Verona Borough has been approved for a large county grant to help revitalize the borough's business district.

Last week, Mike Vento, the architecture and design chair for the Verona Business District Advisory Committee, announced the borough had received a $143,243 grant through the county Community Development Block Grant grant program.

The committee applied for the grant last July. In November, officials hired
architect Richard P. Rauso to design an improvement plan for the borough's streetscape project. The borough already had received a $40,000 county grant to go toward the architecture and design of the project.

Vento said the borough would need to contribute $21,485 to receive the $143,000 grant.

"The streetscape is moving forward," he said. "We're working on the design phase now, but we want to spend that money this summer or fall.

"I don't know what $143,000 is going to buy, but we're going to get the most out of it that we can."

The project includes infrastructure improvements—such as lighting and landscaping—to the Allegheny River Boulevard business district.

Vento also said a $4,000 refundable grant is available from the county health department, and he received council's approval to apply for it. If the borough receives that money, $1,000 will go toward the Verona Chamber of Commerce's 5K race in June, and $3,000 will help pay for a bike night—details have yet to be confirmed—in conjunction with Dirty Harry's bike shop in Verona.

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