Trending
More hungry families can receive high quality food thanks to the city administration use of $20,000 in Community Development Block Grant COVID-19 funding approved for use by City Council.
The funds, administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Dvelopment, were requested by Skip Memmi, city director of the department of community and economic development, on behalf of those to benefit from the "welfare public service" project.
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank asked only for $20,000 for provisions distributed at Firetree Place for low to moderate income eligible families in need. The program, called Fresh Express, runs through June 30, 2022.
Families have been helped during the pandemic due to economic distress and social distancing, Memmi said. They are provided the healthy and nutritious food that is locally sourced and packed and distributed at Firetree Place, 600 Campbell St., he said.
The $20,000 is from the city and $38,644 is contributed by the Food Bank.
Council next approved a resolution for agreement to inventory, assess and maintain trees in Brandon Park between the city and the Student Conservation Association.
From Aug. 2 through Aug. 13, the students who are working toward forestry degrees, will check the health, measurements and ages of the trees, said Adam Winder, acting public works general manager. They will work in conjunction with the city forester and Penn State Extension, he said.
Council approved a sale or land swap of property between the city and Lycoming County involving Executive Plaza and the Third Street parking garage. This land swap enables the county to be able to put the Executive Plaza building up for sale and does not involve the exchange of any cash, Mayor Derek Slaughter said.
No Housing and Urban Development funds were involved and neither parcel went through appraisal. The deal was negotiated by Norman Lubin, city solicitor, and Mike Wiley, counsel for the county.
Regarding the lack of appraisal, Lubin said the cost of appraisal could be very expensive.
Wiley's research indicated the parcels were of similar monetary value, Lubin said.
A lease of 99 years with the county will be made to be void, he said.
Both entities mutually benefit from the land swap.
The parking deck is owned by the Williamsport Parking Authority and the county contributed a significant amount of money for the deck to be constructed, Lubin said.
Before Executive Plaza was built there was a fire on the city block consisting of commercial and residential properties on Pine Street. Housing and Urban Development money was used to demolish the burned and damaged block of buildings, Council President Randall J. Allison said looking at written historical references.
The city then had a developer to build there but he defaulted and a bank acquired the property and sold it to the county, Lubin said.
The original intent was to have two buildings there but that did not happen, Lubin said.
The county leadership has indicated interest in selling the building. If it becomes taxable the entity owning the land benefits from it becoming a taxable parcel.
"We own the land under Executive Plaza and they own land under the Third Steet parking garage," Slaughter said. "It is a swap of parcels."
The vote by council was 7-0.
Council and the administration will have a work session scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Trade and Transit Centre II. The meeting will be a discussion on possible use of the $25.8 million in American Rescue Plan funds. The meeting is open to the public, Allison said.