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Lock Haven secures grants for police equipment, recruitment and building funding; Act 120 reimbursement program to help hire two officers
Summary
Council heard that the city received a $236,890 justice assistance grant, $64,099 for NIBRS compliance and $14,000 for recruitment incentives; administration also reported $1M USDA and $500K local-share awards plus borrowed funds toward a $3.2M police building project.
City administration updated the Lock Haven City Council on multiple grant awards and capital financing tied to public safety and a planned police building.
Staff said the city was awarded a Justice Assistance Grant worth $236,890 to purchase equipment to be shared with several neighboring agencies. A separate award of $64,099 will fund incident-based reporting (NIBRS) compliance software and new computers for the police department. A $14,000 recruitment incentive grant was described as a reimbursement program to cover Act 120 certification costs for new hires; administration said the funds would effectively pay for two recruits to complete Act 120 training.
Council members asked operational questions about the recruitment program. Staff explained updated civil-service practices will allow the city to make preliminary offers before candidates complete Act 120; the grant will reimburse tuition and related costs for new hires who take certification after hiring, and the city will use an employment agreement to require recipients to remain on the force for a stipulated period (the grant references a one-year requirement, but council discussed longer local agreements such as five years).
Separately, administration confirmed three sources of funding for most of a new police/city-staff building: $1,000,000 from a USDA Community Facilities grant, $500,000 from a state/local share account, and $2,400,000 in borrowed funds. Staff estimated total project costs at approximately $3,200,000, with architect bidding in early 2025, a potential groundbreaking in March 2025, construction in April–August 2026 and occupancy by fall 2026. Staff noted recent FEMA environmental-review updates tied to the USDA award require raising the building about 10 feet above the 500-year flood elevation; design adjustments to allow parking under the elevated second floor have been proposed, which contributed to a roughly $500,000 project increase.
Council asked about timing and contract steps; staff said environmental review work is underway and some funds are in contract processing. No final construction contract was executed during the meeting; council received the update for future action.
Next steps: staff will continue environmental review and procurement; the administration expects to return with contract documents and scheduling details as bidding and permitting progress.
