BELLEFONTE — The county is looking for federal funding to provide a new water storage tank in Unionville.
The application for a $441,976 Community Development Block Grant, which is managed by Centre County, includes $272,552 that would be used for the water tank. The federal funds can be used for critical infrastructure deficiency needs in the county, and uses and needs for funding are discussed at meetings throughout the year.
At two hearings held about the use of the funding in Unionville, there were no objections to the project, said county CDBG coordinator Matthew Milliron during the Oct. 16 county commissioners’ meeting.
The plan is to construct a new 100,000-gallon tank. It will replace two below-ground water reservoirs, of which one dates from the 1920s and the other is from the ’30s or ’40s, said Milliron.
“The activity will benefit every resident of Unionville Borough, and also eliminate some water system deficiencies and improve the water service identified by (the Department of Environmental Protection),” said Milliron.
Unionville qualifies for the funding because they have greater than 50 percent of resident who fall under low- to moderate-income levels.
In the future, the county will look at broader usage of the CDBG funding, said Milliron, because the state is looking at local emergency service and broadband access for potential funding.
“The feeling is low-income, outlying areas should have the same access as the affluent areas,” said Milliron.
In addition to the costs for the water tank, the grant will provide Bellefonte Borough with $109, 514 for a project at Talleyrand Park, and $59,910 of the funding will be used for grant administration.
The commissioners will vote to approve the grant application at their next meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 23.
