The Municipality of Monroeville Council on Sept. 9 accepted a drop letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) that ends a prior grant agreement for the Valley Park Connector Trail Development, the council was told. The amount referenced in the drop letter was $243,500.

Council members said the action removes the existing grant agreement tied to building a bridge in Turf Creek Valley Park. Council discussion included whether the municipality would need a separate vote to apply for future DCNR funding rounds.

A staff member told council the current action terminates the prior agreement and that, when DCNR opens a new grant round, the municipality would prepare and return to council for a separate approval of any new application. Council members did not amend the motion; the roll call recorded members saying “Aye” and the motion passed.

Why it matters: ending the existing DCNR agreement clears the town’s obligations under that grant but does not commit the municipality to any new project. Any future application for DCNR funds would return to council for approval, per staff comments during the meeting.

What happened next: council approved the motion by roll call. The council did not specify a timeline for reapplying for state trail funding during the meeting.

Details and next steps: the council had asked for clarification on whether a separate approval would be needed for future grant applications; staff said yes — a new application would be brought to council when the season opens. No further project design or funding commitments were approved at the Sept. 9 meeting.