Published Wednesday, April 10, 2002
FARRELL, SHARON
Cities' officials eye sources for Weed and Seed moneyBy Joe Pinchot
Herald Staff Writer
Although the state has not acted on a grant request, local Sharon/Farrell Weed and Seed officials are confident they have nailed down the funding sources for the first year's budget.
For the second year of the three-year program, Farrell and Sharon likely will have to come up with some money to keep the program going.
The Weed and Seed budget for each year is $228,500, with state contributions declining in each year, said Ron Errett, executive director of Mercer County Community Action Agency, which is handling the money.
For the first year, the state Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which oversees Pennsylvania Weed and Seed, provided $171,375. The remaining $57,125 is the local match.
Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, working on behalf of Farrell and Sharon, filed a Shared Municipal Services Grant application for $45,000.
The state converted the request to the Act 47 program, which helps distressed communities. Farrell is a financially distressed community.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development has not officially approved the application, but local officials are confident the money is on its way.
Mercer County District Attorney James P. Epstein said he will provide $12,125 from his drug- and alcohol-forfeiture fund to make up the rest of the local match.
For the second year, the Crime and Delinquency contribution and the local match are the same, $114,250, Errett said.
Local organizations have pledged to help with the local match. The following donations are expected:
DCED will again be approached for a grant, but local officials have been told that they are eligible for no more than half the local match, $57,125.
Provided DCED comes through with half, the budget still is short $41,725.
Discussions with Farrell Mayor William Morocco and Sharon Mayor David Ryan have pointed out one source for the cities: their annual Community Development Block Grants, Morocco said. Each city would have to come up with $20,863.
Errett said other Weed and Seed communities have used block grants in their local matches.
"The CDBG piece for the two cities is essential," he said, because it will show DCED a local commitment.
Epstein said he will make presentations to both councils asking for their support, starting April 18 with Sharon.
Morocco said he thinks Farrell council would be willing to go along with using block grant money for Weed and Seed.
"There seems to be a commitment from the time we entered the program," he said.
The financing package will become even more convoluted for the third year, when Crime and Delinquency will pony up $57,125, and the local match will be $171,375.
"We have not discussed that big hit the third year," Errett said.
The agency will contribute another $3,000, and Behavioral Health another $4,000, and the cities can again ask for Act 47 funds, he said.
But, by then, programs on the Seed side of the program, tackling target issues such as job training, employment and education, will have begun, and some of their funding sources can be counted toward the local match, Errett said.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at jpinchot@sharon-herald.com