How will Washington Township use $250,000 in Erie County GAP funding?
Erie County Executive Brenton Davis presented a $250,000 check to Washington Township on Friday to help fund the building of a maintenance facility at Edinboro's publicly-owned water treatment facility.
According to a release, the facility "will replace two current structures and provide areas for administrative and operational activities," including seven new garage bays and three ADA compliant restrooms.
Funds were provided through the American Rescue Plan's Municipal GAP and Infrastructure program. This program allows municipalities and local authorities to utilize the funding to invest in areas, including water and sewer, to improve access to drinking water while supporting wastewater management and storm water infrastructure.
Davis said a local match is required to receive American Rescue Plan funds.
"This enables communities to complete these projects," he said. "Keep in mind this project, without it, the community has been flooding for three decades."
The Erie County Municipal Infrastructure Program has awarded more than $3.5 million throughout the county to date. The funds have brought more than $13 million in infrastructure projects to completion, according to a release from the county.
“I created this fusion cell, created economic development with two focuses, one downward to help capacity, but also to help look upward to federal and state funding and bring it all together,” Davis said. “That I believe is really the role of the county to help these communities leverage outside of their weight class.”
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“We’re extremely excited to be working with the county and Washington Township,” said Jason Spangenberg, borough manager. "Our sewer plant processes water from Washington Township and the borough of Edinboro and so this grant funding from the county is going to help our residents (by keeping) the rates as low as we can.”
Davis said that it was the county’s goal to reach each of Erie County's 38 municipalities with grant funding.
"We can’t thank the county executive enough," Washington Township council member Mary Jo Campbell said of the funding allocation. "It’s been a great experience and we certainly do need the funds because of just how important this is.”
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Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Washington Township receives $250,000 in GAP funds for infrastructure
