The Schuylkill County Commissioners got a firsthand look Wednesday at what impact the federal Community Development Block Grant program has on a community.

Dale Wesner, a former Kline Township supervisor and now the township’s grant coordinator, spoke at the commissioners Wednesday work session and thanked them for the grant that enabled an antiquated restroom to be converted and become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities.

“It was a 1970s bathroom you might find if you pulled off the road,” said Wesner, who brought large, framed before and after photos of the project. “This bathroom is in an old fire station we use as an auxiliary meeting room and an emergency shelter next to our police station. Now, more residents who need it can use it.”

Wesner said the grant exemplifies branches of government working together to serve people.

“Municipalities and the county can come together to use tax money for a worthwhile project,” Wesner said. “We all pay taxes, but a project like this helps those tax dollars come back to the municipality. Hopefully, more municipalities will take advantage of this program for projects like this.”

Ron Zimmerman, the county’s grants manager, said CDBG funding comes from the federal government through the state government to the county.

Of Schuylkill County’s 67 municipalities, nine are what are called entitlement communities. Those municipalities, which include the city of Pottsville, the borough of Tamaqua and West Penn Township, get their own chunk of money because they have larger populations. They manage their own programs, even though the money still comes through the county.

“It’s important residents cooperate with the (U.S.) census,” Zimmerman said, “because the more people who are counted, the more money comes in.”

Commissioner Gary Hess — the longest-tenured of the three commissioners — said Schuylkill employees like County Administrator Gary Bender assist municipalities in obtaining the grants for various projects.

“County personnel do an excellent job helping people with these grants,” Hess said. “Applying for one of these grants is a lot of work, like low-income surveys. … The end result is some really good projects that are important to a rural county like Schuylkill County.”

There was a CDBG project on Wednesday’s agenda. Although no action is usually taken at work sessions, commissioners Chairman Larry Padora said that action had to be taken Wednesday due to time constraints.

The commissioners subsequently voted to approve a revision to the 2022 CDBG program to move $6,104.80 from a West Penn demolition project already completed to a project at the J.E. Morgan Park, which is also in the township.

Zimmerman said the money will be used to expand a walking track for the disabled. The track goes around the park and connects baseball, softball and soccer fields to a concession stand and two pavilions.