SNOW HILL – An update on the use of COVID-19 grant funds highlighted a public hearing this week.
Last August, Worcester County was awarded $64,265 in COVID-19 grant funding through the Maryland Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, a federally funded program designed to assist governments with activities directed toward neighborhood and housing revitalization, economic developed and improved community facilities and services.
Through the first round of grant funding, the Worcester County Developmental Center received $31,400 and Diakonia, Inc. received $32,865 as program sub-recipients.
In a public hearing this week, Senior Budget Accountant Kim Reynolds provided the Worcester County Commissioners with information on the progress of the grant award.
“I just want to bring everyone up to speed on what has been spent so far,” she said.
Reynolds said the developmental center had used $24,900 of its $31,400 to purchase 100 Chromebook laptops for its clients, while Diakonia had used more than $25,000 of its grant funding.
“So far Diakonia has used $630 of their funding for COVID testing supplies and $24,960 on cost of staffing expenses due to the impact of the pandemic,” she said.
Following the public hearing, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve the CDBG grant progress report.
