Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston presented a proposal for a Grants & Infrastructure Task Force during Tuesday’s work session.
The task force would be a volunteer, county-managed committee organized to focus grant proposals from a variety of sources to be submitted in 2022 and 2023, with the goal of increasing growth and development in Warren County.
“This started with a conversation with the WCCBI (Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry),” Eggleston said. “There is a huge amount of money floating through the government right now and most of it, probably 80% is in grant programs. This is a once-in-a-generation funding opportunity that will involve bold thinking. It may be decades before you see another investment in infrastructure like this.”
Eggleston said that part of the goal of the task force would be to get organized and identify projects that are worth pursuing.
He also outlined several main goals, including short-term support, identifying quality projects, collaborating and building consensus and creating an action plan.
“The goal of this group is to be grounded from the start,” Eggleston said. “We wouldn’t waste time with entities that don’t want to collaborate. It would also tie in with the county’s comprehensive plan.”
Eggleston also emphasized that working together with multiple entities would be crucial.
“In order to do bigger grants, we’ll need multiple municipalities to join forces.”
Eggleston also said that the group would have a “quality over quantity” approach.
“This group is advisory only,” Eggleston said. “The goal is to get all of these projects ready by spring of next year. If we pass it, it would create a group that has a minimum of seven members and all meetings would be public.”
He also said that the goal would be to use ARPA funds to assist in the grant writing process.
“I think we could look to get a grant writer on staff,” said Commissioner Tricia Durbin. “That, from my perspective, would be the first step.”
Added Eggleston: “There’s nothing that prevents the county from hiring a grant writer. I don’t have a problem with that. My only concern is given how there are a lot of subtleties to grant writhing, getting the right person can be a challenge.”
