Adams County home buyers received support Wednesday as the county commissioners approved nearly $325,000 of grant funding to support affordable housing through down payment assistance for qualified individuals. The three-year program, administered through the Adams County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) plans to provide funds for 25 households by 2025. Qualified applicants must work in Adams County.
Approved in March, the funding was awarded to the EDC as part of the Adams Response and Recovery Fund (ARRF). Awarding the funding takes time, said Commissioner Randy Phiel, to make sure “every “t” is crossed, and every “i” is dotted.” County Solicitor Molly Mudd said about half of the requests have been through the process and credited the Commissioners as “really having their eye on the ball because three or four of these grants are focused on affordable housing.”
“This down payment assistance will be quite helpful,” agreed Commissioner James Martin, “because a number of people almost make it to the finish line to be able to close a deal on a property and they just lack enough funds for a down payment.” He added this is something favorable for the community and commissioner Marty Qually agreed, saying it will encourage more people to live and work in the county.
Ag Land Preservation
A recommendation from Ellen Dayhoff, Rural Resource Manager, to make changes to the Adams County Land Evaluation and Site Assessment Ranking system, was approved. The system is used to rank farms during every application cycle and Dayhoff said that changes to the system are not unusual.
“We wanted to put more emphasis on the stewardship that is happening on the farms now, the conservation practices that are in place.” More points will now be focused on the direct protection of streams, going from the current 25 to 37. Any farms that have a stewardship score of 20 or fewer points during a site review will drop out of that ranking cycle and have to reapply in the next one. She said applicants frequently ask how they can get more points in the ranking system, and she recommends they get more conservation practices established on their property.
Things have changed in the 31 years that Dayhoff has been with the program and the emphasis throughout the country is now on conservation efforts. “It’s a minor change,” said Qually, “but it’s an important change. High-quality soil is what ag land preservation is about.” Qually said the process encouraged farmers to protect soil and water.
Berlin Junction Project
The commissioners approved the implementation of a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) to provide tax incentives for the 90-acre Berlin Junction Project in Oxford Township.
J. F. Rorbaugh Co. pallet manufacturer of Hanover has been in operation on the site since April. Formerly the Alwine Brick Company which opened in 1885, the property is located at the junction of two rail lines and had been in disuse since 1999. “We’re very much in favor of this project,” said Commissioner Phiel, calling the center one of the larger economic stimulus projects in the county at this time.
Emergency Services Updates
The Department of Emergency Services (DES) sought and received approval for technical support of the 911 Computer-aided Dispatch (CAD) environment, including outside business hours and a one-year extension of the software to operate the system at a cost of about $92,231. In addition, a fire suppression system will be installed at the DES building for about $50,000.
2023 Block Grant
A public hearing was held at the board of commissioners meeting to solicit public comment on the proposed budget for the Adams County 2023 Community Block Grant Program to provide $321,000 to replace the East York Street waterline in Biglerville. The board then approved the application for the funding to be submitted to the PA Department of Community and Economic Development.
Judith Cameron Seniura is a freelance reporter. She began her journalism career in the early ‘70s and has written for newspapers, magazines, and other media in Ontario, Canada, Alaska, Michigan, Nebraska, San Antonio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
These First Time Home Buyers Grants are always awarded to people who “WORK” within the counties awarding them but low income people who are Disabled and Retired are left out which this just goes to show that the governments awarding these grants are only focused upon the working classes they can gouge for taxes and the Disabled and Retired are seen as Non Contributing Members of their local society.
There are many of us myself included that are low income Disabled who’d love the opportunity of home ownership.