During their May 23 meeting, East Allen supervisors unanimously granted borough manager Brent Green permission to move forward with applications for several grants that will enable the township to pay for an abundance of new projects, including the demolition of a farmhouse on the former Weaversville Secure Treatment Facility property.
The Community Investment Partnership Program will award up to $50,000 to demolish a blighted property. The farmhouse, supervisors said, has become a safety concern and is beyond renovation. The grant would also help cover the costs to remove a 3,500-gallon oil tank on the property.
Green said they should know as early as the fall whether or not they receive the grant.
Green was also approved to move forward with the application for the Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Grant. This grant would help pay for the repairs and renovations needed at Jacksonville Park.
New parking is needed to improve the safety of the park, which would cause the loss of the pavilion and playground. Grant money would be used to construct the parking lot first, before being used to rebuild the pavilion, resurface the basketball court, and replace the playground.
Green estimates that the entire cost of the project would be over $500,000, with $250,000 coming from grants and an additional $250,000 coming from the township’s developer escrow.
Green said a $275,000 multimodal grant is also available for the project.
“We have a lot of backing on this project,” Green said, referencing county and local government support. “It is a regional project with the trail there.”
Finally, gaming funds are available from the Monroe County LSA and Northampton County LSA. Green said the township would look more competitive against other applicants if it submitted a joint application with neighboring municipalities and use the funds to purchase public works equipment that can be shared.
