Dec 14, 2019 2 min read

Canonsburg Borough council approved next year’s designations for about $398,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding.

The federal money, which is distributed to local municipalities each year through Redevelopment Authority of Washington County, will go toward home rehabilitation, blight demolition, curbs and the reconstruction of Murdock Street.

Though the funding is slated for 2020, the projects “won’t be bid out until 2021,” according to borough manager Denise Lesnock.

“There are guidelines for what you can use the money for,” she said.

The largest chunk of the money, $150,000, will go toward the reconstruction of Murdock Street, from Payne Place to Hutchinson Avenue. The project will include any needed repairs to storm sewer drainage under the road and the sidewalk, Lesnock said.

The borough plans to use $70,000 of the CDBG funds to make 28 sidewalk curbs ADA compliant with ramps. Another $78,000 will be used by code enforcement for demolition of blighted buildings and properties.

“We don’t have any properties in mind yet,” Lesnock said, noting there are some condemned properties in the borough that are still privately owned.

The last $100,000 of the funding will go toward home rehabilitation efforts in the borough. Residents within a certain income level can apply for pieces of the funding to make home improvements. Eligible applicants can receive up to $24,500 as a 0% interest loan, for which the principal amount would be due to the county “when the property is sold,” according to the application.

Lesnock said Monday the applicants don’t have to pay back the money if they stay in the property for 10 years after the borrowing date.

“…This loan will be unconditionally forgiven at a rate of 10% of the loan amount each year if the borrower continues to own and occupy the property for 10 years after the loan is made,” the application states.

The homeowners select the contractor to do the work, which can include housing problems, energy conservation improvements and improvements that bring the property up to the International Property Maintenance Code.

“In general, most repairs are eligible except for unnecessary luxuries or strictly cosmetic repairs,” the application states.

Lesnock said Monday “very few people applied” for the funding last year.

The applications – which are available on a first-come, first-served basis – can be picked up at the borough office. For more information on eligibility or assistance in filling out an application, call the Redevelopment Authority at 724-228-6875.