MOSCOW - The borough's business district was transformed over the past couple of years because of grants and other funding.
And the borough's ability to attract dollars came during a period when grant funding usually dried up because of the economic downturn.
"We've been extremely lucky to be so successful," Mayor Daniel Edwards said. "There has also been a lot of diligence on the part of the people in the borough office and the council."
Among about $670,000 worth of infrastructure improvements planned on Main, Market, Church and Van Brunt streets for this summer, borough documents show only $11,041 of it is from local tax dollars. Significant chunks of funding for the work came from grants acquired with the assistance of professional grant writer Joyce Hatala and state representatives.
That follows a $1.3 million state Department of Transportation-sponsored project that substantially altered Main Street by adding traffic lights, streetlights, municipal parking lots and sidewalks, and rebuilding the road.
Mayor Edwards said the Main Street project made the business district much safer for traffic and pedestrians.
Because the borough does not have the retail space for big-box stores, the mayor said making the area safer for pedestrians is important to create an environment that supports new specialty stores.
The $3.2 million project to build a new North Pocono Public Library also attracted some significant funding. Library Director Susan Jeffery said about 80 percent of the funding came from grants and donations, including a $500,000 grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and a $250,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant.
She envisions the new library becoming a destination point for the North Pocono area.
Borough officials continue to discuss grant opportunities to help cover costs ranging from buying a new recycling truck to creating a series of nature trails through Moscow, Covington Twp. and Roaring Brook Twp. that Councilman Marc Gaughan envisions will draw more fishermen to the area.
Contact the writer: kwind@timesshamrock.com, @kwindTT on Twitter