SMETHPORT — Despite being denied $15,000 in non-local government funding, area leaders are moving ahead with plans intended to revitalize parts of Smethport and Mount Jewett.
The McKean County Commissioners broke the funding news at Tuesday morning’s meeting — about two weeks after they hired a company to develop architectural guidelines for facade business improvements in the two communities.
As it turns out, putting together such guidelines did not meet state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) funding requirements, the commissioners announced. The project had been listed on the county’s 2014 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program application.
“In the past, DCED allowed planning for activities in one year and funding the actual activity the following year. This is no longer permitted,” Gay DeGolier of the McKean County Redevelopment Authority said in a printout of a May 21 email attached to the commissioners meeting agenda.
There are no worries, though, according to McKean County Economic Development director Sherri Geary.
“Although we did not receive funding through the CDBG program, the design guidelines for both communities will be prepared using funding from DCED’s Municipal Assistance Program (which is a grant) and contributions from the Borough of Smethport and Mount Jewett,” Geary told The Era on Tuesday.
The funding from Smethport amounts to $4,500, and $6,500 comes from the DCED Municipal Assistance Program to develop the guidelines. Mount Jewett has contributed in-kind services, too, which includes staff time and technical planning assistance, she said.
“The boroughs of Mount Jewett and Smethport understand and support the need to remove blight from their main street business district. A facade improvement program will promote economic growth for the future prosperity of their community,” Geary said in a letter to the McKean County Redevelopment Authority in March.
Earlier this month, the county approved an agreement with Derck & Edson Associates LLP for planning and design consultation services at a cost of $11,000, in addition to reimbursement expenses.
Geary said she hopes to have the architectural guidelines finished by late summer. A meeting on the proposals is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. June 24, tentatively to be held at the Smethport library.
“Once the architectural design guidelines are complete, the guidelines will be used to request facade improvement funding, which will be matched by eligible property owners located in Smethport and Mount Jewett,” Geary said.
In fact, Geary has already sought $50,000 from the McKean County Redevelopment Authority.
“The facade improvement project will involve coordination between state and local government along with inter-municipal planning. Hopefully the final outcome of these projects will ensure predictability in building and land use codes and promote sustainability by strengthening the existing communities,” she said.
In addition to the shuttered CDBG funding for the development of guidelines for Smethport and Mount Jewett, the Kane firehall garage door replacement has been removed from the 2014 application. The amount totaled $14,520.
“In the past, DCED has allowed Kane to undertake firehall improvements since the Borough of Kane owns the firehall building and pays all the utilities,” DeGolier said in an email to the commissioners.
She continued, “They (DCED) would not allow any type of rescue equipment because it would be used to serve both Kane Borough and Wetmore Township residents. Wetmore Township is not eligible for CDBG funding. DCED will no longer fund any Kane firehall or rescue equipment because the Kane fire department serves Wetmore Township.”
Money that would have been allocated for those two projects will be doled out to other eligible activities in the CDBG application, according to DeGolier.
Also at the meeting Tuesday, the commissioners moved to address flooding at a farm field along U.S. Route 6 outside of Smethport that would support continuing the walking trail. County officials approved pulling $3,175 from the post-closure landfill account to deal alleviate stormwater issues coming from the parking lot behind Sena-Kean Manor.
The Good Growing Gardens (3G) Program is behind the effort in continuing the walking trail, which is listed in the program’s 2014 document as a goal to be completed this year. The community service initiative includes gardening, woodworking and other activities, all in an effort in rehabilitating people and cutting down the jail population.
In other business, the commissioners approved revising the 2011 CDBG program funding. Since only two applicants were eligible for financial help via the Foster Township Harrisburg Run low-moderate income sewer lateral installation, $676 is being moved to the Eldred Borough sewer pump station replacement. Eldred’s project now totals $9,642, whereas Foster Township’s updated figure totals $3,129.
