Lancaster County Commissioners today approved $750,000 for upgrades to Lancaster Square, improvements to downtown streets and installation of 50 new security cameras.
The separate $250,000 awards to the city were among 16 grants commissioners gave out as part of the county's 2008 Urban Enhancement Fund.
The total amount handed out this morning was $1,702,741.63.
The $250,000 for Lancaster Square will be used to help pay costs to tear down the concrete superstructure on the east side of the square.
Another $250,000 grant to the city will help pay for streetscape improvements in the first blocks of East and West King and North and South Queen streets.
The $250,000 city grant for security cameras will install cameras on portions of East King and South Duke streets.
Randy Patterson, the city's Economic Development and Neighborhood Revitalization Director, thanked the commissioners on behalf of Mayor Rick Gray who is currently motorcycling to Denver for the Democratic National Convention.
Patterson said beautifying downtown areas adds to the security of the area while making it look nicer.
Patterson said the money for Lancaster Square was an opportunity to fix a mistake.
"I don't know what we say about Lancaster Square except that it is probably a good example of where urban renewal did not work back in the 60s and 70s," Patterson said.
The county's grant program for urban enhancement was begun in 2006 and is overseen by its planning commission.
After accepting thanks from many of the grant recipients, commissioner chairman Dennis Stuckey said he was confident that they could now follow through ably on their plans.
"You're going to do it and we know you can already do it or we wouldn't give you money. ... I'm proud to be able to sit here as a commissioner and say while we're all in this together and we're working together — we're pleased to help you out with your projects to the extent we can," Stuckey said.
Other grant recipients, amounts and projects are:
• Columbia Economic Development Corp./Columbia Borough; $250,000; Ashley & Bailey Company Silk Mill redevelopment.
• Columbia Borough, $112,416 for a downtown parking improvement project.
• Western Heights Water Authority/Earl Township, $160,000 for the Western Heights Water Authority.
• Strasburg Restoration & Preservation Inc./Strasburg Borough, $110,208.96 for acquisition and facade restoration of Red Lion Tavern.
• Denver Borough, $81,450 for main street revitalization.
• Marietta Restoration Associates Inc., $70,000 for Musselman/Vesta Furnace office.
• New Holland Borough, $50,000 for the Diller Avenue/Hollander Road water line loop connection project.
• Lititz Borough, $41,666.67 for a downtown pre-development study and implementation of downtown master plan.
• Marietta Community House/Marietta Borough, $25,000 for rehabilitation of Marietta Community House.
• Strasburg Heritage Society/Strasburg Borough, $15,000 for masonry restoration of 1807 Methodist Church and meeting hall.
• Marietta Borough, $15,500 for town square revitalization.
• West Lampeter Township, $11,500 to develop a traditional village district master plan.
• Christiana Borough, $10,000 to expand parking at the municipal building.
Staff writer Chad Umble can be reached at cumble@LNPnews.com or 481-6031.
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