Tyrone Borough is not giving up on its long-held plans to replace infrastructure underneath part of Washington Avenue.
The borough continues to seek funding for a project now estimated to cost about $1.5 million even though it recently missed out on a funding opportunity through Elm Street grant monies which were available until June 30, 2004. The borough is also seeking funding through CDBG funds which require the return of income surveys from Washington Avenue area residents to prove to the state those residents fall into certain income classifications.
Previously, the borough proved a “low-to-moderate” income status for just more than 54.5 percent of the homes in the entire borough which allowed it to qualify for certain CDBG funding. Mayor Patricia Stoner explained the borough is now required to submit another round of surveys from Washington Avenue area residents since it is seeking funding for a project that affects a specific part of the borough.
The response to the survey has been slow based on discussions at borough council’s most recent meeting and a previous public plea from the mayor in late June.
The borough even generated a second and more personalized letter which came with a return envelope and postage to encourage residents to return it. Still, the response has come up short of the number required by the state, according to the borough’s finance director Phyliss Garhart.
“I’m concerned the residents aren’t responding,” said Stoner. “We have sent two letters and they have not responded in the numbers that they should have. They need to respond-it doesn’t commit them to anything-and it’s a big service for them-as we are going to be able to raise the money to do this and it won’t cost them (the residents) any money.”
The project is designed to replace sewer lines, waterlines, drains and manholes along a section of Washington Avenue. PennDOT has agreed to completely redo the road at no cost to the borough once the infrastructure portion is completed. The mayor is concerned PennDOT’s patience will run out if the borough doesn’t soon complete the infrastructure work.
The mayor has also mentioned another source of funding which could aid the project. Elm Street grant money may once again be available since the state’s new fiscal year began on July 1. Last month, she had previously expressed concern the borough would miss out on Elm Street funding which expired on June 30.
In fact, the borough did miss out on that round of funding as the necessary documents to apply were apparently not ready to be submitted prior to the deadline.
The issue of the progress of the Washington Avenue infrastructure project was mentioned in a May 13 memo addressed to former manager Nathan George who was fired by the borough on June 11. The memo from solicitor Larry Clapper put George on notice about his performance in a number of areas including the progress of the Washington Avenue project.
The memo is contained in court documents filed on behalf of the borough earlier this week. It provided the first real clues as to the borough’s reasoning in its firing of George. (See page 2 for Tyrone Borough’s reaction to latest developments in legal dispute between the borough and its former manager.)
The memo indicated there was a “fear” funding could be lost due to the lack of progress. George was told to remedy the problems or have his relationship with the borough “seriously considered.”
The memo also indicated the project had not progressed while the mayor was absent due to an illness which hospitalized her in March.
At a special borough council meeting on May 18, Mayor Stoner requested the scope of work for the project be extended to include Third Street. Council unanimously approved the request.
The mayor made the request after speaking with the borough’s sewer superintendent who wanted Third Street included so the department would be able to install some manholes. The project will now extend from Third to Ninth Street on Washington Avenue.
As reported in a previous Daily Herald article, Mayor Stoner also requested an adjustment to the March 8, 2004 minutes at the May 18, 2004 meeting. She advised council the March 8 minutes indicated she was directed to seek request for proposals from outside sources (for engineering and grant writing) for the Washington Avenue improvement project.
The March 8 minutes were amended according to the minutes of the May 18 meeting. The May 18 minutes indicated the March 8 meeting minutes showed incorrect information in regard to the mayor being directed to seek the request for proposals.
The March 8 minutes do show she had asked council for their approval to seek requests for proposals after having distributed a memo for council’s review.
The answer to the question of who was supposed to take care of seeking the request for proposals regarding Washington Avenue is not made clear in the March 8 minutes or the May 18 minutes notation.
However, the May 13 memo from Clapper indicated council had discussed it displeasure with George regarding the lack of progress on projects (including Washington Avenue) which council had labeled as a “priority.”
A further review of the minutes of other borough council meetings also showed the issue was deemed “top priority” and both George and Garhart were instructed at the May 3, 2004 meeting to follow up and report to council at the next meeting.
The minutes of the May 10, 2004 indicated no report was made to council, independent observation by The Daily Herald indicate no update was given to council by George or Garhart at the May 10 meeting even through it was deemed a “top priority” at the previous meeting.
According to Mayor Stoner, the borough eventually hired the Blair County Industrial Development Authority to have it prepare grant writing and engineering documents needed for the project.
After the most recent council meeting on Monday, Mayor Stoner explained she has learned there is $11 million in Elm Street grant money in the state’s new budget which the borough could tap into for the project.
She indicated the borough would also need to go after other funding including competitive grant money to complete the project The borough has already earmarked money from its regular CDBG funding allotment for the project.
Stoner said the borough might also use a door-to-door approach to obtain the amount of surveys necessary to submit to the state to qualify for certain funding.
