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Final Notice: Centre County CDBG-CV and Bellefonte Borough

Posted on August 4, 2020 by DNS Admin

POSTING DATES: August 5 – August 11, 2020
CONTACT: Nicole Hogan, (570) 524-4491

FINAL NOTICE

On August 31, 2020, Centre County plans to submit an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for 2020 Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response (CDBG-CV) funds. The amount of the 2020 CDBG-CV funds for Centre County is $166,152, and $66,574 for the Borough of Bellefonte. Based on this amount, the Centre County Commissioners , along with the Bellefonte Borough Council propose to allocate CDBG funds to the following activities:

CENTRE COUNTY

Emergency Services Assistance Program $ 40,875
Centre Volunteers in Medicine $ 20,000
Centre Safe $ 10,000
Centre County rent/mortgage/utility assistance program $ 35,377
Small Business Assistance Program $ 30,000
SEDA-COG Administration $ 16,600
Centre County Administration $ 13,300

TOTAL $ 166,152

BELLEFONTE BOROUGH

8. Bellefonte Utility and Rent Assistance Program $ 59,974
9. Administration $ 6,600

TOTAL $ 66,574

A Public Hearing to receive comments on the proposed use of these funds will be held on August 11, 2020, at 7:00 PM. Keeping with federal and state guidelines regarding COVID 19, this meeting will take place as a virtual video web and tele conference. The public is invited to observe and participate in the hearing as follows: To access via web video, type the link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/8383951780. To access via telephone dial +1(470)869-2200 and enter Meeting ID: 838 395 1780. The meeting will be recorded. The meeting platform is accessible to persons with disabilities. If accommodations are needed for those with special needs related to language, sight, or hearing, please call (570)524-4491 at least five days in advance. Interested applicants should contact the Centre County Commissioners as soon as possible for funding consideration, but in no case later than August 11, 2020. Following the Public Hearing, the Centre County Commissioners will consider the approval of the CDBG-CV application at the August 13, 2020 Commissioners Meeting.

The Center County Commissioners will strive to make all programs and activities accessible to the learning, mobility, vision, hearing, and language-impaired persons. If you have a disability or limited English proficiency and require an auxiliary aid or accommodations, please contact Nicole Hogan at SEDA-COG, 1-800-332-6701, 1-800-654-5984 TTY, 1-800-654-5988 TDD, to discuss your needs at least five days in advance. Translators will be available upon request.

Any complaints should be written and submitted to Mitzi Gallagher-Long at SEDA-COG. Written responses will be addressed within 15 working days when practicable.

Übersetzer sind für die öffentliche Sitzung auf Anfrage erhältlich.

可應要求提供翻譯服務

Переводчики будут доступны по запросу.

Discounted elevation certificates for Milton homeowners

Posted on July 24, 2020 by DNS Admin

Milton homeowners who live in the 100-year floodplain (Zone AE) can get discounted elevation certificates that can reduce their flood insurance costs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) elevation certificates cost $700 for these homeowners. This is a discounted group price that SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) negotiated with Orangeville Surveying Consultants Inc. Without the discount, the rate can be as expensive as $2,000.

Elevation certificates compare a structure’s elevation to the base flood elevation shown on the map being used for rating and determine the cost to cover flood risk. If the certificate shows the property at a high elevation, it will lower the flood insurance cost.

“The elevation certificate can be a useful tool when comparison shopping for flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) versus the private insurance market,” said Doug Diehl, Milton Borough’s zoning and code enforcement officer and floodplain manager. “You also can know the flooding frequency, history, and depths.”

Diehl said several local municipalities are involved in the Community Rating System (CRS). By meeting CRS requirements, a municipality can achieve a specific class designation which in turn gets the resident of that municipality an automatic flood insurance rate discount through the National Flood Insurance Program, which is not applicable to the privatized flood insurance market.

The group discount is available in Lewisburg and Selinsgrove for $700, and in Danville and Bloomsburg for $600. Interested Milton homeowners can contact Doug Diehl at 570-742-8759 or ddiehl@miltonpa.org or SEDA-COG’s Geralee Zeigler at 570-524-4491 ext. 7218 or gzeigler@seda-cog.org.

Homeowners in Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Danville, and Bloomsburg also may contact Zeigler for more information.

SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency Program offers services related to flood resiliency and mitigation assistance both within and outside of its 11-county region. Its goal is to help break the damage cycle and stop its drain on people and communities. For more information, visit https://seda-cog.org/departments/flood-resiliency/.

Lewisburg Homeowners: How will you prepare for the next flood?

Posted on July 24, 2020 by DNS Admin

The time is now to prepare your flood-prone property by reducing risk and damages before the next flood. Investments in flood mitigation could lead to reduced flood insurance costs as well.

Lewisburg homeowners who live in the 100-year floodplain (Zone AE) are encouraged to secure an elevation certificate either through the SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) Flood Resiliency Program or a local engineering firm to help homeowners understand their risk.

SEDA-COG has negotiated a group rate through Orangeville Surveying Consulting Inc to complete elevation certificates that meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards. Interested homeowners can contact Geralee Zeigler at gzeigler@seda-cog.org or 570-524-4491 ext. 7218.

An Elevation Certificate is a valuable document. It records important features of the property, including its unique location within the floodplain and elevation of a building’s lowest floor. This certificate is used by insurance agents to determine flood insurance premiums and it is used by the Borough’s Codes Office to ensure that all new construction is located above the base flood elevation, thereby decreasing the amount of flood damage in the future. Elevation Certificates provide property owners the information necessary to help determine flood risk factors as well as options for insuring and mitigating the risk.

“Homeowners have many options for flood mitigation such as installing flood vents, raising their utilities above base flood elevation, elevating the home, and a variety of wet and dry floodproofing tactics. These mitigation measures help reduce the risk and damage of flooding if done in compliance with the floodplain ordinance standards and the information provided on an elevation certificate will help determine which measures are most appropriate for each unique situation,” said Kim Wheeler, Lewisburg Borough’s Special Project’s Coordinator.

SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency Program offers services related to flood resiliency and mitigation assistance both within and outside of its 11-county region. Its goal is to help break the damage cycle and stop its drain on people and communities. For more information, visit https://seda-cog.org/departments/flood-resiliency/.

Railroad crossings in Bloomsburg to be closed for construction

Posted on July 24, 2020 by DNS Admin

BLOOMSBURG – A portion of Market and East streets will be closed to traffic for railroad crossing work in August.

The existing grade crossings are deteriorated, and the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) and its private operator, North Shore Railroad, will replace them with new concrete grade crossings.

Market Street between Sixth and Seventh streets will close the morning of Aug. 8 and will reopen Aug. 12.

East Street/State Route 487 adjacent to State Route 11 will close the morning of Aug. 22 and will reopen Aug. 26.

Marked detours will be in place. Motorists are urged to slow down, be alert, and expect delays in travel.

Jannotti Rail Consulting Inc. of Russell is the track engineer and Chesapeake Thermite Welding of Virginia is the contractor. The SEDA-COG JRA owns the track and North Shore Railroad is the operator.

The SEDA-COG JRA was formed in 1983 by the forward-looking efforts of its eight member counties to save rail lines and service abandoned by Conrail. The JRA’s public-private partnership was recognized by the World Bank as a model for public-private partnerships to stimulate rural economic development. Since 2004, the JRA has invested or leveraged over $46 million in rail capital projects with over 40 public and private partners. For more information, visit www.sedacograil.org.