Elk Co. Commissioners distribute $75,000 in Act 13 grants
RIDGWAY - At Tuesday’s meeting, Elk County Commissioners distributed the spring and fall distribution of the Act 13 monies to applicants who had requested some $311,845.
The commissioners had to make some tough choices, such as which projects benefit the most people and which organizations and municipalities have not received Act 13 funds in the past. A record number of applications were received before the spring deadline of February 28 this year, and 13 applicants were chosen to split the $75,000 available in this funding round.
Ridgway Township Municipal Authority received $10,000 toward the purchase of an Envirosight sewer camera that is needed for use by workers to address leaks and blockages.
Johnsonburg Municipal Authority received $5,000 towards the purchase of replacement tanks at the Johnsonburg Area High School.
Johnsonburg Police Department received $7,680.40 for the purchase of new tasers and cartridges for the officers.
Johnsonburg Community Trust received $5,000 for brick repairs on the borough’s Brick Block building on Market Street.
Jay Township Sewage Authority was granted $6,424 to replace a damaged pressure pump.
Horton Township received $10,000 for a strategic management program through the Department of Community Economic Development (DCED).
Elkland Search and Rescue was given $2,225 to purchase and install a new power mast on their mobile command post.
St. Marys Youth Baseball Association, received $5,000 towards the renovation of Berwind Park.
Wilcox Volunteer Fire Department received $6,402.60 to upgrade their training room.
Trinity United Methodist Church in Ridgway was granted $2,628 towards purchasing a new AED (Automated
External Defibrillator) to replace its outdated model.
Flying Dove Ranch received $5,000 for purchasing a Noah’s Ark play set for use during their summer camps.
The Elk County Farm Bureau received $5,000 for their efforts to bring the Mobile Agriculture Lab to all the elementary schools in Elk County.
Closing out the list is the Fox Township Sportsman Club, which received $5,000 to replace and install a new culvert pipe at their club in Kersey.
A resolution was passed by the commissioners to allocate $3,939 left over from fiscal year 2019 for slum and blight removal to the Johnsonburg Wastewater project.
With another resolution, the commissioners seek to remind everyone that March is Safe Digging month, and everyone should call 811 before beginning any project that requires excavation.
The commissioners granted the RidgwayElk County Chamber of Commerce permission to hang a banner on the courthouse lawn promoting the annual Trout-A-Thon from March 23 to June 10.
The commissioners retroactively approved an application for the use of the conference room on March 19 by the 4-H Stride for Stride Horse Club.
Kathy McClelland of the Elk County Planning Department was appointed to the board of directors for the Northern Tier Community Action Corporation.
Elk County Public Defender Gary Knaresboro was on hand to give insight into the pay rate of assistant and appointed public defenders in the county. The commissioners approved a pay raise for the appointed defenders to $80/ per hour. Their current pay rate of $50/ per hour has stayed the same since 2001 and falls well behind other nearby counties like McKean, which pays $110/ per hour, and Clearfield, which pays $85/ per hour.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was reached with Lawrence
County for a grant program to reduce leadbased paint hazards and mitigate healthy home hazards in eligible housing properties.
A delegation arrangement was reached between Elk County and the Elk County Solid Waste Authority.
The Pennsylvania Counties Workers’ Compensation Trust (PComp) provides workers’ compensation coverage for employees of counties and countyrelated entities, which includes risk control, claims services, and training. Elk County Deputy Chief Clerk Kary Schneider received an individual award from PComp for her efforts in keeping Elk County’s compensation claims very low in comparison to other counties of the same size. The commissioners thanked her for all her hard work.
The next meeting of the Elk County Commissioners will take place on April 4 at 10 a.m. at the Elk County Courthouse Annex located at 300 Center Street in Ridgway. The public is welcome to attend in person or through the Zoom platform link posted on the Elk County website before every meeting at co.elk.pa.us.