Mount Pleasant supervisors apply for federal aid
MOUNT PLEASANT TWP. — Residents might get some relief from the federal government for expenditures related to winter storm Jonas that hit the area in January.
At their monthly board meeting, supervisors approved a motion to apply for federal disaster funding for the January 22-23 snow storm known as Jonas.
Chairman Dwayne Hutter said the storm drooped on average 20 to 21 inches of snow across the municipality during those two days. He said storms like that are costly to the township.
“It takes a lot of extra material plus it takes a lot of extra money out of the bank account for the overtime, and you never know what kind of breakdowns you are going to encounter,” Hutter said.
Secretary Caprice Mills said this is not the first time the township has applied for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In 2010 the municipality had over $50,000 in expenses for material, overtime and breakdowns for a winter storm that covered the area that February. Mills said the township received reimbursement from FEMA of $37,799.54.
Mills said they were notified in March that Westmoreland County was one of several in Pennsylvania eligible for aid as a result of the storm.
“We can receive up to 75 percent of our expenditures during that Jan. 22 and 23 snow storm. Our total expenses were a little over $39,000 so we are expecting to get about $30,000 to cover wages, overtime and material expenses all due to the storm,” Mills said.
Hutter said they were not expecting the offer of aid but are very grateful for it.
“To get reimbursed for all that overtime will really help us out. It will go back into the bank to help cover maintenance costs for the roads and for materials and labor for next winter,” Hutter said.