Scottdale Borough Council took requests this week for projects that could be submitted as part of the borough's 2009 CDBG application.
Projects that are eligible are only those that benefit low- to moderate-income families.
Any type of paving, curb replacement, storm sewer or any other generalized project can only be done in areas of the borough that are considered low to moderate-income neighborhoods.
Borough Manager Barry Whoric said Scottdale as a whole held the status of low- to moderate-income until the 2000 census which kicked it out of the designation and into a higher income bracket.
The next census is scheduled for 2010 but Whoric said the numbers for that might not become available for two to three years.
Because of the designation, the two entities which addressed the board with requests were not given a lot of hope.
Brad Geyer, president of Geyer Performing Arts Center, said originally theater representatives were looking at funds to tear down property at 115 Pittsburgh St.
However, the theater has learned the building is salvageable.
"We have an offer from the bank to purchase the building for $1 and we would take on the burden of pursuing this and securing the building, but we need a little bit of help (financially)," he said.
Geyer said the theater could use the property for a number of different things, such as storage on the third floor and using the first and second floors for a number of different educational programs it offers throughout the year.
Unfortunately, Rob Kuchar who works to put the application together for the borough, said the project to rehabilitate the property would not be eligible since everyone in the borough and not just low-to-moderate-income residents can take advantage of the theater.
The second request for the theater to install a handicapped-accessible restroom seemed to get a better response. Kuchar said it could possibly be approved. Geyer will submit an estimate for the project at the borough's April 13 meeting.
Judy Ermine, president of the Scottdale Public Library, asked for funding to help construct the garden area planned for outside the newly constructed library, between the library and the gazebo parklet.
"We felt that it might be eligible because right now it's a blight. It needs leveled out to the curb. There are bricks and mud everywhere and it's not handicapped accessible," she said.
Unfortunately, Kuchar said while there is money available to remove blight, there is a stipulation that no new use for the area is allowed once the blight is removed. It would just have to remain a green space.
"As soon as you put a garden in, they would consider it as something that would benefit the whole borough, so it would not meet the requirements," he said.
The borough hopes to have a final public hearing on the funding application at the April 13 meeting so the final draft may be sent to the state by the May 8 deadline.
