Borough officials told the Millersville Borough Council on Jan. 5 that a borough-sponsored grant application with a community partner — referred to in meeting materials as "the loft" — received full funding from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Borough Manager Rebecca DeSantis Bridal said the borough was the technical sponsor of the DCED application and that the partner would be the project recipient. "They were awarded their entire ask," she said, adding the borough will coordinate with the partner on project implementation and pass the award through as the technical sponsor.

Separately, the borough received $75,000 from a park rehabilitation grant (the GTR program) for phase 1 of planned park improvements. Council had requested $250,000; the borough was awarded $75,000. Manager DeSantis Bridal said the borough would consult with its consultant, who developed the park master plan, to determine what can be completed with the smaller award or whether phase 1 should be broken into subphases.

DeSantis Bridal cautioned that a pending decision from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) could alter planning. ‘‘Because of the state budget being delayed, that's why we actually got out about this DCED grant much later than we had anticipated, and they still haven't announced the DCNR one,’’ she said. Council and staff discussed the likelihood of returning to the drawing board to adjust scope depending on the DCNR outcome and borough budget constraints.

Next steps: borough staff will work with the master-plan consultant to prioritize or phase the project; staff will notify council when DCNR decisions are announced and return with a refined scope and budget plan.