DUNMORE – Members of Dunmore Borough Council will need cooperation from residents to realized federal funding to make improvements to roads and some public structures.

At council’s meeting on Monday, Feb. 13, officials heard from Michelle Giovagnoli, contract manager for the Lackawanna County Department of Planning and Urban Development, who conducted a public hearing on the use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding that the borough will be eligible to receive in 2012.

“The funding comes through federal housing and urban development funds, and then comes through Pennsylvania state government to be administered by the county to individual municipalities,” Giovagnoli said of the funding. “The municipalities need to pick a project to use the funding for, and the projects must be eligible and fundable.”

According to Giovagnoli, despite a reduction in federal funding by as much as 15 percent, Dunmore may still be eligible for as much as approximately $135,000 to be used for a public works project. She explained that after the borough selects a project, residents who will benefit from the project must be surveyed, to ensure that at least 51 percent of the population impacted by the project falls at or below the poverty line.

The county must then conduct a second public hearing before work can proceed with the chosen project.

Several members of borough council pledged to work with Giovagnoli on collecting the surveys once a project for the funding is selected.

In other business, council heard from Larch Street resident Radoslav Nedkov, who asked the borough to look into the use of his street for parking by employees of PPL. Nedkov circulated a photo of the PPL complex, which he claims is proof that more than enough parking exists on the property at 600 Larch St. for employee parking, freeing up street parking for residents.

Borough solicitor Thomas Cummings promised to review the borough’s parking ordinance with Police Chief Patrick Reese.

During individual remarks, councilwoman Carol Scrimalli invited all residents to a meeting to help plan celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Dunmore borough, which will take place throughout the 2012 calendar year. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Kuzzins Café, 733 E. Warren St., Dunmore.

Several council members also expressed their thanks to the fire departments of Throop, Dickson City, and Scranton. The neighboring fire departments made their ladder trucks available to Dunmore firefighters while the borough’s own ladder truck was out of service for maintenance.