Carbon plans hearings on community grant projects
Carbon County officials are looking for public input for the 2018 Community Development Block Grant program funds for a number of communities.
Last week, the county commissioners voted to advertise a public hearing notice for the projects, which include:
Entitlement projects
• Franklin Township, $74,618 for phase two of water improvements along Red Hill Road. A hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the administration building, 889 Fairyland Road.
• Jim Thorpe, $78,711 for street improvements at Third and Eighth streets and reconstruction/resurfacing of School Street. A hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Memorial Hall, 103 E. 10th St.
• Lehighton, $84,383 for replacing ADA handicap ramps at the corners of Keystone Alley, Second and Alum streets, Third and Coal streets, East Alley and Iron Street and Center and Iron streets. A hearing will take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at the borough hall, 1 Constitutional Ave., second floor.
• Mahoning Township, $74,958 for reconstructing and resurfacing Pine and Douglas streets (CDBG fiscal years 2016, 2017 and 2018). A hearing will take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 at the township building, 2685 Mahoning Drive East.
• Palmerton, $83,704 for reconstructing and repaving Fourth Street, from Delaware Avenue to terminus. A hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the borough hall, 443 Delaware Ave.
In addition, there will be a second topic during the Palmerton hearing, which will be held at the same day and time, regarding the modification of the borough’s 2015 CDBG funds.
The borough received $76,141 in 2015. Of that amount, $58,691 was allocated for street improvements to Lehigh Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets, and $17,450 was allocated for the clearing and demolition of 3 and 4 Hillside Ave.
A total of $23,500 was used for the demolition project, and $9,550 was used toward the installation of a generator at the fire station at Fifth Street. The borough is asking to cancel the street improvements to Lehigh Avenue and use the remaining $41,291 toward street improvements on Princeton Avenue, which is a project from fiscal year 2016.
Nonentitlement projects
Hearings for nonentitlement project communities, which are selected annually by the county to share in a portion of CDBG designated to Carbon County, will take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Tresckow Hosey Community Hall, 26 E. Oak St., Tresckow.
Projects include:
• Banks Township, $97,420 for reconstruction/repaving South, Church, S Street and P Street.
• East Side Borough, $108,672 for constructing a swale with rolled curbing and regrading an existing swale on Bridge Street.
Residents can attend these hearings to express their thoughts on the projects, as well as prior use of CDBG funding. Written comments are also being accepted at the Carbon County Office of Planning and Development, 76 Susquehanna St., P.O. Box 210, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. Deadline for written comments is 3 p.m. Oct. 11.
The deadline for the county to submit the CDBG application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is Nov. 2.
