Carbon County has big plans for a $577,452 grant that it secured as part of COVID relief funds being distributed by the state.

On Thursday, chief Public Defender Paul Levy outlined the grant, which is coming from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Levy said that the county was initially supposed to receive $79,000, however, the state indicated that there were additional funds available so the county applied for it.

As a result of the grant award, Levy said that six Polycom phones are going to be purchased for the courts and jail. This system will allow communications to occur without people needing to go to the jail and risk any COVID exposure to other people.

“Right now, having two people in my office who recently had COVID, I think the timing is impeccable,” Levy said.

In addition, some of the money will be used to purchase a new HVAC system for the prison, including eight rooftop units that are nearing end of life; as well as cleaning the ductwork and changing filters.

Levy added that some other projects will include a storage unit to store personal protection equipment for county staff, as well as reimbursement for items that had been purchased between Aug. 1, 2022 and now.

“I happened to be in the right place at the right time for this,” Levy said, noting that he will continue looking for grants to help with various initiatives, including mental health, behavioral health issues and other issues that can be addressed.

“We the problems that we have out there, I think it’s important to try and take advantage of what’s being offered,” he said. “This is money too that you won’t have to hire somebody and have to worry about the need to continue justification. It’s a great opportunity.”

Levy said that this grant will directly affect the clients his office represents since they are in the correctional facility.

The county prison board also spoke briefly about this grant on Wednesday and how it could help the prison to help staff and those who are incarcerated stay safe.