SLICING THE BLOCK GRANT PIE
Cameron Commissioners approve CDBG projects

Cameron County Commissioners approved six projects for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding during a meeting last Monday. Cameron County's cut of the state's CDBG pie is $211,855.

Projects approved by the commissioners include purchase and installation of security cameras at the Emporium Arms ($5,400), replacement of the roof at the Driftwood Senior Center ($36,000), two proposed demolitions at 236 W. Fifth St. and 370 E. Fifth St. Extension ($52,000), handicap access ramps at Keystone Rural Health Consortium ($25,000), funding for the Driftwood Housing Rehabilitation project ($25,000) and major improvements to the South Park Playground ($30,346).

Administration costs have been set at $38,139, or 18 percent of the county's total allocation.

On Wednesday, Emporium Borough Manager Don Reed commented on the proposed demolition projects. He said that the buildings have both been vacant for "quite some time" and that, while they are still on the borough's tax roll, neither property owner has been paying any taxes on them.

"Our (Emporium Borough Council's) intent is to get those properties back on the tax roll in the long run," said Reed.

He said that one of the projects may require additional funding because it contains asbestos siding.

"We're going to look into that and see what it's going to cost to have the asbestos removed," Reed continued. "After we find out about how much it will cost, we'll go from there and get the most done that we can get done for as little as possible." Reed added that the borough intends to assist the projects either with additional funding, inkind service or both.

Funding for the Driftwood Housing Rehabilitation is a required local match for the $300,000 HOME grant set aside for that project in 2007. Both the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and the DCED administer the HOME program.

Originally set for a small area of the Driftwood Borough, the project has been expanded to the entire borough due to a lack of applicants. To date, the county has received four applications and have three potential applicants that have yet to submit their forms. As many as 12 applications can be accepted.

In other business, commissioners approved a yearly contract with the Erie County for up to $2,100 in autopsy services. Commissioner Glenn Fiebig said that Erie County's service has been reliable.

In compliance with the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors system, commissioners approved a Memorandum of Agreement for portal services during elections. Obtaining these services will not only fulfill a state mandate, but it will allow the county to produce election results much more quickly than before.

Commissioner Fiebig noted that the county's recreation board hired Holly Manginell as the Director of the Memorial Hall Recreation Center.

Upon the request of Cameron County Historical Society president Mike Wennin, the commissioners agreed to allow records that had originally been slated for storage in the basement of the courthouse to instead be transported to the Little Museum.