Westmoreland leaders say covid-19 grant awards will take longer than expected

Westmoreland commissioners said Thursday that $10 million in grants for local small businesses and nonprofits hurt by the coronavirus pandemic won’t be awarded until the end of August.

The county received 500 grant applications by last week’s deadline. While officials originally suggested that money could begin to flow as early as this week, they now said awards will take longer to review the paperwork.

“We are just taking our time and over the next couple weeks will go over them,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said.

Commissioners last month announced the plan to disperse a first round of grants from $31.5 million in federal covid-19 relief funds. The money will be split among the county’s small businesses, nonprofits and local governments, with each group to receive $10 million. Another $1.3 million was set aside to improve broadband capabilities.

The first funding round will allocate $5 million each to small businesses and nonprofits in grants capped at $25,000. The county received applications from 375 small businesses and 125 nonprofits.

“There is a lot of eligibility checks that still have to be done,” Commissioner Doug Chew said.

The Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland is reviewing applications and is expected to make award recommendations next week, commissioners said.

“There is no timeline for future rounds,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli said, noting federal guidelines require the money be spent by the end of this year.

More than a dozen emailed comments from members of the Voice of Westmoreland, a nonprofit organization promoting racial, economic and educational equity in the county, were read during Thursday’s commissioners’ meeting. The group called for allocation of those federal funds for expanded coronavirus testing, contact tracing and broadband internet vouchers for low-income students.

Commissioners said they support all of those initiatives, although state health officials oversee all virus testing and contact tracing. Kertes said commissioners are exploring what options are available in how the federal money can be spent.