds can be used for such purposes as tax reduction, greenways and locally-owned at-risk bridges, among others.
The latest figures show that well operators in McKean County paid $1.2 million to the state in impact fees. From this amount, the state took 60 percent, some of which went to state agencies, greenways and the Department of Environmental Protection for operations.
According to the Public Utility Commission, which collects and administers the impact fee, the most recent figures show that McKean County received $409,144.42. Two other sources of Act 13 funding for the county included $30,000 from the Local Environmental Initiative Fund for projects that include greenways and an additional $74,000 for locally-owned at-risk bridges.
For the current round of funding, the county had received 24 applications for impact fee funding, seeking $1.4 million. Of these, eight were deemed eligible for the money, and the commission members evaluated them, using a guide based on statement of need, proposed solution or actions, timelines and budget narratives.
Commission members discussed the following applications for the available $30,000 in greenways funding: Bradford City for $163,270 for gap funding for the Historic District Streetscape project; Lafayette Township for $2,500 for the purchase and installation of two gateway signs on Route 59; Borough of Kane for $15,000 for engineering and site design of the Kane Depot; Kinzua Valley Trail Club for $29,200 for extending the trail to US Route 219; and Otto Township for $52,516 for upgrades and repairs to the Otto Township Community Park.
At this time, commission member Richard Kallenborn of Port Allegany, in expressing his personal opinion, strongly disagreed with the small amounts of the county’s Act 13 funds — $30,000 and $74,000 — available for local eligible projects.
“I know the commission is only an advisory board, but I take offense at the county commissioners using the lion’s share of the county allocation to balance the county budget and avoid raising taxes. The same thing happened last year. A lot of municipalities like Clermont and Port Allegany could have used more Act 13 money to repairs roads and infrastructure due to the increased traffic of heavy trucks. Are the funds going to where they are needed?” asked Kallenborn.
Commission members Butch Schaffer and Kane Borough Manager Don Payne agreed with Kallenborn. Payne said, “Using this money to balance a budget once every ten years would be OK but this is becoming a pattern.”
Scoring then proceeded to the locally-owned at-risk bridges.
Commissions members reviewed and discussed the following applications and requested funds: Ceres Township for $25,000 for painting the Barbertown Road Bridge; Liberty Township for $79,144 for replacing the Upper Portage Bridge; and Eldred Township for $15,000 for maintenance on the Windfall Road Bridge over Knapp Creek.
Projects scoring high by the commission and recommended for greenways funding were $15,000 for the Kane Depot project; $2,500 for Lafayette Township’s gateway signage; and the balance to Otto Township for the community park.
Recommendations for the $74,000 in locally-owned at-risk bridges, the commission members voted for $15,000 for the Windfall Road Bridge in Eldred Township; $25,000 for the Barbertown Bridge project in Ceres Township; and the remainder for the Upper Portage Bridge in Liberty Township.
County planning director Jeremy Morey will send these recommendations to the county commissioners for final consideration.
In other business, the terms of commission members, Payne and Don Martyna expire on Jan. 31. Both have agreed to serve new four-year terms, and the planning office will forward their names to the county commissioners for official appointments.
