Lancaster County has received requests for American Rescue Plan Act funds totaling just over $35 million, according to a list included with the agenda for the county commissioners’ Tuesday work session.
The 29 requests received to date encompass a wide variety of objectives, according to the agenda materials. They include projects addressing housing, water and sewer infrastructure, job training and the environment. (See list at the bottom of this article.)
The amounts being sought range from a low of $47,500, requested by Pequea Township for stormwater upgrades on Linestown Road and Clearview Road, to a high of $6 million, requested for Landis Place on Doe Run, a proposed 180-unit mixed-use development that would have up to 36 units reserved for low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities.
The agenda includes a preliminary discussion of the applications as part of Tuesday morning’s work session. No action is scheduled. Allocations cannot be made without an official vote; no such vote is slated this week.
The commissioners finalized the process for seeking ARPA funds in mid-April. They have said the money should go toward “one-time projects that will be transformational and benefit the taxpayers of Lancaster County.”
The $35.6 million that the applicants are seeking amounts to 40% of the county’s remaining $88.9 million in ARPA funds. However, it is not clear how much of the county’s funds will be available for third-party use. The commissioners have emphasized that the county will prioritize its own projects this time around, given that it put municipal and community needs over its own when it distributed its CARES Act funding.
The first application period ends Aug. 31. At least one more round of applications is expected after that. All ARPA funds must be allocated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.
Lancaster County: Community ARPA funding requests
| Organization | Project | Amount Requested |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | ||
| Upward Broadband | Increase capacity for 22 towers | $2,256,923 |
| Commercial/nonprofit hybrid | ||
| Landis Quality Living | Benchmark Real Estate | Affordable housing: Landis Place on Doe Run | $6,000,000 |
| Fire companies | ||
| Conestoga Fire Co. | New air tanks | $93,592 |
| Lafayette Fire Co. | Radio replacement | $245,000 |
| Lancaster Township Fire Dept. | New fire station | $680,000 |
| Mastersonville Fire Co. | New medical response vehicle | $67,506 |
| Governments & related entities | ||
| Denver Borough | Water treatment plant rehab & streambank restoration | $87,048 |
| East Cocalico Township | New police vehicles | $172,066 |
| East Cocalico Township Authority | Sewer rehab & water main replacement | $3,331,500 |
| East Cocalico Township Authority | Water treatment plant upgrades | $461,000 |
| Lancaster County Conservation District | Stream pollutant reduction | $4,619,190 |
| Martic Township | Enola Low Grade Rail Trail crossing | $119,500 |
| Paradise Township | Sewer plant upgrade | $500,000 |
| Pequea Township | Stormwater upgrades to two roads | $47,500 |
| Quarryville Borough | Water main replacement | $300,000 |
| Strasburg Borough | Stormwater and lead mitigation | $4,248,000 |
| Suburban Lancaster Sewer Authority | Stream restoration | $1,580,000 |
| Weaverland Valley Authority | Water well | $539,564 |
| West Cocalico Township Authority | Wastewater treatment plant | $944,299 |
| West Lampeter Township | Sidewalk at Village Road | $443,848 |
| Nonprofits | ||
| Community First Fund | New financial development center | $2,000,000 |
| Faith Friendship Ministries | Personal care home repairs & employee recruitment | $285,000 |
| Good Neighbors | Low-income housing repairs | $80,000 |
| Lancaster Conservancy | Acquisition of Speedwell Forge & Conewago Creek properties | $1,319,000 |
| Lancaster Farmland Trust | Conservation project on Miller family farm | $223,636 |
| Real Life Community Services | Low income housing | $189,815 |
| Schreiber Pediatric Center | HVAC for therapy center | $1,243,500 |
| Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) | Tec Centro renovation | $1,000,000 |
| YWCA Lancaster | Affordable housing, sexual assault prevention center | $2,500,000 |
| TOTAL | $35.58 million |
