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MEMORANDUM

DATE: May 30, 2008

TO: Upper Delaware Towns and Townships and County Governments

FROM: William E. Douglass, Executive Director of the UDC

SUBJECT: AVAILABILITY OF 2008 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT PLANNING/STUDY FUNDS

The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) is pleased to announce that it will make planning or study funds available to member towns and townships and county governments for projects related to the implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River for the twenty-first consecutive year.  To date, the UDC has awarded $609,692 in grants under this program.  The pool of grant money has been budgeted at $30,000 for this fiscal year.

The River Management Plan provides authorization for the Upper Delaware Council to provide technical, planning, and financial assistance to participating governments for projects related to implementation of the Plan.  Funding in general is limited to the following:

1.  Planning funds to prepare or upgrade a zoning ordinance or other relevant law, plan, or ordinance (i.e. floodplain, wetland, comprehensive plan, subdivision).

2.  Funding to publish such an ordinance.

3.  Funding to address a problem identified in the Plan for resolution.

4.  The preparation of educational materials and guides that assist in implementation of the Plan.

As you know, over the years we have funded a wide variety of projects.  (See enclosed Upper Delaware Council Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program brochure.)  Many of the grants awarded have been for more traditional, land use planning-type projects, providing assistance to local governments for such activities as updating and revising comprehensive plans, zoning and subdivision laws.  Projects funded in 2007 included: a survey/map of town property; purchase, installation, and training for building & code enforcement software; a study of potential river accesses; revision to subdivision and road regulations, history of a school; update of a comprehensive plan and zoning law; and conversion of town laws to an electric format to make them available on the internet.

You may want to consider reviewing your zoning and/or other regulations to encourage open space protection using clustering designs, if you have not already done so.  There may still be a need to better address ridge-line and river-front development and clear-cutting within the Upper Delaware River corridor.  Natural gas drilling is also going to be a big issue for years to come.

There are certain limitations on the use of these funds:

1.  Funding is limited to town/townships participating in the Upper Delaware Council and their respective county governments.

2.  Funding is for planning projects, and not for such activities as land acquisition, construction, or other “bricks and mortar” capital improvement projects.

3.  Funding is for projects related to the implementation of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Management Plan.

4.  The town or township or county government body must approve the contract for the grant.

5.  The term of the grant is for one year.  Quarterly reports are required.  Upon evaluation of work progress, a maximum of two 6-month extensions may be allowed.

Please review the attached UDC “Contract and Grant Criteria” information sheets for a detailed explanation of the qualifications and restrictions, purposes, and procedures.  Also be aware that payments of grant funds will be disbursed only after the completion of the work as specified in each individual grant contract.

Deadline:

A “TAG 2008 APPLICATION FORM” is enclosed for your use.  Applications must be received by the Upper Delaware Council staff by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31, 2008.  All applications must be submitted on the
“TAG 2008 APPLICATION FORM” we have provided to you.  Please attach any additional information to that form.

The UDC's Project Review Committee will review all applications at a special meeting tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, August 12, 2008. We require that applicants send a representative to this meeting to answer any questions pertaining to their grant application. We will need to know in advance who will be attending the special Project Review Committee meeting on your behalf.

The Council intends to make final decisions regarding these applications at its meeting on September 4, 2008.  Please call our office if we can provide additional information.

Printable Version: 2008 TAG Memo, 2008 TAG Application, 2008 TAG Criteria

Did you know?

Since 1988, the Upper Delaware Council has awarded a cumulative $609,692 to member municipalities through its Technical Assistance Grant program to carry out 173 projects related to implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.