The Meadville Tribune
By Keith Gushard
Saturday, June 21, 2014
More than $2.5 million in state funding is being sought by Crawford County to benefit Conneaut Lake’s downtown improvement project.
Crawford County commissioners Thursday unanimously approved the submission of two state multimodal funding grant requests for improvements along Route 322/Water Street in the borough.
Multimodal funding is to encourage economic development and ensure safe and reliable transportation systems, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
One grant would be through the state DCED for $1,445,020 while the other request is through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for $1,217,742, according to Amy Schmidt, grant administrator for the Crawford County Planning Office.
Schmidt said the amounts are higher than originally discussed at Tuesday’s commissioner work session due to further review of engineering estimates.
If the grants are obtained, the borough of Conneaut Lake will provide 30 percent in local matching funds. The local money for the matching will be able to come out of more than $900,000 in other grants Conneaut Lake has obtained previously, Schmidt said.
Conneaut Lake Borough Council and Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee are trying to revitalize the borough’s downtown business district.
If obtained, the grant would be used along Water Street and the Fireman’s Beach area for street improvements including new curbs, sidewalks and crosswalks.