Sep 5, 2013 By Cindy Lee Cumpston for The 4 min read

WAYNESBURG — A project to improve a failing public water system in Monongahela Township is among the requests for block grant funding approved Thursday by the Greene County commissioners.

The commissioners voted to formally approve the 2013 state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application in the amount of $217,813. Of the total amount, $178,607 will be used for projects and $39,206 will be for administrative fees. The grant will be administered by Robbie Matesic and staff of the county’s economic development agency.

East Dunkard Water Authority proposed a project to improve a failing public water system and replace old water lines owned by the Dunkard Valley Municipal Authority.

Barry Bennett of the East Dunkard Water Authority said the authority is designing a new water distribution center and hopes to take over the Dunkard Valley Municipal Authority next spring.

In February, the commissioners voted to make a one-time contribution of $10,000 to the Dunkard Valley Municipal Authority to assist the authority with an ongoing emergency water situation in the area.

At that time, Commissioner Archie Trader said the money was to be used to replace 1,000 feet of pipeline in the Penn Pitt area toward Greensboro where there had been numerous breaks in lines that have caused loss in water delivery.

Vic Shine, a board member of the Dunkard Valley Municipal Authority, said the county’s contribution was used to replace a secondary water line that serves 20 to 50 customers.

In addition to the Monongahela Township water line request, the county’s CDBG program for 2013 also include a sewerage system installation in Alicia and Poland Mines in Monongahela Township; water lines on Yeager Run and Jay Phillips Hill roads in Wayne Township; water lines on Happy Valley Road in Morgan Township; and a sewage treatment and collection system in Washington Township.

Also included in this year’s CDBG program is a county-wide housing rehabilitation program administered by Rich Davis of the county’s economic development agency.

CDBG funds are to be used for local economic development needs, including housing rehabilitation, public services, community facilities, infrastructure improvement, and development and planning. Seventy percent of each grant must be used for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income individuals.

In other business, the commissioners voted to redirect the 2012 Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) funds in the amount of $600,000 that were originally awarded to the Waynesburg Gateway Senior Housing Project.

According to the commissioners, the project has stalled because it is not being awarded tax credits or additional funding.

The $600,000 will be divided between three different programs. $150,000 will go to a program run by the county that deals with rental assistance through homeless prevention and $200,000 will go to the program run by Davis for the county’s economic development agency that deals with owner-occupied rehabilitation.

According to Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall, the additional funds will enable Davis to work outside of the ZIP codes designated for the current project.

Currently the county’s economic development agency program is to rehabilitate and modernize homes in the borough of Greensboro and villages of Glassworks and Bobtown.

The remaining $250,000 will go toward the program run by the Greene County Redevelopment Authority County to acquire funding to refurbish numerous blighted houses in the county.

David Mirkovich, the authority’s executive director, explained he had requested $235,000 from the county’s CDBG grant, but had apparently not been granted the request.

He said the redevelopment authority is seeking a total of $1,495,000 from a variety of sources, one of which is the PHARE Fund for its program to rehabilitate 23 parcels in the county.

“I appreciate this allocation of $250,000,” Mirkovich said. “It will help offset the denial of the $235,000 requested from the CDBG grant.”

The program will be used to benefit residents at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) level.

The PHARE Fund is authorized under the state Act 13 drilling law and uses unconventional gas well proceeds to assist with housing needs in any county where unconventional gas wells have been drilled.

In other business, the commissioners voted to:

n Award a plumbing construction contract for the Greene County Airport’s new T-hangar project to J.B. Mechanical Inc. of Bethel Park in the amount of $11,650. The company was the apparent low bidder of the eight bids received.

n Award a contract for a forklift truck to be used by Greene ARC to Hyundai Material Handling Northeast of Mt. Pleasant in the amount of $21,329.

n Direct solicitor Cheryl Cowen to draft a letter to John McNay to sublease the borough parking lot pending permits.