SMETHPORT — The McKean County Commissioners approved a consent resolution item Tuesday accepting a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development COVID-19 Hospitality Recovery Program Grant Contract for $460,134.
Commissioner Carol Duffy said this initiative requires counties to establish a grant program for eligible businesses within the hospitality industry adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “By March 15, the county must establish program guidelines and make available an application to eligible business to apply for CHIRP funding through one or more Certified Economic Development Organizations or Community Development Financial Institutions as may be determined.”
Eligible applicants will be hospitality industry businesses that have a North American Industry Classification System designation with the Accommodation subsector (721) or Food Service and Drinking Places subsector (722) and where accommodations, food or drink is served to or provided for the public, with or without charge.
Additionally, eligible businesses must have fewer than 300 full-time equivalent employees, have a maximum tangible net worth of not more than $15 million, were in operation on Feb. 15, 2020, and remain in operation and do not intend to permanently cease operations within one year of the date of the application and COVID-19 has had an adverse economic impact on the eligible business, which makes the grant request necessary.
Commissioners also approved an agreement between the state’s counties and the DCED to establish waiving the county’s portion of the State Tax Equalization Board payments of 20 cents for each conveyance or transfer of real estate for ten years in order to fund the cost of a new statewide database system, to be accessible by the counties to both enter data and retrieve reports.
A payment in lieu of taxes agreement was approved with the McKean County Housing Authority for Brookline Court and South Center in Bradford as Brookline Apartments and South Center Apartments and Jan Hamilton Park at 17 percent for an initial term of 17 years with an automatic two-year extension, unless terminated.
Also OKd was an agreement for part-time use of forensic pathological services with Erie County, Pennsylvania, from Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021, with the payment of $5,000 retainer and $1,100 billing per autopsy for Dr. Eric Lee Vey.
Approval was given to the annual support agreement for the court recording systems from For the Record for three units of FTR premium support at $699 each for a balance due of $2,097 for the year April 15, 2021, to April 15, 2022. Commissioners said two units are for the two courtrooms in the courthouse and the other one will be at the Domestic Relations Office.
In personnel matters, Karrie Klaiber was appointed to the McKean County Housing Authority and McKean County Redevelopment Authority.
The commissioners’ next public meeting will be at 10 a.m., March 9.
