Category: Community Development

The Lycoming County commissioners awarded $3,010,200 in COVID-19 relief funds at their public meeting on Oct. 13 to 11 school districts. Districts serving Lycoming County students were eligible to receive $200 per student to assist them with COVID-19 expenses.

The county received a $10.2 million COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant (CRBG) grant from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act), through the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

The funds do not have to be repaid. Funds can be used for eligible costs from March 1 to Dec. 30, 2020 to cover costs associated with providing distance learning or for in-person learning associated with meeting Centers for Disease Control guidelines. This can include student laptops for remote learning and personal protective equipment for students for in-person learning, among other items.

County Commissioner Scott Metzger said investing in the county’s youth and education is vital.

“We wanted to ensure our schools can use these funds to keep our students safe while providing an excellent education, as they always have. We know teachers and students alike are facing unprecedented challenges and we hope this can ease the burden,” Metzger said.

Following are the funds for each school district.

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is assisting the county by providing professional expertise and grant administrative services, as well as activity development and management to ensure accuracy and adherence with federal and state regulations.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

For more information, contact the Lycoming County Department of Planning and Community Development at Covidrelief@lyco.org or 570-320-2130.

The Lycoming County commissioners voted Tuesday to award up to $1.5 million of their COVID relief funds to 165 businesses in the county.

The county had received a $10.2 million COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant (CRBG) from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act), through the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

County Commissioner Scott Metzger said that while they had originally dedicated $1 million to the small business recovery effort, they decided to increase it up to $1.5 million.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our county. We are dedicated to helping them and others recover from the severest impacts of the pandemic,” Metzger said.

Businesses could apply from Aug. 31 through Sept. 18 to receive part of the CRBG grant the county received to assist them with COVID-19 expenses.

To receive their full allocated grant amounts, businesses must provide documentation to show they actually incurred those COVID-related expenses. Checks to the businesses will be issued when the county receives that paperwork.

The full list of businesses that will receive grants can be viewed here.

Grants were available for businesses with annual revenues prior to March 1, 2020 of $3 million or less with 100 or fewer full-time employees.

Funds can be used for eligible costs from March 1 to Dec. 30, 2020 including operating costs, rent, mortgage interest, utility payments, eligible capital expenses, COVID-19 mitigation plans, food loss, outdoor dining equipment, and more. Invoiced documentation is required.

The Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce facilitated the process by receiving the grant applications, and the grant review committee included Nancy Eischeid, Jason Fink, John Houser, Matt McDermott, Kristen Moyer, Joe Reighard, and Shannon Rossman.

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is assisting the county by providing professional expertise and grant administrative services, as well as activity development and management to ensure accuracy and adherence with federal and state regulations.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

The application window has been extended for Snyder County small businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities to apply to receive part of a grant the county received to assist them with COVID-19 expenses.

The application deadline is now Oct. 30 for the COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant (CRBG) funds. It was originally Oct. 2.

The county allocated $1.3 million CRBG funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act), through the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to this program.

Funds can be used for eligible costs from March 1 to Dec. 30, 2020 for the prevention, preparedness, and response to the COVID-19 crisis. For a full list of eligibility requirements and grant application forms, www.snydercounty.org. The due dates on the forms can be disregarded as they reflect the original deadline.

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is assisting the county by providing professional expertise and grant administrative services, as well as activity development and management to ensure accuracy and adherence with federal and state regulations.

County Commissioner Joe Kantz said he hopes more businesses will apply by the end of the month.

“We’d especially like to see more small businesses apply for these grants. We’ve extended the deadline for this opportunity to help them recover from the pandemic’s effects,” Kantz said.

Fully completed applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 30 via email to SEDA-COG’s Jamie Shrawder at jshrawder@seda-cog.org or faxed to 570-524-9190. Mailed forms must be postmarked by Oct. 28 and sent to Snyder County Commissioners, ATTN: Tony Phillips, Chief Clerk, P.O. Box 217, 9 W. Market St., Middleburg, PA 17842.

For more information, contact Shrawder at the email above or at 570-522-7263.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.