Lock Haven outlines $309,332 CDBG plan including downtown restrooms, park accessibility work

Lock Haven city staff presented the proposed 2023 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application at a final public hearing, outlining $309,332 in requested federal funds and specific project uses, and invited public comment before the city council’s final review.

The plan would allocate $220,000 to build public restrooms in the Main Street parking lot to serve the Central Business District, $30,000 for Hannah Park improvements to address ADA compliance and upgrade restrooms and playground equipment, $15,000 to reimburse the Family Service Association of Northeastern PA for mental-health call-response costs within city limits, $25,000 for a zoning and subdivision ordinance update, and $19,392 for program administration. "In the 2023 federal fiscal year, the city of Lock Haven was allocated $309,332 through the CDBG program," Speaker 2 said.

Why it matters: CDBG funds target projects that serve low- to moderate-income (LMI) residents. City staff told the hearing that, based on 2015 American Community Survey data, 58.2% of Lock Haven residents qualify as LMI — the basis for eligibility in the application — and that no resident displacement is expected from these activities. "There will be no displacement of residents associated with this activity or the apartment activities activity," Speaker 2 stated.

Details of the proposals and administration
City staff described the restroom project as a neighborhood facility intended to benefit the downtown and those who use the Central Business District. Staff said the restroom units are the same self-cleaning-style units discussed previously and noted the city had applied for a separate shared-state grant earlier and will pursue this CDBG funding instead. The city plans to fund a portion of planning for a zoning and subdivision/land-development ordinance update from administrative funds.

On Hannah Park, staff said a $30,000 allocation is an initial, multi-year contribution to a larger improvement plan that will proceed after a public survey and design work. Staff said a Hannah Park survey is available on the city website (lockhavenpa.gov) under the Lock Haven "civil space" tab and indicated the survey runs through November; they emphasized the $30,000 is not intended to complete the full project in a single year.

Mental-health calls and reimbursement
The Family Service Association of Northeastern PA (FSA) was proposed to receive $15,000 to reimburse documented costs tied specifically to calls within Lock Haven city limits; staff said FSA must be able to break down which calls and costs occurred inside city limits for reimbursement.

Public comment, deadlines and next steps
Staff invited comments from attendees and viewers and requested written comments be emailed to a roberts@lockhavenpa.gov by the end of the day on October '23 to close the 10-day public comment period. City staff said the city council is scheduled to consider final approval at its regular meeting on October 16 and expects to submit the application to the state agency before October 27; staff said the application will be available for public review in late October or early November (dates were stated as Oct. 20 and Nov. 1 with slight ambiguity during the hearing).

There were no votes or formal motions recorded during the hearing; the meeting ended after staff heard no further comments.