(1/24) Emmitsburg Town Planner Susan Cipperly reviewed various grants either received or anticipated relating to ongoing town projects at the January 22 meeting of the board of commissioners.
Cipperly stated that the Town has received a $38,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Association (MEA) which will go towards the installation of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and for use at the solar installation at the town wastewater treatment facility.
LED installations will entail replacing street lights and some of the exterior lighting at town-owned properties with LED lighting as a cost-saving measure for the town.
The MEA grant does not require any matching fund from the town.
Cipperly also stated that town staff also applied December 19 for a weatherization grant to be used for proposed improvements at the wastewater treatment facility, water treatment plant, and at the 22 East Main Street town property.
The town also received approval of a $50,000 state and private sector matching grant from Community Legacy 2013. The money is distributed among town business and private property applicants for improvements to the façade of their structures.
Cipperly noted that the state Historical Trust reviews applications received by the town, which is still in process.
Thus far, four Main Street property owners have applied, which will consume most of the as-yet-approved allocated money (12 W. Main VFW, 1-3 E. Main Street, 315 E. Main Street, and 122 E. Main Street).
Regarding the State Heritage Area Authority and the proposed improvements at the Town Square, the planner stated that efforts are ongoing regarding determining costs and what funding needs to be sought.
"Staff have met with Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration (SHA) staff at state and district levels to meld the conceptual plan with SHA standards," Cipperly said.
Two main conceptual plans have been proposed for the Town Square, but a staff member previously said the end product may be a hybrid of the two, rather than one plan as proposed over the other.
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