For all of us who love grants, realizing they save us from increases in local taxes as we make improvements to our borough, West Easton is once again eligible to submit an application for a Recycling Grant.
The last round, two years ago, resulted in West Easton residents receiving new recycling bins. One resident, who is openly against grants, was among the first in line to get their free recycling bin and lid, taking advantage of the benefits when we obtain these “government handouts,” as she refers to them.
This time, West Easton Council will be considering applying for something that has been needed, but has been put off due to the cost.
Councilman Ron Nixon, who is Chair of the Roads/Property Committee, will be presenting to Council a proposal for a new leaf vacuum, using the Recycling Grant opportunity that will help pay for it.
Though our present leaf vacuum is almost 20 years old and is seemingly held together with duct tape, bubblegum, and a prayer, the purchase of a replacement has been held off until the Recycling Grant opportunity presented itself, because of the high price tag.
The leaf vacuum we have now has been repaired a number of times and is so old, replacement parts are becoming increasing difficult to locate.
Ron has done a lot of legwork and spent time investigating a new piece of equipment best suited for West Easton and the limited workers available to operate it. He even drove to Bedminister, PA to speak with a dealer who sells leaf vacuums and look over various types of equipment.
A recent meeting Mr. Nixon held with the dealer, Road Supervisor Dane Thatcher, and myself, resulted in Mr. Nixon now ready to present the choice of a leaf vacuum to Council at tonight’s meeting.
As with the recycling bins, if the approval to proceed with the application is given by Council, the application will be submitted in the early months of this year, while the decision of whether we receive the grant may not come until around October.
If Council approves to move forward with an application, it will then be passed to the Grants Committee, to see that the application is submitted before the deadline closes for the recycling grant.
Without a grant, West Easton would have to spend $47,400 from the General Fund, to purchase the leaf vacuum ourselves. However, we would need to provide only $4,716, as a match, if the 90/10 recycling grant is sought and awarded.
If it isn’t awarded, we’ll stock up on more duct tape and bubblegum. I’d also pray our current one lasts another two years until the next grant opportunity, but the last time I prayed the lightening strike was pretty close. I took it as a warning not to try that again.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
