The Lebanon City Council reviewed a brief March agenda which contained three resolutions.
The Council voted unanimously to approve a $26,000+ financial aid request from the Lebanon County Government for street paving between 7th street, city line south to Poplar Street.
Mayor Sherry Capello said that this is financial aid that the County gives the City annually however because of the recent census the calculation to determine the sum changed, which increased the overall financial support by approximately $1,400.
Mayor Capello said that the funds will be used for to help assist in the street paving project, however the total cost of the project will cost approximately $700,000. Capello said that the remaining funds will be derived from ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding.
The Council also voted unanimously to approve a resolution which will allow the City Government to sign any contracts necessary to apply for a grant with the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DNCR) for improvements at Coleman Memorial Park.
Mayor Capello said that the grant is a 50-50 match grant (Meaning DNCR will match the contribution of the city), for the implementation of a dog park and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) infrastructure to ensure that the area is accessible to all.
Mayor Capello said that the project is currently estimated to cost within the range of $202,000 and the city has $90,000 set aside in reserve from ARPA money. Capello said that the project cost may be variable, and if approved, the city will work with DNCR to finalize the matching amount.
Mayor Capello said that while the city is currently still undergoing the process of finalizing the new master site plan of the park, this grant is being sought ahead of time because of the strict application deadline and overwhelming community desire for a dog park.
In other business:
Mayor Capello said that the city is 16.67% complete in its budget reporting and thus far as collected 15.41% of expected revenue and has spent 10.47% of its expected costs.
Council also unanimously voted to approve a resolution which would allow the city use funds for a 50-50 match grant with the office of budget for the Market Square Transit Intermodal Center with Lebanon City Hall. Mayor Capello said that this project is the City Hall Project.
In the pre-city council meeting on Thursday Jenelle Mendoff, the Community and Economic Development Administrator conducted a public hearing to announce that the city is submitting its most recent Comprehensive Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).
The CAPER is a report that the city is required to submit to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Community Development Block Grant, which the city has had for several years.
Mendoff said that the report was made available in the city hall, however no one came to review them or left additional comments.
Fire Chief Duane Troutman is also on administrative leave an unspecified personnel matter. Mayor Capello declined to specific why that cause of the leave was and said that there is not a set time for his return.
Author: Alisher Aminov
