County Commissioners Seek Grant Funding for Trail

County planners want to begin a feasibility study to determine if a stretch of land between Milesburg and Bellefonte is suitable for a connecting walking trail.

At the board of commissioners meeting on June 21, Centre County Planning Office director Bob Jacobs and senior planner Mike Bloom asked the board to support the Greenways Trails and Recreation Program, which would create a 2.5-mile multi-use trail connecting Bellefonte and Milesburg boroughs.

‘We’ve been working with the local municipalities on this and it seems like everyone is on board,’ said Jacobs. ‘There’s still lots of work to be done with this to get it all going, but we need to get the support of the commissioners before we can proceed.’

According to Jacobs, the grant amount for the study is about $80,750, of which a 15 percent match is required. Commissioner Mark Higgins announced Bellefonte Borough has already pledged $10,000 and about $3,500 in additional money has been pledged by other sources.

‘We still need about $750, so if there are any local businesses or organization that wants to make a pledge, we will most certainly accept it,’ Higgins said. ‘And, please understand this is only a pledge of money in writing. If we’re not awarded the grant for the study, those pledges won’t be necessary.’

According to Bloom, the project would see a 2.5-mile trail extending between the Bellefonte Waterfront to the Mileburg Community Park.

He said the trail would provide a health-conscious walking and biking experience through an area once used by early settlers to transport goods and move livestock between the two communities.

‘Actually, we’ll be doing something that has already been done,’ said Bloom.

Bloom said there is about $250,000 in grant money available through the GTRP program. In 2012, this money came available through the Marcellus Legacy Fund and allocates money to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for planning, acquisition, development, rehabilitation and repair of greenways, recreational trails, open space, parks and beautification projects.

‘There is no guarantee we’ll get the money,’ said Bloom. ‘It’s highly competitive.’

With the commissioners approval, the planning commission will move forward with the grant application process. Bloom said, if approved, and the remaining $750 in pledges secured, a consultant for the project would be selected by March 2017 and the study — which is estimated to take about nine months — would begin. Application for DCNR and PennDOT funding would be made in 2018 and engineering and permitting would occur in 2019. The actual project, if awarded, would begin and be completed in 2020.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Signed a memorandum of understanding between the county and various partners, including the Court of Common Pleas, the Centre County Criminal Justice Advisory Board, the district attorney, the public defender and several other entities, for the Centre County Specialty Court Viability Assessment Project. It part of an application Centre County is submitting for a federal Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant. The grant proposal seeks funding to help determine whether a specialty drug or mental health treatment court is a viable option for the county.

• Approved a grant application to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for Byrne JAG funds in the amount of $24,400 to engage a consultant to assist the county in determining the viability of creating a specialty court.

• Approved a contract addendum between the county and Tyler Technologies for a standard annual software maintenance agreement for the mobile component of the new Computer Aided Dispatch that will be used in the 911 Emergency Communication Center. This agreement will be paid annually, in increments, for a five-year term, with the first installment being invoiced and payable this month. The contract addendum total is $89,563.

• Approved a contract addendum between the county and Tyler Technologies for a standard annual software maintenance agreement for the Computer Aided Dispatch software that will be used in the 911 Emergency Communications Center. This agreement will be paid annually, in increments, for a five-year term, with the first installment being invoiced and payable in June 2016. The contract addendum total is $232.94.

• Approved an application from Centre Hall Borough in the amount of $10,000 for resurfacing projects.

• Approved a contract renewal between the county and Vigilant Security to upgrade and expand the emergency button system for State College’s magisterial district justice office. The contract total is $2,238.95.