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$2 Million In Pandemic Relief Funds Available To Westmoreland County Communities

GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- Some Westmoreland County communities could get thousands of dollars in pandemic relief money.

The county says more than $2 million is available but time is ticking away. Wednesday is the last day to apply.

County Commissioner Doug Chew said the funds are "a great opportunity to boost those services in Westmoreland County."

The money from the American Rescue Plan is available to the various boroughs, towns, and the like throughout the county. Most of the communities interested have already filed paperwork, but the latest list from the state shows not all have applied for the cash.

"You are allowed to use it for infrastructure projects, but the projects have to be limited to sewage, water or broadband internet technology," Chew said.

One community that beat the deadline and is waiting for approval is Delmont.

"We know our total is $250,000 a year," said Delmont councilman Bill Marx.

That said, Marx also said asking communities for a list of things they needed would have helped in the process.

"It would be nice to know we're getting our first disbursement on this day because we could plan for that right now. We're just waiting. We can't begin to plan to use the funds. We don't know when we're getting it," the councilman said.

Finally, Marx told KDKA's Ross Guidotti that if communities get these funds, it actually opens them up for more grants to improve those areas.

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