Lock Haven City Council Meeting Announces $1 Million Award for Construction of Lock Haven Police Building, Presentation of Grant Award for “Active Arts Corridor”, and Notification of Parking Meter Installation

By Emily Wright

LOCK HAVEN – The City of Lock Haven has secured funding for the construction of the Lock Haven police building project with the passing of the federal budget. The city was awarded $1 million from Senator Casey’s appropriations, however, contracting has yet to be initiated.

This notice was announced at the City Council meeting held on Monday, March 18. Abigail Roberts, the Planner and Development Coordinator for the city, delivered the news during her presentation on the agenda item regarding the Senator Casey Appropriations Award.

The $1 million will be distributed through the USDA Community Facilities Program and will be used for the construction of the Lock Haven Police Building. This is the first portion of confirmed funding for the project, which is estimated to cost $2.6 million in total. However, according to Roberts, there is still more funding to come.

Lock Haven is also expecting to receive another $1 million from the Local Share Account program this fall. The Planning Department is currently working on submitting an application to the PA Broadband Authority for an additional $2 million towards the project. Further details about the application will be presented to the City Council in April according to Roberts.

The goal for securing $3 million in funding is to cover any potential cost overages or additions, such as incorporating solar technology into the building. This allocation is a huge step towards achieving that goal and ensuring that the project is completed without any financial setbacks.

As stated in the agenda item, the project directly aligns with the Destination Lock Haven priority goal of encouraging investment in public safety, promoting volunteerism, and advancing technology. Destination Lock Haven plans to continue to pursue funding opportunities to equip officers and firefighters with the necessary resources.

Also presented by Roberts was the notice of a second grant award. The City of Lock Haven was recently awarded a grant of $15,275 from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) Cultivation Grant Program. This funding will go towards the creation of an “Active Arts Corridor”, which combines active transportation in the form of a bike path along with artwork to create a unique and engaging experience for residents and visitors alike.

According to Roberts, the grant allows Lock Haven to potentially receive even more funding from PCA in the future.

The corridor will consist of bike lanes throughout the city, accompanied by murals throughout the route. The project is a partnership between Downtown Lock Haven, Inc. and Clinton County Arts Council, with the potential for more partners to join in the development.

A concept drawing was provided to council members in advance of the meeting on Monday evening, however, the announcement states that “full development of the route and murals will be subject to community engagement events”.

In order to receive the grant, the city is required to provide a 50/50 cash or in-kind match. To fulfill this requirement, the Planning Department has approached the Clinton County Economic Partnership for a contribution and will also be using city staff time towards the match total.

The Active Arts Corridor aligns with the priority goal of designating a preferred inter-community bicycle route in the city. This will involve connecting bicycle infrastructure to the Bald Eagle Valley Trail (BEVT) and other regional trail networks in the area.

Near the end of the items listed on the meeting’s agenda was a recent study conducted by Lock Haven Meter Enforcement Officers Bechdel and Shade, which revealed interesting results about parking on First Street in the city. The study, which was initiated by City Manager Wilson, aimed to gather data on parking patterns on First Street to inform potential changes to the current parking meter zones.

The study, which ran from February 5th to March 1st of this year, focused on 16 unmetered parking spaces between Bellefonte Avenue and West Church Street. The data collected showed a significant variation in parking utilization throughout the day, with the busiest time being from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

On certain days, however, the number of parked cars decreased in the afternoon, suggesting that the current parking time limit of 2 and 1/4 hours may not align with the needs of drivers in the area. For example, on February 27th, the data revealed that only 5 cars were parked on First Street at 4:30 p.m., and on March 1, only 6 cars were parked at the same time of day.

The current ordinance for parking meter zones, established in 2016 and amended several times since, sets a maximum parking time of 2 and 1/4 hours on both sides of First Street between West Church Street and Bellefonte Avenue. However, the data collected by the Meter Enforcement Officers showed that some cars were parked for longer than this time limit, suggesting that the current zoning may need to be revised.

Although no official date was mentioned about when the meters will be put into place, the document that was issued to the city council about the parking study does mention the cost to park in a metered space: “Parking meter fees shall be at the rate(s) set from time to time by Council by resolution”.