SMETHPORT — The McKean County Commissioners authorized a request Tuesday for the county to apply for a Baseline Water Quality Data grant of $250,000 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for conducting, monitoring and reporting baseline groundwater results in the county.
Act 13 of 2012, which created the Marcellus Legacy Fund, allocates funds to the Commonwealth Financing Authority that can be used for establishing baseline water quality data programs that collect and analyze water samples to determine water quality conditions on private water supplies. Participation in the program is voluntary.
Jeremy Morey, director of the McKean County Planning Office will submit the application to the Department of Community and Economic Development. “There is no cost to the county,” Morey said.
In another unanimous vote, commissioners also OKd the grant agreement between the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Cameron/Elk/McKean counties with McKean being the lead county, effective July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025.
Representing the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, Inc, at this meeting were Executive Director Angela Eckstrom and Tammy Conway, administrative officer.
Commissioners are appreciative of this agency and their efforts, with Chairman Tom Kreiner saying “Thank you,” and Cliff Lane adding, “You have done so much in the past five years.”
Commissioners have authorized an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for $229,024 in funding through the Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG -CV), according to Bob Veilleux, community development coordinator for the McKean County Redevelopment Authority.
The county resolution that gained approval Tuesday authorizes three projects for Bradford Township:
*purchasing a delivery vehicle and related equipment for Meals on Wheels, with the municipality’s share being $5,567;
*purchasing personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer for public housing and Section 8 Program residents for $945; and
* a Business Assistance Grant Program for businesses impacted by COVID-19, amounting to $42,250.
For McKean County, there are four projects to be included under the same CDBG funding. These purchases are for the following:
* a delivery vehicle and related equipment for Meals on Wheels with the county’s cost being $34,058;
*PPE and hand sanitizer for public housing and Section 8 Program residents at $49,073;
*purchasing PPE for staff and residents of the Beacon Light Intellectual and Disabilities Cottages for $20,040; and
*food for distribution to eligible recipients at the Kane Area Food Pantry for $33,600.
Commissioners approved the county’s grant agreement for the receipt of financial assistance from the Department of State grants for election modernization and security program for election equipment that was purchased in 2019. This amount of $313,605.84 represents 60 percent of the total cost of $522,676.40.
Commissioners have also approved the acceptance of the county’s food purchase program with CARES grant funds for $57.289.36. This additional funding, related to the COVID-19 pandemic, must be spent by November or returned to the state.
“Typically, the county is the lead agency in distributing funds to the local food pantries,” said Chief Clerk Pam Burlingame. “Normally, we get an annual allocation of about $60,000 and food pantries purchase food from Second Harvest in Erie.”
The county will act as the grantee of $1 million in funds from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project for the Engineering and Computer Information Technology Building at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford campus.
The commissioners’ next public meeting will be at 10 a. m., August 11.
