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Allentown committee forwards $1 million RACP pass-through for Scottish Rite Cathedral to full council
Summary
The Community and Economic Development Committee voted to forward Bill 21, which establishes an expenditure account to accept a $1,000,000 state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program pass-through grant for the Scottish Rite Cathedral (Masonic Temple).
The Allentown City Community and Economic Development Committee on Tuesday moved Bill 21 favorably to the full City Council, establishing an expenditure account to accept $1,000,000 in state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) funds as a pass-through grant for the Scottish Rite Cathedral.
A committee staff member told the panel that the measure is largely administrative cleanup: “This really is a bit of cleanup work. Mhmm. So, a number of years ago, council had agreed to serve as the pass through entity and applied for a RACP grant on behalf of the Scottish Rite Cathedral. They were awarded that grant, and have been working on their project.” The staff member said the project is nearly finished and that the council will request reimbursement from the state once the work is complete.
President Hendricks, speaking from the dais, described the building as an established community asset, saying, “I'd just like to say that this is a an integral part of the community. The Masonic Temple has served us over the years for many of city's functions, both police, fire, and the community at large. They have a large parking area there and a large building. And again, it's been a very critical, part of the community and served us very well in the past.”
A committee member moved the bill “to move this forward favorably,” and another member seconded. The committee resolved the item by voice vote; two “ayes” were recorded on the transcript and the measure was referred to the full City Council for consideration.
Bill 21, as explained to the committee, creates the expenditure account that will allow the city to accept RACP reimbursement funds and disburse them to the Scottish Rite Cathedral once the state processes the grant reimbursement. No other amendments or conditions were recorded during the committee discussion.
The full City Council will consider Bill 21 at a future meeting; the committee did not specify a date for council action.
