Nearly $3,000 in Grants Provided to SVSD

The Saucon Valley Foundation for Educational Innovation recently announced the delivery of nearly $3,000 grants to provide educational opportunities for Saucon students.

NCC to Host Free Grant Workshop for Nonprofits

The deadline to register for the workshop is Friday, Jan. 6.

Representatives from nonprofit agencies who want to learn more about locating grant sources are invited to Northampton Community College’s Mack Library, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, where a free workshop will be held Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 10am to noon. The workshop will highlight the services provided by The Foundation Center, Northampton County’s largest database of private foundations, and provide an overview of its database of more than 100,000 grant sources.  The session will include an introduction to The Foundation Center, which is devoted to supporting institutional philanthropy, as well as an overview and demonstration of the Foundation Directory Online database. Attendees will have an opportunity to use the database, and it is…

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Township, Borough Apply for Another Round of Grants

Grants to be awarded by the Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority could provide Lower Saucon Township and Hellertown with emergency devices and improve traffic safety.

Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township are applying for another round of grant funding through the Local Share Municipal Gaming Grant Program. The casino revenue-funded program awards money to communities impacted by the legalization of gaming in Pennsylvania.  Locally, the Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority is responsible for scoring the applications from (and ultimately awarding the grant money to) municipalities that have been impacted by the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem. In the current round of funding opportunities, Hellertown and Lower Saucon are jointly submitting three applications for grants that would help Dewey Ambulance purchase new equipment, including: The total cost of the three …

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Township Council Requests Abolition of Gaming Authority

A motion to send a letter to Northampton County Council requesting the abolition of the Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority was approved by Lower Saucon Township Council at its May 18 meeting.

Lower Saucon Township Council members agreed at their May 18 meeting to write a letter to Northampton County Council requesting that the Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority be abolished. Council Vice President Tom Maxfield made the motion to write the letter and to suggest substituting the gaming authority “with something workable.” The motion passed 3-0, with Sandra Yerger absent and Priscilla deLeon abstaining. “(There) doesn’t seem to be any clear rhyme or reason (with the application process),” said Council President Glenn Kern in regards to the gaming authority. “It’s difficult to submit applications and there is no clarity in their responses.” DeLeon, who currently serves on the nine-member gaming …

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Saucon Valley Partnership Discusses Community Development Block Grants

Grants benefit lower income families.

The Saucon Valley Partnership—a local council of governments which consists of representatives from Lower Saucon Township, Hellertown and the Saucon Valley School District—received an update about Northampton County Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for 2011 at its May 11 meeting. Kim Schaffer, CDBG coordinator, said about $1.3 million dollars will be allocated among grant recipients in Northampton County. She explained that CDBG grants benefit lower income individuals and families. An individual who makes less than $39,200 is considered lower income and a family of four that has an income of less than $56,000 is considered to be lower income by the grants. Schaffer said in 2010, Walnutport used money from a CDBG grant to update …

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Gaming Authority Approves Scoring Method for Grant Applications

A controversy arose among members about whether to score the applications based upon a 65-point or 110-point scale.

A disagreement over how grant applications for casino revenues should be scored was resolved at the Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority's March 28 meeting, but not before stark differences of opinion among several of the board's members were once again revealed. The disagreement first came to light in February, after several municipal officials requested information about how their applications for uncommitted funds grants had been scored, and how they ranked among the 46 applicants for approximately $700,000 in uncommitted funds the authority is prepared to award. At that time Gaming Authority Chairman John Finnigan said he was uncomfortable explaining to the municipalities how their applications had …

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Gaming Authority Will Re-Evaluate Grant Applications

After questions about the scoring process for grant applications submitted by numerous Northampton County municipalities arose, a decision was made to start the process over.

It’s back to square one for a Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority subcommittee tasked with scoring grant applications submitted by municipalities vying for approximately $700,000 in uncommitted funds drawn from casino revenues. A decision to re-score the applications—all 46 of them—was made at the authority’s Feb. 28 meeting, after Chairman Jay Finnigan said he was uncomfortable explaining to municipal officials how their applications for the grants were scored. “In the first round, on the restricted funds (grants), I was very comfortable…in explaining to the borough of ‘Timbuktu’ that their application was lacking in this area, this area and this area,” Finnigan said. “I don’t have that comfort in this …

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Four Borough Properties Will Receive Facade Program Funds

Hero Electric, The Cat Doctor, Trendz of Saucon Valley and a residential property on Main Street are the recipients of grants for facade improvements.

Some venerable downtown Hellertown properties are about to get a makeover, thanks to some help from the Lehigh Valley Borough Business Revitalization Program. The Hellertown arm of the revitalization program announced Feb. 7 that Hero Electric, The Cat Doctor, Trendz of Saucon Valley and a residential property at 1190 Main St. have been chosen to receive grants for facade improvements ranging in scope from a new paint job to exposing an original transom and soffit. The combined total amount of grant funding being awarded to the businesses is $11,450 and will supplement approximately $14,100 in private investment funding, according to a news release issued by Mary Himmelberger, Borough Business Revitalization Coordinator for Hellertown. At …

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Four Municipalities Outline Gaming Grant Requests

Bushkill Township, Bethlehem Township, Freemansburg and Stockertown officials presented the Northampton County gaming authority with information about their applications for grants.

The Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority's first meeting of the new year was a busy one. At the authority's meeting Monday evening, members heard presentations from four Northampton County municipalities vying for grants from the authority's pool of uncommitted funds. Bushkill Township Bushkill Township was the first presenter at the meeting, with Township Manager Brian Harris explaining the details of a proposal requesting $50,000 toward the cost of replacing the dilapidated Keller Road Bridge. Installed in the 1950s, the bridge has been closed since it was structurally compromised by severe flooding in 2004. The township is currently working with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT's…

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Heating Assistance Program Still Accepting Applications

LIHEAP program will be accepting applications through March 31 or until funding runs out.

PPL recently issued a reminder to customers who may need help paying their heating bills this winter. The reminder is that assistance is available from the Department of Public Welfare's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides cash grants to homeowners and renters, and crisis grants to help with fuel shortages or heating emergencies. The state began accepting grant applications earlier this month and will continue to distribute funding to those in need until March 31, or until funding is depleted. To be eligible for LIHEAP assistance, homeowners or renters must meet income guidelines, but the program is not limited to customers with unpaid bills or to recipients of public assistance. The 2010-2011 LIHEAP income …

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