Officials say grants have time constraints
By Kay Stephens, kstephens@altoonamirror.comHOLLIDAYSBURG - Blair County commissioners will take away grant money from local recipients if they cannot spend it by mid-2010.
In 2007, the county secured $1.39 million in state Growing Greener II funds to cover projects proposed by 15 municipalities and/or organizations that relate to environmental efforts such as water and sewer service improvements, stormwater management projects and farmland preservation.
A minimum of $341,000 from various projects has yet to be spent, Jessica Sheets of Innovative Consulting Group Inc. told commissioners Tuesday morning.
In some cases, projects have lagged because a municipality gave higher priority to other projects. In other cases, efforts didn't go forward because additional money didn't come through.
The list includes Duncansville Borough, which was allocated $100,000 to put toward the Gillian's Run stream bed stabilization project. The borough remains interested in that project but almost two years have passed without it spending the money, Sheets said.
Commissioner Diane Meling suggested Sheets contact recipients and/or their representatives and get information so commissioners can figure out how much money remains and if they're going to spend it.
"We need to give them a deadline," Meling said. "We're going to lose this money."
If the county's allocation of Growing Greener II funds is not spent by mid-2010, then it must be returned to the state.
Sheets said she has a short list of shovel-ready Blair County projects that meet the grant qualifications and could be paid for with the remaining grant money.
All the projects are worthwhile, Meling said, adding that if a recipient cannot move forward with a project, it needs to forfeit the money for another ready-to-go project.
Meling asked Sheets to contacts grant recipients by Friday so commissioners can be ready at Tuesday's meeting to vote on revised allocations.
