Commissioners apply for grants from casino proceeds
The Bucks County Commissioners announced at a meeting Wednesday that the county will submit grant proposals to the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority asking to direct about $1 million worth of casino proceeds toward health and public safety projects.
Under Act 71 of 2004, 1 percent of the revenues from Parx Casino in Bensalem must be directed toward communities surrounding the casino. Municipalities including Bensalem and the county are eligible to submit proposals to the county's Redevelopment Authority seeking a piece of that revenue pie, said Robert White, the authority's executive director. About $3.6 million is eventually split among the approved applicants, he added.
The authority reviews all of the grant applications - which typically total far more than the $3.6 million available, White said - and announces its selections each year around Thanksgiving.
The Commissioners said Wednesday that the county would submit three applications:
$800,000 to fund the Lower Bucks Public Safety training facility
$125,000 to support and expand the Bucks County Health Improvement Project in Bensalem
$25,000 to improve the Bucks County Police Association's shooting range.
Commissioner chairman Rob Loughery said that those three entities were chosen due to their potential to improve public health and safety in the communities around the casino, and that he's hopeful the grants will be approved.
"These were the three that we had consensus on as the commissioners, and we're hopeful that the Redevelopment Authority and their process will see the merits," he said.