News

June 19, 2009

Partners conduct session

Newly formed Back Mountain Community Partnership hopes to secure more grant money.

By Sarah Hite shite@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
Sarah Hite on Facebook   |   https://twitter.com/#!/@TLSarahHite on Twitter

DALLAS TWP. – The newly formed Back Mountain Community Partnership met publicly for the first time Thursday afternoon at Insalaco Hall at Misericordia University.

The partnership is the idea of state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, and Misericordia President Michael MacDowell, who initially invited Back Mountain communities to meet about forming an inter-municipal alliance last November.

The municipalities in the area have been meeting monthly ever since to form the partnership, which will allow them to work on various projects and possibly secure more grant money in the Back Mountain area. Each community has the ability to opt in or out of a project.

NEPA Alliance, a regional community and economic development organization, assisted in the formation of the partnership and will continue to provide help.

Participating municipalities include Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston and Lehman townships and Dallas Borough.

Representatives from the six municipalities elected officers for the partnership at the meeting through the end of 2010. They are Al Fox, chairman; Jim Reino, vice chairman; Patricia Peiffer, secretary/treasurer; Tracey Carr, recording secretary; attorney Jeffrey Malak, legal consult; and NEPA Alliance, administrative agency.

“This is a historic moment for the Back Mountain area … the cooperation that started here I think is going to be a contagious event,” Reino said.

Members of the partnership are already planning to apply for a state Department of Environmental Protection Energy Conservation Grant through the PA Conservation Works Recovery Grant Program.

It is beneficial for several municipalities to apply jointly for the grant because they would not be required to match any percentage of the funding as an individual municipality must do. The competitive grant will be capped at a $500,000 maximum.

The partnership must submit projects to be funded by the grant that would increase energy efficiency by at least 25 percent, reduce energy consumption and reduce energy costs through efficiency improvements.

Kingston, Jackson and Lehman townships and Dallas Borough plan on participating in the grant.

Other project plans for the partnership include the replacement of street signs and the creation of a Back Mountain community map that would show municipal borders.

The next meeting of the partnership will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, July 16 in Insalaco Hall.

Tweet	Follow @TLnews

This story also appears on the following websites...