Lackawanna County awarded $100K in grants

OLYPHANT, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Lackawanna County is awarding $100,000 in grants to support local non-profit organizations and projects.

20 organizations and projects are benefitting from this grant, each one receiving $5,000.

An extra hand to help that’s what the community re-invest program is all about.

“It’s to acquire and preserve open space resources, acquire and construct greenway trails, acquire, development, and rehab outdoor recreational facilities, improve or revitalize community services and infrastructure,” said Kristin Magnotta, director of Lackawanna County Planning and Economic Development.

The program is designed to offer essential “last mile” funding to help complete projects. The Outreach Center for Community Resources in Scranton is one of those projects

“For us, this is going to allow us to continue the branding of our building, the beautification of our city together and our county, and help us extend some safety measures for our young adult center and our lead center,” stated Lori Chaffers, the executive director at the Outreach Center for Community Resources.

Chaffers hopes fixing up the building and its surroundings will encourage residents to use their programs when facing challenges in their individual and family lives.

“So having murals and being able to ensure our streets and our cities, sidewalks, and buildings are a welcoming place for individuals allows them to feel they can thrive and really achieve those dreams of family stability and self-sufficiency,” continued Chaffers.

The grants aren’t just for non-profit organizations and municipalities like Olyphant can apply for them too.

The borough of Olyphant is on a journey to revitalize its historic landmark; The Queen City Station.

“The train station’s always been a focal point of the town, and we hope it can utilized traditionally, it’s always been used as a host site for community events. It’s a big help to defray the costs of anything you can get where you don’t have to use the taxpayer dollars.”
Re-vamping the train station is just one part of the borough’s plan,” said C.J Mustacchio, the Olyphant Borough Manager.

“We have an ongoing program, basically revitalizing the whole downtown area. We are going to be getting a downtown which is unheard of in the Midvalley. We’re getting actually a new building on our downtown main street which is Lackawanna Ave,” says Mustacchio.

This was just the first round of funding for recipients.

Applications for the second round are currently open and are due by October 31.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.