2009 News

June 4, 2009

Commissioners Approve $637,881 of “Stimulus” Funding Through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

Following a wide-ranging discussion during their June 3 business meeting at the Southampton Fire Company No. 1, the Board of Bucks County Commissioners approved $637,881 of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding for seven separate projects. The approval included a 2-1 vote, with Chairman Charles H. Martin and Commissioner James F. Cawley, Esq. passing the resolution over the objections of Commissioner Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW.

The funding, which was extended as a one-time Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation, included $184,236 to improve accessibility to county buildings for handicapped residents; $150,000 for Warminster Heights to insulate crawl space areas with environmentally friendly materials; $142,600 for the Bucks County Housing Group for Energy Star-rated roof replacements on two apartment buildings in Bristol; $53,410 for the Penn Foundation in Sellersville to incorporate energy efficiency improvements; $50,000 for Bristol Borough to replace 36 inoperative lights at Waterfront Park with LED units; $38,535 for Lenape Valley group homes for weatherization improvements in Doylestown and Levittown, and $19,100 for the Middletown Community Center for the rehabilitation of restrooms.

All seven projects were recommended by the CDBG Advisory Board, and analyzed by both Planning Commission Executive Director Lynn Bush and Community and Business Development Director Vitor Vicente. Among the recommendations was the instruction, “Priority is given to permanent physical improvements which will last longer than the spending period, and will have a long life space.” To that end, Commissioners Martin and Cawley argued that the stimulus money is intended to fund specific physical improvements, while Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia contended that part of the allocation should be used to fund a pilot program developed by President Judge Susan Devlin Scott to aid homeowners who need assistance with their mortgages. The county courts have this pilot program funded through 2009, and the commissioners have agreed to review the pilot data to assess actual future dollar needs in the 2010 budget. For a complete audio account of the meeting, please visit www.BucksCounty.org.