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Commissioners review 2025 CDBG project candidates; Eagle Creek competitive grant pending
Summary
Planning staff reviewed candidate projects for the county’s 2025 Community Development Block Grant application, including waterline replacements in Woodward and Plum Street, two small Milesburg street reconstructions, and subrecipient agreements for the Talleyrand Park bridge in Bellefonte.
Planning staff presented possible projects for the county’s 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application and related subrecipient agreements. Commissioners reviewed a mix of previously submitted and new requests and discussed eligibility, funding timing and alternative funding sources.
Leslie (planning staff) summarized projects under consideration: a second-year request of $79,418 to complete the Mountain Avenue waterline replacement in the village of Woodward (Hanes Woodward Municipal Authority), which serves about 15 households and had a 2022 low- to moderate-income (LMI) survey result of roughly 81.48 percent; a proposed West Plum Street water main replacement (Haynes/Arensberg Municipal Authority) for a revised service area of 13 households with an estimated cost of about $325,252 (staff said a new household survey is in progress to confirm the 51 percent LMI threshold); and two small street reconstruction projects in Milesburg Borough (Limestone Street $38,000 and Creek Street $20,000) that planning staff said might be better funded through liquid fuels or a local $5 fee program because Milesburg intends to use borough forces to reduce costs.
Leslie also asked the board to approve three subrecipient/on-behalf-of agreements with Bellefonte Borough covering federal fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024 for the Talleyrand Park suspension bridge "removal of architectural barriers" project. The environmental review is cleared, preliminary design is underway, and the borough will pursue historical/architectural review before bidding. The board approved those agreements by voice vote.
Commissioners asked about the county’s competitive CDBG application for the Eagle Creek development. Leslie said the county submitted that application in February and provided requested clarifications in May; she reported no decision yet and noted that a senior grant manager’s leave may have delayed awards. Leslie estimated the Eagle Creek project at about $1.4 million. Commissioners discussed whether 2025 entitlement funds should be held to "backstop" that larger project but were told by staff that partial commitments would not allow construction to start because federal rules require projects be fully funded before construction and timed spending could create timeliness problems.
Commissioners also discussed Milesburg’s LMI percentage (borough-wide LMI reported at 56 percent), the need for service-area surveys for street projects, and alternative funding sources including liquid fuels and the local $5 fee. Leslie said she would return on July 29 (the transcript notes a return at the ‘‘20 ninth’’) with survey results and additional recommendations; meanwhile board members encouraged planning staff to work with Milesburg on liquid fuels applications.
The discussion identified funding uncertainty at the federal level (planning staff and commissioners noted proposals to cut CDBG funds in the federal budget) but county staff said they were proceeding with business as usual and that local advocacy is underway.
The board scheduled final selections for a later meeting after staff completes surveys and funding-source checks.
