Local briefs
Constables to meet This month’s meeting of Pennsylvania State Constables of Fayette County Inc. will be held at Cactus Meeting Room, located in Perryopolis, on Dec 14, at 7 p.m. All constables are urged to attend. Election of officers will be held.
Funding announced
State Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-California, said grants from the state Department of Community and Economic Development that collectively total the more than $240,000 will benefit the residents of Fayette & Washington Counties.
Brownsville Borough will receive $15,400 as part of the department’s Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Program. Daley said that borough officials will use the grant to fund a joint-municipal comprehensive plan.
“This funding and the resulting comprehensive plan will help spark discussions and cooperation among the borough and other municipalities regarding how best to revitalize the area,” Daley said. “It will give us a clear direction in regard to such areas as economic development, housing, sprawl reduction and environmental protection.”
Fayette County will receive $106,166, also in the form of a Community of Opportunity grant, to improve the quality of housing within the county. Daley said that the county’s redevelopment authority will distribute the funding in a manner that will best maintain and promote stable, livable neighborhoods throughout Fayette.
Daley said that Washington County’s Redevelopment Authority has been approved for a $123,016 Community of Opportunity grant, allocating brownfields funds to rehabilitate about 45 area homes. Daley said that the updates will bring the homes into compliance with federal codes and regulations.
“These two grants will fulfill a compelling need that is present in many neighborhoods – housing rehabilitation,” Daley said. “Our communities, like those across Pennsylvania, have many older homes and since they were built, we have learned new things regarding safety, building materials and infrastructures.”
Daley said that more information on the grants is available through the department’s Web site at www.inventpa.com
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Busy day awaited
Local postal employees and their counterparts across the country are gearing up for the busiest mail days of the holiday season.
On Monday, an estimated 2.7 million pieces will be postmarked at the Pittsburgh Processing and Distribution Center alone, and on Dec. 20, another 1.8 million will be postmarked. Following on the heels of these two days, the busiest delivery days will be Dec. 15 and 22.
“Traditionally, December Mondays produce our heaviest volumes,’ said Pittsburgh District Manager Keith Beppler. “Many people prepare their greeting cards over the weekend and then wait until Monday to deposit them.
“We will be adding mail collection on Dec. 12 and 19 in and around the city and the larger associate offices in Pittsburgh and West Virginia to accommodate our customers who may wish to drop their cards in collection boxes over the weekend,” says Beppler. “These efforts will certainly give us a head-start on processing the large volumes of mail we are expecting for those Mondays.”
Beppler offers these additional mailing tips for sending cards and packages:
? Type or print addresses neatly, always include apartment or suite numbers.
? Place an extra return address inside your package.
? Use strong packing tape instead of string or twine.
? Never guess a ZIP Code – no ZIP Code is better than a wrong ZIP Code.
? Computer users can access ZIP Codes or order stamps at www.usps.com
or by calling 1-800-ASKUSPS.
Worship announced
Breakthrough Worship Center, Ferguson Road in Mount Braddock, worships Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with the Rev. Adam Lawson. The 6 p.m. service will be cancelled as the church is taking a bus trip to Overley’s Light Festival. The bus will leave the church at 5 p.m. The church will hold a Christmas program on Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. with a children’s program, candle lighting service in honor of the troops in Iraq, dance from Kim Wall and special music from Kelley Broadwater, the children and youths. The congregation will participate in readings and poems. A New Year’s Eve celebration will be held at the church at 7 p.m., followed by a youth lock-in that begins at 9:30 a.m. For more information or directions, phone 724-434-5886.